The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-08-03
MIR. c. M. sHELDON's PAPER
(From Harper's weekly.)

Reports from Detroit say that by far
the most popular conspicuous figure at
the recent Christian Endeavor convention
in that town was the Rev. Charles Shell
don Of Topeka, the author Of In His
Steps, Every one must have heard by
this time of Mr.. Sheldon and his books,
which have sustained such remarkable
distribution. The one named which at
last accounts was still the most popular,
has been sold by the million copies. both
in this country and in Great Britain. It
concerns, as will be remembered, the ex-
perfences of a number of Christians. mem
bers of the same church, who undertook
to do nothing for a year which in their
opinion, Christ would not have done if
he had been in their place. The working
out of this pledge involved many diff
culties and sacrifices and brought up many
interesting questions. Naturally many Of
Mr.. Sheldon's readers have disagreed in
divers particulars with his Interpretation
of Christian conduct. and when the En-
deavors got hold of him at Detroit there
was much that they wanted to know. One
Of the enterprises suggested in In His
Steps is a Christian daily newspaper
which should print neither news nor ad-
VertiSementS except such were fully
tan principles. Mr.. Sheldon was ques-
toned at Detroit about this suppOsititious
conducted on the lines that he had sug-
gested would pay. but he thought that
lars-it could be successfully maintained.
The colleges have their millions he
to advance the money for a daily Chris
tian paper2"
but the drawbacks to his newspaper en-
terprise are considerable. A great many
newspapers that didn't pay, but very few
have invested heavily in newspapers that
ever may be got over and indeed it is a
fact that persons with money to- spend
for the promotion of the general good
have not 1nfrequently speculated upon the
eXpediency of starting a newspaper which
a
every subject and should never be influ-
encsq IN 91nythlng oy Gonslaerattons OF
not very old has personally seen a mil
lion dollars balanced on the threshold Of
The greatest obstacle to Mr.. Shelaon's
plan would be to determine what a daily
Christian paper ought to be. The mil
lion dollars that offers for a newspaper
fac tSSErl f Fs1a 1Id mas Geeqed 5deas at
with those that determined the policy and
altogether simple task. Mr.. Sheldon
notion of a Christian paper, as Indicated
in his book, is one that would fight rum
ably) horse races and theaters and omit
an but exemplary news and ali adVer-
tisements of wares not adapted in the pa
There are already a good many newspap-
ers in the country, of f1rst-rate character,
which seem to be managed by Christian
people on Christian principles. and which
admit neither demOraliZing advertisements
that an endowed Christian newspaper
could do as much good as some of them
do. OF course you can not make much
Of a newspaper merely by leaving things
out, though a judcious omitter IS always
worth his wages on every strong paper.
What is most Indispensable to a daily pa
per is readers. A newspaper without read
ers is as worthless as religion without
charity But you can't endow a news
paper with readers. and very few daily
papers in our day are able to get readers
enough to make them important unless
they print the news. A good daily paper
is. first of all. mirror in which the world
may see itself. If it reflects the evil
well as the good, 1t has in some degree
a. iustifying precedent in the sun and the
rain. which, under Providence. do not dis
criminate in the distribution of their bene-
hts. Still, we all recognize the difference
between good newspapers and bad, and it
would be rash to assert that there may
not come out of the west a newspaper
better than anything We have. The west
has given New York several newspapers,
and when it gets ready to astonish us with
one of its new variety. no doubt it will do
so without asking leave. Meanwhile we
may lull our Impotence by believing that
the world will proba bly, be no loser if it
has to wait for Mr. Sheldon's paper until
the demand for 1t is brisk enough to tempt
capital by the promise of profits.