The commonwealth., 1897-12-24
THE SECTARIAN PRESS.
Possibilities and Powers Of Re-
Hgious journalism.
IL 10 Really More PIfent, When Properly
Conducted. Than the Church -Pui-
pits That Preach by Day
snd by Night.

L l
7 In the following discourse Rev, r..
r Dewitt Talnage shows the wonderful
7 power Tor good OF the sectarian press
! OF The country. The text is:
Then turned, and lifted up mine eyes. and
, looked, and behold nylng roll -zegharlahy l.
In dream the prophet saw sorne-
thing rolled up advancing through the
heavens. 1T contained Divine mes.
sage. 1t moved swiftly, as on wings.
1t had much to do with the destiny OF
nations. But If you will look up YOU
viii see many flying rolls. They come
with great speed aud have messages for
Nil the earth. The flying rolls Of this
century are the newspapers. They
carry messages human and Divine.
They will decide the destiny of the
hemispheres.
There are In this United States about
2o,0oo newspapers. The religious
newspaper Of which I am the editor
WAS born 10 years ago, but born again
seven years ago. Our country was
5less with many religious journals,
|
contributors were the ablest and best |
| OF all professions and occupations. |
some OF those journals for half ecu |
lury had been dropping their benetic- |
uphs upon the nation, and they live |
on, and win continue to live on until |
there VIII be no more use for their
missions, the world itself having be-
Al In. t.,,, I
the last day, gonig out of existence.
There Will be no more use for such
agencies when the world ceases, be-
cause in the spiritual state, we shall
have such velocity that we can gather
Tor ourselves all the news of Heaven,
or, seeing some world ia conflagration,
may go ourselves in an instant TO ex- {
anime personally the scene Of disaster e.,
Was there room for another religious |
journal IN this land, already favored ! d
With the highest style OF religious 1
journalism? Oh, yes ii uudeuomina. q
uonal plenty OF room. Nothing can t
ever take tnr placeot the denominations
nj newspaper. When the millennium i,
comes in. it will find as many denomi- >
nations as there are now. People. ac- n
cordIng to their tempcranents, will al- =
ways prefer this or that form Of church >,
government, this or that style OF wor- a
ship. You might Us well ask us all to r,
IS Sorsllip in one house hs to ask MS all ~
10 worship In one denomination, OF to -,
abolish the regiments of an army in -,
)rher TO make them one great host. -,
But then, there are great movements Il,
n winch all denominations wish to -,
DIN, and we want more undenomna- u;
ionai newspapers to marshal and ad- ~
'ance and inspire such movements. .,
journalism is abso- II,
ntely necessary to demonstrate the sn
nifty OF the Christian world. Wide " sa
nd desperate attempt is made to show -,
hat the religion Of Jesus Christ is only w.
battle-ground of sects; and the cry ,,,
MS been: IF you want us to accept Nc
our religion, agree, gentlemen, as to -,
mat the religion really is. This de- on
onination says few drops of water ,h
ripping from the end OF the fingers is ,a
aptisn, and another demands the lu
lomcrgence of the entire body. This Al,
ne prays with books, and that one -
lakes extemporaneous utterance.
he rector of one delivers his SER
ION IN gown, while the buck woods PC
reacher of another sect addresses tue VI.
eople IN his shrt-sleeves Some of mi
our denominations have the majestic i's
,minant in the service, and others, op
'ontaneity. Some Of you think that ~
ON all eternity some were predes- M
mated to be saved, and that from all Z
ernlty others were doomed.n Now, oy
Is the business of Young Mems y
tristan associations and tract AZ
cicties and Sunday-School unions leo
Id pronounced undenominatonal Nv,
urnals, to show the falsity of the no
arge that we are fighting nmoug JeV
rselves, by gathering all Christian 'n9
nominations on one platform or ~
unching the unite sentiment of all "i'
'r'stendom from one style of religious eai
hitting press. tna
Unity! Complete unityl Never was a., a.
y other army on earth SO thoroughly .'
ited under one flag. and inspired by ~ ln%
c sentiment, and led by one COM os
lnder, rs is the church militant, ap'
rist commands all the troops of all w., ~
of Christians, and they a..
G going to shout together in the final opl
tory when the whole world is re- ,e''
emed. uea ~,
But we have in all our denominations i"'
tired OF trying to make other peo-
! think MS we do on all points. The w"
rcsy-hunters In all denominations wa
nearly all dead, thank God, and we Nv
learning that when men get wrong .. o.
their faith, instead of martyrixing 49, A.
I'm by arraignnent, we do better TO w
1T for the natural roll of years to re- ':,. oau
we them. Men die, but the truth ~"
es on We may not all agree as TO Jou'
number of teeth in the iawbope o""
Tn which Samson slew the Philis- WV
es, or agree rs TO what the exact ."e
or OF the foxes which he set on fire .r' ueN
burn up the corn shocks; but, on the . s,o'
ais OF religion we all agree. W =
we could call into one great con. -,
'tion the 645, 500 Episcopaliaus, the -
'1,a0a Lutherans, the /, 40J, BAG Pres
erians, the 4.lS3,s57 BaptisLs, the XII.
~ 2st Mcthodists, putting un 10 them -
,;,n,". n'''oa ~ we "ou'a get cietl
you believe in n God, good, holy, ,hs
;, omnipotent? Do you believe In ,;n,,
us Christ as Saviourp Do you be. ava
q in the convicting, converting aud u,,,,
ctifying power OF the Holy Ghost? ssrw s
YOU believe that the Gospel ia Oo;nr