Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-03-02
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
HE breaches TO THE NEWS
PAPER PROFESSION.
And incidentally Tells About the Good
Papers in the Country Towns and
Cities, and the Wicked Papers of the
Greater Cities.


to God and the newspaper press for
the fact that have had the opportuni-
ty OF delivering through the newspaper
press two thousand sermons or religi-
Gus addresses, so that | have for many
years been allowed the privilege of
preaching the gospel every week to ev-
cry neighborhood 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 l state
the three causes. Many years ago, a
young man who has since become emil
nent in his profession, was then study
ing law in distant city. He came to
me, and said that for lack of funds he
must stop his studying, unless through
stenography I would give him sketches
or sermons, that he might by the sale
OF them secure means for the compile
ton of his education. l positively de-
clined, because it seemed to me an
impossibility. but after some months
had passed, and l had reflected upon
the great sadness for such brilliant
young man to be defeated in his am
bition for the legal profession, / under
took to serve him; of course, free of
charge. Within three weeks there
came request for those stenographic
reports from many parts of the con-
tinent Time passed on, and some
gentlemen of my own profession, evil
IDENTIFY thinking that there was hardly
room for them and for myself in this
continent began to assail me, and be-
came 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. I never made
reply, except once for about three min
utes, but those correspondents could
not waste their time and so they tele-
graphed the sermons to their particu-
lar papers. After awhile, DR.. Louis
Klopsch of New York systemized the
work into a syndicate until through
that and other syndicates he has put
the discourses week by week before
more than twenty million people on
both sides of the sea- There have been
30 many guesses on this subject many
of them inaccurate, that ] now tell the
true story. / have not improved the
opportunity as l ought, but | feel the
time has come when as a matter of
common justice to the newspaper press
that I should make this statement in
a sermon commemorative of the two
thousandth full publication of sermons,
and religious addresses, saying no.
thing of fragmentary reports, which
would run up into many thousands
more.
There was one incident that might
mention in this connection, showing
how one insignificant event might in
huence us for lifetime. Many years
ago on Sabbath morning on my way
to church in Brooklyn a representa-
tive of prominent newspaper met me
and said: Are you going to give us
any points today?" l said, What do
you mean by 'points?'" He replied,
Anything we can remember. l said
to myself, 1--WE ought to be making
points all the time in our pulpits and
not deal in platitudes and inanities."
That one interrogation put to me that
morning started in me the desire of
making points all the time and nothing
but points.
And now, how can / more appropri-
ately commemorate the two thousandth
publication than by speaking of the
newspaper press as an ally of the pull
pit, and mentioning some of the trials
of newspaper men.
The newspaper is the great educator
of the nineteenth century. There is no
force compared with it. Ii is book.
pulpit, platform, forum, all in one. And
there is not an interest-re'igious, lit
erary, commercial scientific, agricul-
tural or mechanical-that is not within
its grasp. All our churches and schools
and colleges and asylums and art gal
leries feel the quaking of the printing
press.
The institution of newspapers arose
in Italy In Venice the first newspaper
was published, and monthly, during
the time Venice was warning against
Solyman the Second in Dalmatia, it
was printed for the purpose of giving
military and commercial information
to the Venitians. The first newspa-
per published in England was in 1888,
and called the English Mercury. Who
can estimate the political, scientific,
commercial and religious revolutions
reused up in England for many years
past by the press?
The first attempt at this institution
in France was in 1881, by physician,
who published the News, for the amuse-
ment and health of his patients. The
French nation understood fully how
to appreciate this power. So early as
in 1920 there was in Paris 100 Journals
But in the United States the newspa-
per has come to unlimited sway
Though in 1775 there were but thirty
seven in the whole country, the num-
Der of published journals is now count
ed by thousands; and today-we may as
well acknowledge 1t as not-the re-
ligious and secular newspapers are the
great educators of the country.
But alas! through what struggle the
newspaper has come to its present de-