The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-01-06
THE SECTARIAN PRESS,
Possibilities and Powers of Re-
ligious Journalism.
1t is Really More Potent, When Properly
Conducted, Than the Church-Pui-
pits That Preach by Day
and by Night.

In the following discourse Rev. T.
Dewitt Tallnage shows the wonderful
power for good of the sectarian press
of the country. The text is:
Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes. and
looked, and beholda flying groll-Zechariahv, l.
In a dream the prophet saw some
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
will see many flying rolls. They come
with great speed and have messages for
all 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 the United States about
10000 newspapers. The religious
newspaper of which ] am the editor
was born 19 years ago, but born again
seven years ago. Our country was
blest with many religious journals,
edited by consecrated men, while their
contri ibutors were the ablest and best
of all professions and occupations.
Some of those journals for half CEN
tury had been dropping their benedic-
tions upon the nation, and they live
on, and will continue to live on until
there will be no more use for their
missions, the world itself having be-
come flying roll on the tempests of
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
for ourselves all the news of Heaven,
or, seeing some world in conflagration,
may go ourselves in an instant to ex-
anime personally the scene of disaster.
Was there room for another religious
journal in this land, already favored
with the highest style of religious
journalism? Oh, yes, if undenomina-
tional, plenty Of room. Nothing can
ever take the placeof the denomination
al newspaper. When the millennium
comes in, it will find as many denomi-
nations as there are now. People, ac-
cording to their temperaments, will dl-
ways prefer this or that form of church
government, this Or that style of wor-
ship. You might as we'll ask us all to
to worship in one denomination, or to
abolish the regiments of an army in
order to make them one great host.
But then. there are great movements
in which all denominations wish to
Join, and we want more undenomina-
tional newspapers to marshal and ad-
vance and inspire such movements.
Undenominationa journalism is abso-
lutely necessary to demonstrate the
unity of the Christian world. Wide
and desperate attempt is made to show
that the religion of Jesus Christ is only
a battle-ground of sects; and the cry
has been: IF you want us to accept
your religion, agree, gentlemen, as to
what the religion really is. This de-
nomination says few drops of water
dripping from the end OF the fingers il
baptism, and another demands the
| submergence of the entire body. This
one prays with books. and that one
makes extemporaneous utterance.
The rector of one delivers his SER
mon in gown, while the backwoods
preacher of another sect addresses the
people in his shirt-sleeves. Some of
your denominations have the majestic
dominant in the service, and others,
spontaneity. Some of you think that
from all eternity some were predes-
tinated to be saved, and that from al
eternity others were doomed" Now
it is the business of Young Mems
Christian associations and tract
societies and Sunday-School unions
and pronounced undenominational al
journals, to show the talsity of the
charge that we are fighting among
ourselves, by gathering all Christian
denominations on one platform o.
launching the unite sentiment of al
Chrlstendom from one style of religious
printing press.
But we have in all our denomination
got tired of trying to make other peo
pie think as we do on all points. Th,
heresy-hunters in all denomination
are nearly ali dead, thank God, and WI
are learning that when men get wron,
in their faith, instead of martyrizin,
them by arraignnent, we do better t,
wait for the natural roll of years to re
move them. Men die, but the trutl
lives on. We may not all agree as T.
the number of teeth in the jawbon
with which Samson slew the Philis
tines, or agree as to what the exac
color of the foxes which he set on fir
to burn up the corn shocks; but, on til
vitals Of religion we all agree.
If we could call into one great cor
vention the. 645, $50 Episcopalians, tn
/, APO. 9O5 Lutherans, the 1,406. 346 Pres
byterians, the 4,1s3,S57 Baptists, tn
5. 5.653. .2ss Methodists, putting unto ther
the following questions we would re
unanimous answer in the affirmative
Do you believe in a God, good, hol,
just, omnipotent? Do you believe j
Jesus Christ as Saviour? Do you b.
lieve in the convicting, converting an
sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost
DO you believe that the Gospel is goin
to conquer all nations? It you shoul
put these questions to those assemble
i sa3.x ~ II :.