The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-03


Journalism spread out the story of all
such woes and collect relief and dis
burse aims all around our suffering
world. Religious journalism ought TO
become the aqueduct through which
the Christian charities Of the wsJrid
should pour until there is no more nun
ger to De fed and no more ignorance TO
be educated and no more ~naksdness to
be clothed and no more suffering to
assuage In trying TO do that practical
thing the religious paper whose ami
vcrsary 1 celebrate has. during the past
seven years, raised and disbu-sted over
$500, 0G0 for the relief of physical dis
tresses.
AN OPTIMISTIC PRESS.
Again. on this seventh anniversary
OF a religious publication l notice that
there is an especial mission for a relig-
ious journal trutnly optimistic. The
most optimistic book / know Of is the
Bible, and its most impressive authors
were all optimists. David an optimist.
Paul an optimist. St. John an
optimist. Our blessed Lord an
optimist. 1 cannot look upon a de-
sert but 1 am by the old book reminded
that It will blossom like as the rose"
I cannot in a m~enagerie look upon a
lion and a leopard but / am reminded
that "a little child shall lead them"
1 cannot see a collection of gems in a
jewelers. window without thinking of
heaven aflash and ablaze and incarna-
! dined and empurpled with all
precious stones. I cannot hear a rum
pet but l think Of tina one shall wake
the dead All the ages of time, bound-
ed on one side by the paradise in which
Adam and Eve walked n on the 9TH
er side by the paradise which ST. John
= saw an apoca1yptic vision.
The Scriptures optimistic, and their
authors optimistic, all religious news
papers ought to be optimistic. Not
only should all ministers and all relig-
ious editors have their heart right but
their. liver right. The world has enough
trouble of its own without our giving
them an extra dose in the shape of re-
ligion. This world is going to be saved
xgOsn Oiingtu Owltrg a -aaaic,n .Smit
and if you 40 not believe it you are an
infiel None of us wants to get on
board a train which, instead of reach
ing the depot, is surely going down the
embankment All aboard for the mil
lennium! For the most part in a re-
ligious journal let the editorials be
cheerful and the pictures cheerful. If
in one column there be a CHASTITY wood
cut Of the anime stricken in India, in
the next column have a list CT contri-
butors for a1leviations CT the suffering !
or a picture Of a ship carrying bread
stuffs. If one column there be the !
death of an old minister of tine gospel
whom We canot spare, in the next put
the name Of some young Elisha who |
can wear the mantle of Elijah. If
some evil of society is depicted in one |
column, in the next show the gospel /
machinery that is to drive it back INTO |
the perditiOn from which it assembled. |
More and more sunshine let there be |
in religious journalism. Publish in it
more sermons on texts like 20 give /
thanks unto the Lord, for he is good"
and fewer ontexts like lou Of the
depths Of hell have I cried unto thee, o
Lord" If any one has anything gloomy
to say, let him say it to himself. If he
must write it, let him not send it to
editorial rooms, tut put it in the pig
cen hole of his own desk for his heirs
and assign to read it further on, for
probably they can stand it better than
we. I once gave 81 to hear Jenny Limo
sing. I never will give a cent to hear
a man groan. Up with the blinds and
throw back the shutters and let the
morning light come in. There is not so
much religion in the dampness of a Gel
lar as in the breath of an apple orchard
in blossom week. What a victory
David got over himself when he closed
the Psalms with six chapters of Praise
We the Lord" saying it over and over
again until in any other book it would
have become monotonous. If in our
diaries and our family records and our
religious newspapers we would write
honest catalogues, the one a cata-
logue of blessings and the other a cata-
Of troubles, the former would be
times larger than the latter.
PRAYERS FOR THE RELIGIOUS
PAPERS.
Pray for the religious newspapers of
because Of the fact that if
they have the right spirit each one does
as much good as 5 or so or 200 churches
What are the 500 or 5000 people MAX
ing up a sabbath audience compared
with the 10000 or $4,000 o 200, 900 that
the religious journal addresses? Such
journals are pulpitS that preach day
and night. They reach weekly those F.,
who through invalidism or through in
1lference never enter churches. They {
reach people in their quietude, when !
their attention is not distracted as in ,
huron by the fine millinery that APP ]
peals to the eye or the rustic Of attire ,
hat attracts the ear. 1t will always -,
De our duty and our privilege not to =.
'orsake the assembling of ourselves to- E
u l believe the consecrated r
printing press is the chief agency I'M 6
Ter God to save the world. +
Pray also for the religious newspa- t
,ers of America h a they may resist t
he temptation to become acerb. harsh O
IND damnatory of those who hin diff +
erently from themselves. In all de- e
there are dissappointed n
'eople who put mean things in relig- Z
newspapers about ministers and Z
Their prominent Christian workers. I'm .!
uccessful men and women never like s
uccessful men and women. There are O
ditors and reporters who, instead Of
with ink, dip their pens in oil
L vltriol or lampblack. When a relig-
newspaper does lie, it beats all Sc G
ular Journalism in contemplating. AS n