The Progress., 1898-02-26
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Disoourses Upon
the Ally Of the Pulpit.
Tremendous Influence for Good or ESu
Exerted by the Newspaper - The
Trials and Temptations of Nsws-
paper Men Portrayed.

In the following sermon Rev. L. De-
Witt Talmage tells in what manner his
sermons have come to multiplicity OF
publication unexampled in the history
of pulpit literature. The text is:
They shall seem like torches; they shall run
like Neutrality-suspicious. IL. T.
Express, rail train and Geographic
communication are suggested II not
foretold in this text, and from it start
to preach a sermon in gratitude to God
and the newspaper press for the fact
livering through the newspaper press
1900 sermons or religious addresses, SO
that l have for many years been al
lowed the privilege of preaching the
Gospel every week to every neighbor-
hood in Christendom. and in many
lands outside of Christendom. Many
have wondered at the process by which
it has come to pass, and for the first
time in public place / state the three
causes. Many years ago, young man
who has since become eminent in his
profession, was then studying law in
distant city. He came to me,
AMI said that for lack OF
funds he must ;. stop his study
ing, unless through stenography
would give him sketches of sermons,
that he might by the sale of them So
cure means for the completion OF his
education. I positively declined. BE-
cause it seemed to me an impossib ility,
but after some months had passed, and
had reflected upon the great sadness
for such q brilliant young man to be
defeated in his ambition for the legal
profession, undertook to serve him;
of coure, free of charge. Within three
weeks there came q request for those
stenographic reports; from many parts
of the continent. Time passed on, and
some gentlemen of my own profession,
evidently thinking that there was
hardly room for them and for myself
in this continent, began to assaN me-,
and became SO violent in their assault
that the chief newspapers Of
America put special correspondents
in my church Sabbath by Sabbath,
to take down such reply
as l might make. never made reply,
except once, for about three minutes,
bat those correspondents could not
waste their time and SO they tele-
graphed the sermons to their particu-
lar papers. After awhile, DIR. Louis
Klopsch, of New York, systematized
the work into syndicate until through
that and other syndicates he has put
the discourses week by week before
more than 2o,0oo'OOO people on both
sides of the sea. There have been so
many guesses on this subject, many of
them inaccurate, that l now tell the
true story. / have not improved the
opportunity as ought, but l feel the
time has come when, as a matter Of
common justice to the newspaper press,
I should make this statement in a SER
mon commemorative of the two thou
sandth full publication of sermons and
religious addresses. saying nothing of
frasmentary reports, which would run
mp into many thousands more.
There was one incident that might
mention in this connection showing
how an insignificant event might in
Aucnce us for lifetime. Many years
ago. on a Sabbath morning, on my
way to church in Brooklyn, a rep
rescntative of a prominent newspaper
met me and said: Are you going to
give us any points to-day?" 1 said:
o. Wk,.t 1N N