The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-03
VOICE OF THE PRESS
REV. DIR. TALMAGE ON RELIC
IOUS NEWSPAPERS
If They Have the sRight Spirit, He Says,
Each One Does More Good Than Fifty
PuIpits-EditOrial Responsibility

II They have the sh1Snt Spir1t, nc says,
Each One Does More Good Than Fifty
PuIplts-EditOriaI Responsibility
Copyright, by American Press Asso-
citation.
In a previous discourse, DR.. Talmage
having shown the opportunities of the
secular press, in this discourse speaks
of the mission of religious newspapers,
His text is, Then 1 turned n lifted
UP mine eyes and looked, and behold a
flying roll" (Zechariah V, u.
In a dream the prophet saw some
thing rolled up in advancing through
the heavens. 1t contained a divine
message 1t moved swiftly, as on
wings. 1t had much to do with the
destiny of nations. But if you viii
loo up you will see many flying rolls.
They come with great speed and nave
messages for an the earth. The flying
rolls of this century are the newspa-
pers. They carry messages human and
divine. They will decide the destiny Of
the hemispheres.
There are in the United States about
90, GOO newspapers. The religious news
paper OF which / am the editor was
born 10 years ago, but born again seven
years ago. In this brief time il has
grown to about 200, 600 circulation, and,
by the ordinary rule of calculating 'the
readers of a it has about 1,0OO,-
900 eaders. Our country was biest
with many religious journals, edited
by c~onsecrated men, while their con-
tributors were the able9t and best Of
all professions and occupations. Some
of these journals for half a century mad
been dropping their benedictions upon
the nations and they live on and Will
continue to live ON until there will be
no more use of their mission, the world
itself having becom a flying roll on
the ternpests OF the las day, going out
of existence. There will be no more
use for such agencies When the world
ceases, because, in the spiritual state,
we shall have such velocity that We
can gather for ourselves all the news
of heaven, or, seeing some world in con
fiagatiOn, may go ourselves in an in
stant to examine personally the scene
OF disaster.
Was there room for another religious
journal in this land, already favored
with the highest style of religious jour-
nalism? Oh, yes, if undenominational
plenty of room. Nothing can ever take
the place of the UNCONVENTIONAL news
paper. When the millennium comes in,
it will find as many denominations as
there are now. People, according to
their t~emperaments, WIFI always prefer
this or that form of church government
this of that style of worship. You
as well ask us all to live in one
house as to ask us all to worship in one
To ~ ~ yn1 ~ nr tN n1ln1ich tho nOI
Of an army in order to make
them one great host.
UNCONVENTIONAL -,APERS.
Each denomination must have it's
jourrAl, set apart especially to |,
present the charities. explain the work
and forward the interest of that parti-
cular sect. The death of one denomi-
journal is a calamity to all the
other denomination / would almost
feel that a great misfortune had hap
pened to me if the Christian Intelligent
cer OF the reformed church (my mother !
church) did not come to my house
every week, for 1 was brought up in it,
it has become a household neces-
sity. Such a d~enominatiOnal journal
better be edited by some one Who
in the cradle of that churcha and,
at her affairs, having become
An " IL AL OIL NASSp oito
wise and. with heart full of sacred
memories, addresses the1iving Oftoiay.
N the most sacred crypt of our men,
Try stands the statue of the religious
Abel Stevens and joshua Lea
and the royal family of the primes,
and Eusebius, while others
niger on the banks of the Jordan,
where they will not rave long to wait
Elijah's chariot, and when they go
lp, If VIE still be sitting at our editor
al DESKS, we will cry out in the me
norable words. MY father, my father,
he chariot of Israel and the horsemen
But, then, there are great movements
which all denominations wish to join,
md we want more eundenOminatiOnal
newspapers to marshal and advance
nd inspire such movements. Yet such
ournals have a difficult task, because
II Christian men, if they have behaved
veil in their denominations, for some
eason prefer the one of their natural
spiritual nativity and, ever look !
ng of upon the general field and at
empting wider work., will be apt to ]
,ok at things through UNCONVENTIONAL
and to treat them with ade-
twist. {
In the issuing of the religious journal 6
those seventh anniversary I preach I
hat difficulty has been met and over 6
ONE by the act hat Its publisher is =
Methodist and in it's editorial rooms q
are "a Presbyterian, an Episco-
allan and a Congregationalist, and 4 q
ne of UNCONVENTIONAL prejudice in edi-J L
,rfal or repOrtorial column would run 1
gainst immediate protest. Against t
ohn Wesley's Free Grace" or alvin's n
DEGREES" or Bishop Nell J
Goa nnpip otS ~ ~ nr nou-l;p~,. i +
from years end to Ii
ears end not a word is written or a
On all these subjects we have t
)nvictfOns, but undenominational Jour- q
alism is not the place to state them. t
e who tells all he knows and express :
all he thinks on all occasions and in .
l places without reference to the pro- I
-ieties is a boor or a crank and of no {
tactical service either to church or (