The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-02-01
AN EXPERIMENT IN JOURNALISM


| 10 work. BILL ARP.
AN EXPERIMENT IN JOURN ALlsM
Author OF "In His steps" VIII Have
Absolute Control of Tho Daily Capt.
tai for One Week and Will Run il
on the Rule of What Would Jesus
DO ?"--No,hing VIII be Published
Except Matter Approved by the
PrcaCbcr Editor.
R:v. Char les W. Sheldon. OF Topcka
Kansas, the author OF "In His Steps,"
is to be given an opportunity to publish
u newspaper that shall realize his con-
ception OF what q Christian daily ought
% be. Tho Daily Capital has an
nOuncoi that on March 18th its presses,
franchises aud the entire editorial and
business management OF tho paper will
be transferred to Mr.. Sheldon. For
six days he will be its absolute owner.
Unhampered, he will direct it's course,
edit it's ncws columns, control It's ad-
vertising. In every way his authority
Is to be supreme.
that will De unique. Gusrdipg its col.
nmns, as the flaming sword guarded
Eden, will be the question, What
Would jesus Do? ?" That is the chnl.
lcuge every piece OF news, every edi-
torial, every advertisement will have
to meet.
Tho suggestion for this experiment
took form in aquestion q with which Mr..
Sheldon startled the great Christian
Endeavor convention in Detroit last
July. H., asked
''In this day, when philanthropy mu-
nifccntly endops our institutions Of
q n n 10 hnr al n..
cognizing the potency OF the public
| prtss to mhko Or tnar civil zation, will
give $1,000 900 to establish q daily
| Christian newspaper ?"
That question went at once from the
Christian End avOrers to the world. IL
provoked an un':nding amount of dis
cussion, both friendly and critical.
But In it's travels the query fuilcd tC
| find the man With tho miiliou dollars
Here. In Sheldon's home town, interest
in tho discussion has been unusually
keen. At last an unfcttcred Oppurtu.
nifty to make the experiment has
| como.
In q double.leaded editorial The
| Capital, announcing the Sheldon cdi.
| tlOn, says:
I'VE can offer our readers no inji.
nation as to the actual contents nf The
| Capital under MIR. Shcldon's maasge-
ment We DO not know. lis aim,
| however, ia to be as definite and single
as ray OF light. 1t is to 30 Christian
from date line to the foot of tho last
page Ia every Issue. Not sectarian or
dcnominational, but Christian. Its
whole policy will be dictated by The
question, What Would Jesus Do?'
LAS to the results from the object
lesson which this Sheldon edition will
| afford wo would not venture prG0ic.
tion. They ere sure to be many; they
may be revolutionary. A world that is
reauing millions OF copies of In His
Steps every year, and even now taking
them by the thousand every day
from scores Of press 8, may be world
that is waiting for u daily papor mod
eled after that remarkable book. II /,
is, the world will get what the world
wants.
"The Capital welcomes the Sheldon
idea and the knight who, without
fear and withoutreproach,' bears it tC
the lists OF trial before the world In
his search for tho grail of u purer jour.
nalism may this Sir Galahad of 1900
gain bis quest Right heartily we
wish him GUdspeed."
AS to what Mr.. Sheldon's Christian
daily will give to its readers and what
it will Withhold from them no ono IL de-
initely ioformcd. Mr.. Sheldon him.
eelf says that he is busy working ont
tho details OF HE journalistic plans, but
nat he ia not IN position TO give spt-
ciic Information Gs to what they will
be. H.s is In daily conference with the
entire repcrtoriul and telcgrnphic
news statf 0: The CGpit"l in order thut
it may be trained to han!l, news as
Mr.. Sheldon thinks it should be hand
led.
Some light m,y possibly be thrown
on this rcmarkaD:e newspaper venture
by the Experience OF "El"ara Nor
man,' as it " narrated In a drunatic
chapter OF "In HE S:epn." The morn
ing after Norman" had taken q
pledge IN good faith to do everything
after asking "What Would Jesus Do ?''
he Is represented rs coming to his Office
and beginning lis work, whom CLARK, !"
the managing editor, fred this query
a. him
"Here's this press report OF ycster-
days pr.Zn fight tat the II sort. It VIII
make three columns ana g. half. | sup
posn It ali goes in %
"Ycs-nU. Let mo &C., it,"
Norman" took the typewriter mat.
ter just as 1t came from tho telegraph
editor and ran over it careful! v. Then
he had the sheets down ON hi, desk
and did some hard thinking.
we won't run this today" said he
finally.
"But-but that's unheard Of" said
The managing editor in astonish mont.
"Ail the other papers will print it.
what will our subscribos say ?"
Norman" did not speak for min.
ute, then he sad abruptly
u" CLARK, 1t Christ were editing @
daily paper do you honestly think He
would print three columns and half
OF priZD fight In it y
j CLARK gaspcd in astonishmcnt. Fin.
ally he replied
"'No, don't suppose he would
We'll, that Is my only reason for
shutting this account out OF The News.