Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-12-03
SHENANDOAH 8 HERALD
p Advertising Rates.
goo, GOO Tor the relief of physical dis,

s400, COO Tor the relief OF physical dis
tresses
Again, on this seventh anniversary Of
a religious publication l notice that
there is an especial mission for reli-
gious journal truthfully 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, ;
onr blessed Lord ali optimist. | cannot
look upon desert but l am by the old
book reminded that it will blossom
like as the rose -" l cannot in menag-
erie look upon lion and a leopard but
am reminded that "a little child shall
lead them" Icannot see a collection Of
gems in a jewelers. window without
thinking Of heaven afash and ablaze and
incarnadined and empurpled with all
manner of precious stones cannot hear
a trumpet but think Of that one which
shall wake the dead. All the ages Of
time, bounded on one side by the para
disc in which Adam and Eve walked
and on the other side by the paradise
which st. John saw in apocalyptic
vision.
The Scriptures optimistic and their
authors optimistic, all religious news
rspers ought TO be optimistic. Not on
lyshould all ministers and all religious
eaitqrs have their heart right, but their
liver right. The world has enough trou-
l,le of its own without our giving them
arf extra dose in the shape Of religion.
This,yorsS is going TO be saved, and II
you do not believe it you are an infideL
None Of ns wants to get on board a
train which instead Of reaching the de-
pot is surely going down the embank-
ment. All aboard Cor the millennium
For the most part III religious journal
let the editorials be cheerful and the
pictures cheerful. If in one column
there be a ghastly woodcut OF the fam
inc stricken in India, in the next col
umn have a list of contributions for al
deviation of the suffering or a picture OF
a ship carrying breadstuffs. If in one
column there be the death Of an old
minister Of the gospel whom we cannot
spare, in the next put the name Of some
young Elisha who can wear the mantle
Of. Elijah.
Moro and More Sunshine.
If some evil Of society is depicted in
one column, in the next show the gos-
pei machinery that is TO drive it back
intonhe perdition from which it ascend
ed. More and more sunshine let there
b. in religious journalism. Publish in
it more sermons on texts like "Oh, give
tin1nks unto the Lord, for he is good,
and fewer on texts like, "Out Of the
depsksof hell have Icried unto thee, o
Lord" If any one has anything gloomy
to say, let him say it to himself. If ne
must writ. it, let him not send it to ed
itorial roonls. but put it in the pigeon
hole of his Own desk for his heirs and
assigns to read it further on, for prob
ably they can stand it better than we.
l once gave s. to hear Jenny Lind sing.
never will give 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 re-
ligion in the dampness Of cellar as in
the breath Of an apple orchard in bios
som week What victory David got
over himself when he clos d the Psalms
with six chapters Of "l'raise ye 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 two honest
catalogues, the one catalogue Of bless
ings and the other a catalogue Of trou-
bles, the former would be five times
larger than the latter.
Pray for the religious newspapers OF
America, because Of the fact that, II
they have the right spirit, each one does
as much good as or 90 or 200 churches.
What are the 500 or 1000 people max
ing up a Sabbath audience compared
with the 10000 or $4,000 or 200, 900
that the religious journal addresses
Such journals are pulpits that preach
day and night. They reach weekly those
who, through invalidism or through in
difference, never enter churches They
reach people in their quietude, when
their attention is not distracted, as in
church, by the fine millinery that ap-
peals to the eye or the rustic Of attire
that attracts the ear. 1t will always be
our duty and our privilege not to for
sake the assembling Of ourselves to-
Qether. but | believe the consecrated
printing press is the chief agency under
God 70 save the world.
Pens Dipped In vitriol.
Pray also for the religious newspapers
OF America, that they may resist the
temptation TO become acerb harsh and
damnatory of those who think different
ly from themselves. In all denomina-
tions there are disappointed people who
put mean things in religious newspapers
about ministers and other prominent
Christian workers. Unsuccessful men
and women never like successful men
and women. There are editors and re-
porters who, instead Of writing with
ink, dip their pens in oil Of vitriol or
lampblack. When a religious newspaper
does lie, it beats all secular journalism
in contemptibility. AS Adam Clarke,
the commentator, said, "Some people
serve the Lord as though the devil were
In them." That only is helpful news
paper which, as we fold it up after read
ing, leaves us in mood TO pray for all
men and in spirit that wishes prosper
ity for all Christian workers, whether
they work our way or some other way
and we feel as though the angel, flying
through the midst Of heaven, having
the everlasting gospel to preach, had
with the Tapping Of his wing stirred
the air on our cheek and forehead
Pray also for religious journalism,
that it may be alert-not abreast Of the
times, but ahead Of the times. In this
day, when by cablegram we seem 10 get
from Europe news five hours before it
starts, we do not want in our religious
columns information scissored out OF an
old newspaper or information sent by