St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-10-25
IN HIS STEPS.
"WHAT WOULD JESUS DO"
BY CHARLES NJ. SHELDON.
copyrighted by the Advance Publishing
Co. Chicago.



LAS / understand the promise we
made, we were not to ask any questions
about Will it pay2' but all our ac-
ton was to be based on the one ques-
tion, What would Jesus do?' Acting
on that rule of conduct, | have been
obliged to lose nearly all the money
have accumulated in my paper. 1t is
not necessary for me to go into details.
There is no question with me now, aft
er the three weeks experience have
had, that great many men would lose
vast sums of money under the present
system of business if this rule of Jesus
were honestly obeyed. mention my
loss here because l have the fullest faith
in the final success of a daily paper
conducted on the lines l have recently
laid down, and | had planned to put
into it my entire fortune in order to
win final success. AS it is now, unless,
as I said, the Christian people of Ray
mond, the church members and profess
ing disciples, will support the pal
with subscriptions and advertisements,
cannot continue its publication on the
present basis y
Virginia asked question. She had
followed Mr.. Norman confession with
the most intense eagerness.
"Do you mean that a Christian daily
ought to be endowed with large sum,
like Christian college, in order to
make it pay?'
"That is exactly what l mean. l
have laid out plans for putting into The
News such a variety of material, in
such a strong and truly interesting
way, that it would more than make up
for whatever was absent from its col
umns in the way of unChristian mat
ter, but my plans called for very large
outlay of money. | am very confident
that Christian daily such as Jesus
would approve, containing only what
he would print, can be made to succeed
financially if it is planned to the right
lines, but it will take large sum Of
"How much do you Think" asked
Virginia quietly.
Edward Norman looked at her keen
ly, and his face flushed a moment as an
idea of Virginia's purpose crossed his
mind. He had known her when she was
little girl in the Sunday school, and
he had been on intimate relations in
business with her father
81 should say half million dollars
in town like Raymond could be well
spent in the establishment of paper
such as we have in mind, he answered,
and his voice trembled a little The
keen look on Edward Norman grizzled
face flashed ont with stern but thor
oughly Christian anticipation of great
achievements in the world of newspaper
life as it had opened up to him within
the last few seconds.
"Then, said Virginia, speaking as
if the thought were fully considered
81 am ready to put that amount of
money into the paper on the one condi-
ton. of course that it be carried on as
it has been begun.
"Thank GodW exclaimed Henry
Maxwell softly. Edward Norman was
pale. The rest were looking at Virginia
She had more to say.
Dear friends she went on. and
there was sadness in her voice that
made an impression on the rest that
deepened when they thought it over
afterward, Il do not want any of you
to credit me with an act of great gen
crosby or philanthropy. | have come
to know lately that the money which
have called my own is not my own,
but God S. If |. as steward of his see
some wise way to invest his money, it
is not an occasion of vainglory or
thanks from any one simply because |
have proved honest in my administra.
tion of the funds he has asked me to
use for his glory. have been thinking
of this very plan for some time, The
fact Is, dear friends, that in our COM
ing fight with the whisky power in
Raymond, and it has only just begun,
we shall need The News to champion
the Christian side. You all know that
all the other papers are for the saloon.
AS long as the saloon exists the work
of rescuing dying souls at the Rectangle
is carried Oh at terrible disadvantage
What can Mr.. Gray do with his gospel
meetings when half his converts are
drinking people, daily tempted and en-
ticed by the saloon on every corner ?
The Christian daily we must have. 1t
would be giving up to the enemy to
have The News fail. have great con-
fidence in Mr.. Norman s ability. have
not seen his plans, but l have the con-
1dence that he has in making the paper
succeed if it is carried forward on a
large enough scale.
81 cannot believe that Christian in.
telligence in journalism will be inferior
to n-Chsistian intelligence, even when
1t comes to making the paper pay finan.
clally. So that is my reason for putting
this money-God' s, not mine-into this
powerful agent for doing as Jesus
would II we can keep such paper
going for one year, shall be willing to
see that amount Of money used in the
experiment. Do not thank me. Do not
consider my promise a wonderful thing.
What have done with Gods money
all these years but crafty my own
selfish, physical, personal desiresY What
can do with the rest of it but try to
make some reparation for what | have
stolen from Gods That is the way
look at it now. l believe it is what
Jesus would do. "