Rocky Ford enterprise., 1900-03-16
MR.. sHELpoN's IDEAS.
rsl,s wha, tie Thinks Newspaper shoaid

Topeka, March i3.-'rhe INST issue OF
Rev. Mr.. Sheidon's paper wns gotten
out on time This morning. over luD,.
900 copies were printed and mailed
here. aud the rest of the issu. Is bcin.
run on presses at Chicago nnd New
York. T-... -..H4 LIZ.
The paper. while disappointment
In the way of n supplier OF telegraph
mattcr, Is commended by ihe religious
| element. The leading editorial is In
part as follows:
THE Topeka Capital this week.
last Do.cmber the owncrs of the
Topeka Daily Capital asked me To as
sunc entire charge of the paper for
one week and edit II as n distinctly
Christian daily. ..
II accepted III. invitation ON eonii-
iIon that l receive no financial coin-
pcnsa,ion and that sharc OF the prof
| It's bc used for some benevolent work,
and named the week bcginnin. Tues
day, March IL. 1900. NJ the week for
the experiment.
"If 1000 different Christian men who
wished to edit Christian dallics should
make nm honest aitcmp, To do 10. the
result might bc 100 different papers
In very many particulars. In other
words, the Christian editors might ar
rive at different conclusions In the in-
| depreciation OF what II Christian. II
is Of course the furthcst from my pur-
pose to attempt To show In n loInntic
way what Is the one thing that Jcsii,
would do In every ease. The only
thing I or any other Christian man
can do In the Interpretation Of what Ii
Christian In the conduct Of this paper.
Is to define the term Christian the
hest that can bc done after asking for
Divine wisdom. and no, judge others
who might with equal desire and sin.
ccrity Interpret the probable action OF
Ics,is In n different manner.
with this understandable; OF the con.
duet OF the paper this week. ] will
s.nic In part Its genera! purpose nnd
politics:
1T will bc u newspaper. The word
news will bc dcilucd as anything In
the way Of daily events thnt the pub
lie ought to know for It's development
and power In life OF righteousness.
of necessity the editor of this paper.
or OF every other papcr with this
definition Of news will determine not
only the KIND. hut the quality OF amy
particular event which ought TO he
printed. s t.. p
..rhc importance OF one kind of news
determine the place In the pnpcr In
which matter will be printed. lf II
seems to the editor thar certain sub
Jecis representing srca, causes thnt bc
long to the profonn,lcst principle "f
human life arr the most Important
they will bc given the iirst page OF the
paper. whether they ARE iclcgriiphic
items or not. II might ~nsily become
the settled policy OF n prominent paper
similar 10 this one TO consider the de-
tailed account OF nm unusual hattie ns
of less importance TO the reader than
nm account, OF the usual daily dcstruc-
tion being caused by liquor. The hrs,
page OF the Capital this week VIII con-
tnin what seems 10 the editor to bc
the most essential ISSUES that afrcc,
humanity as whole. HI
The politics OF the paper Will b.
non.pariisan. not only In municipal
and state but also In national politics.
do not mean to say that Christian
daily cannot bc partisan. This IL sim
ply my Interpretation OF Christian as
applied 10 this part Of the papers life.
'On the Iipuor question the paper
will advocate the prohibition OF tile
whole liquor business from Maine to
California and NIL around the globr.
''.rhc great social questions OF the
age Will be given prominence. The
scliishncss of mankind In every form
of greed. commercially or politically.
will bc considered rs Of more serious
consequences To us as a people than
many other matters which too often
engage the time and attention OF man
kind.
THE paper viii declare its nbhor-
renee OF war as II is being wagcd To-
day. not only In Africa. but In the Phil
ippincs and everywhere else.
'On matters of finance or tariff or
expansion. matters Of much public
concern which have TO do with meas.
uics Of this character. the editor has
personal opinions which may or may
not be voiced in this paper II he give.
expression to them II will bc in no
docmaiic or positive manner: as II lie
knew what the whole Christian truth
was concerning them. In regard to
many of these questions do not know
what is the Christian answer to them.
In regard to the others my study of
their prayers for this weeks work. by
deep acknowledgement of the source OF
whatever strength may have felt In
preparing for the task which lies be-
yond the rench of any merely human
effort.
May God bless the use OF this paper
to the glory of his Kingdom on earth.
CHARLES VI. SHELDON"