Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-01-18

ful room, with picture Of Christ
walking 10y the sea hanging on the
wall, where her bewildered eyes caught
daily something more Of its hidden
meaning. Loreen lay, tossed she hardly
knew how into this haven, and Vir-
ginia crept nearer the Master than she
had ever been as her heart went out to-
ward this wreck which had thus been
flung torn and beaten at her feet.
Meanwhile the Rectangle waited the
issue of the election with more than
usual interest, and Gray and his wife
wept over the pitiable creatures who,
after a struggle with surroundings that
daily tempted them. too often wearied
Of the struggle, and, like Loreen, threw
up their arms and went whirling into
the boiling abyss of their previous con
dition
The after meeting at the First church
was now regularly established. Henry
Maxwell went into the lecture room on
the Sunday succeeding the week of the
primary and was greeted with an en-
thusiasm that made him tremble at first
for its reality. He noted again the alb
SCEICt VI ost@lItl N-lleiSNs btAi tt4A NAiN' tSAA
ers were present, and they seemed
drawn very close together by bond OF
common fellowship that demanded and
enjoyed mutual condolences. 1t was the
general feeling that the spirit of Jesus
was a spirit Of very open, frank COMES
sion of experience. 1t seemed the most
natural thing in the world for Edward
Norman To be telling all the rest of the
company about the details of his news
paper.
1.-The fact is l have lost good deal
Of money during the last three weeks.
| cannot tell how much. | am losing
great many subscribers every day.
''What do the subscribers give as
their reason for dropping the paperT''
asked Henry Maxwell All the rest were
listening eagerly.
''There are a good many different
reasons. Some say they want paper
that prints all the news, meaning by
that the crime details, sensations like
prizefshts, scandals and horrors of
various kinds Others object to the dis
continuance Of the Sunday edition. |
have lost hundreds Of subscribers by
that action, although | have made sat
isfactory arrangements with many Of
the old subscribers by giving even more
in the extra Saturday edition than they
formerly had in the Sunday issue. My
greatest loss has come from falling off
in advertisements and from the attitude
l have felt obliged to take on political
questions. This last action has really
cost me more than any other. The bulk
Of nay Subscribers are intensely par
tisan. I may rs wcll tell you all frank
" that if ! continue to pursue the plan
which | honestly believe Jesus would
in the matter of political issues and
their treatment from nouplrtisan and
moral standpoint The News viii not be
able to pay its operating expenses un-
less one factor in Raymond can be de
pended ON.
He paused n moment, and the room
was very quiet. Virginia seemed spe-
cially interested. Her face glowed with
interest 1t was like the interest of Il
| person who had been thinking hard of
the same thing Norman went on now
| to mention.
THAT one factor is the Christian
element in Raymond. Say The News
has lost heavily from the dropping off
of people who do not care for Chris
tian daily and from others who simply
look upon a newspaper as purveyor
| Of all sorts of material TO amuse and
interest them, are there enough genu-
inc Christian people in Raymond who
will rally TO the support of paper
such rs Jesus would probably edit, or
are the habits of the people so firmly
established in their demands for the
regular type Of journalism that they
will not take paper snless it is strip
ped largely Of the Christian and moral
purpose? / may also say in this fellow
ship gathering that, owing to recent
complications in my business affairs
outside of my paper, | have been
obliged to lose n large part Of my for
tune. have had to apply the same rule
Of Jesus probable conduct to certain
transactions with other men who did
not apply it TO their conduct, and the
result has been the loss of great deal
| Of money.
Gas / understand the promise we
made, we were not to ask any questions
about Will it pay2' but all our ac-
| tion was TO be based on the one ques-
| tion, What would Jesus do2 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
or the three weeks experience | have
| had that a 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 | have the fullest faith
| in the final success of u daily paper
| conducted on the lines | have recently
laid down, and | had planned TO put
| into it my entire fortune in order to
win dnal success. As it is now, unless,
IA / said, the Christian people Of Ray
mond, the church members and profess
ing disciples, will support the paper
with subscriptions and advertisements,
cannot continue its publication on the
| present basis.
Virginia asked question. She had
| followed Mr.. Norman confession with
| the most intense eagerness
"Do you mean that Christian daily
ought TO be endowed with "a large sum,
| like n Christian college. in order &c
make it payY
'That is exactly what | mean.
| have laid out plans for putting into The
| News such variety of material, in
| such strong and truly interesting
way, that il would more than make NJ
| for whatever was absent from its col
umns in the way Of un-Christian mat
ter, but my plans called for very large
| outlay Of money. ! am very confident
that Christian daily such rs Jesus
| would approve containing only what
he would print can be made TO succeed
financially if it is planned 10 the right
lines, but it will take "A large sum Of
money TO work out the plans. "
Glow much do you thinlcr" asked
Virginia quietly.
Edward Norman looked at her keen
| ly, and his face flushed moment rs 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 III
! business with her father.
81 should say half million dollars
in town like Raymond could be well
spent in the establishment of n paper
such IA we have in mind " he answered,