The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1897-12-01
Pens Diu;rr,l Ia : tit"irl.

PRAY al>ui y the religious newspapers
of America. that they may resist the
temptation t. h,COn?" "y'lt'. harsh ana
Gamnatury Of th0s" VII" think different
" from themselves. IN all G,n"mlna-
ticnS there are disappointed people who
put mean things in religious newspapers
aiuut ministers and other lr' lnlncnt
Christian workers. Unsuccessful men
and women never lil:" successful mcn
ant! women. There ere editors and re-
portcrS who, instead Of writing with
ink. dip thci: pens i'll oil Of vitriol or
l,mpbl&ck. When religious newspaper
does lie, it hats all secular Journalism
in contcmptilility. As Adam Clarke,
the commentator, said, ":Omc people
serve the Lord as though the devil were
in them" That oriv is 4 \ lpfitl news
paper which, as We fold il up after read
ing, leaves Is in mood to pray fer al
men aud il \ spirit that wishes prosper
ity for all Christian wsrEcrS. whether
they work our way CT some other way,
and we f., as though the angel. flying
through the midst of heaven, having
tie everlasting go<l,l t" preach. had
with the Tapping cf his wing stirred
the air on our check and forehead.
Pray also for religious Journalism,
that it may l." al,rt-:ut abreast "f the
times, but ahead Of the times. In this
day, when by c;;blcgram We seem to get
from Europe news five hours tct"re 1t
starts, we 60 not want III UUr rcl4lCus
columns information sciSSurcd out IF IN
old newspaper or information sent by
means Of Il letter which comes to US
through the dead letter po<tutlice be-
cause it was EliSdircctrd, n0r Go We
want it to take the pace Cf religious
journalism as it was III 1873. when Ma
thaniel Wilson started his religious pa
per called The Recorder. or when The
Watchman was born III 1919, or. when
The Christian Register r!aGc its first
apycarancc in 1921. Tie caTalbiat
drawn ly mules Oh Il towpath did well
in its time, Eut Low we prefer the vcS-
tibulcd limited express. EccauSe
thing is pious it need not therefore be
dull. The printing press MAY beat the
Argus OF mythology, for that fabulous
being had only 100 eyes, while the
newspaper has LOCO eyes and 1000
ears and 600 arms The secular rows
paper gives the secular news aud does
not pretend to give its religious mcan-
ing. The religious press ought to put
all tie events Cf the day III companies,
regiments and LrigadcS and show us III
what direction that divinclv diSci irlincd
hest is marching and let us klInw what
victories for God and righteousness they
will win. The ChriStianizcl printing
press is to do in cur time on large
scale what the battering ram did III old
Ell time OF smaller scale. That old
war machine was stout timber, hung
by chains tc 4 beam supported by posts,
and many men would lay hold Of the
stout timber and swing it backward and
forward until, getting under full mo-
mcntum, it would strike into awful
demolition the wall bcSicScd. God grant
that all Cf Us who lave anything to do
with the mighty lattcrins ram Of our
century, the printing press may be
clothed Of God with especial strength
and oneness Of purpose ard that, having
pulled it back for OLe mighty assault,
we may altogether rush it forward,
| crushing into everlasting ruin the last
wall Of opposition and the last fortress
of iniQuity!