Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-13
ottumwa Preachers Talk of Rev.
O. M. Sheldon's Project.
CONDUCT A PAPER As JESUS WOULD
ANumber of Ottumwa DIvines Express
Their Opinion as to the Success or
Failure of a Newspaper Con.
Quoted as Proposed.
From Thursdays Daily.

In His Steps, will conduct the To
4 peka Daily Capitol for the period of
seven days beginning March 10, and
will censor the news matter to con-
form to his idea of what Jesus would
print were He running a newspaper.
All Objectionable matter that falls be-
low the standard set by Rev. Sheldon,
whether it be what is considered
nowadays fred hot stuff or not will
beSeliminated. To more fully carry
out the idea all the money derived
from the undertaking will be devoted
4 TO charity in one of its many practical
forms. Many Ottunwa people, not to
be behind, have subscribed for the pa
per during the week it will be edited
by Rev. Sheldon, and the Epworth
league of the First Methodist church
have orders for 1O1 copies of it.
The preachers of this city who have
been interviewed about what they
think of the undertaking doubt wheth-.
er or not Rev. Sheldon is conversant
with the way Christ would conduct the
PAPER but all say that Mr.. Sheldon, in.
common with all Christians, has a
standard that could undoubtedly be,
lived up to had the promoters of the
enterprise of this kind the brains, mon
'eyf and courage to hang on. One
pTeacher says thar he thinks ev.Shel-
donpresumptuous,a and leaves the read
'ers to infer that mortal man is going,
a step too far when he undertakes to
do anything of this character as Di-
yinity would do it, and that the pro-
ject borders on sensationalism. An
other thinks it should have a fair trial
before being either upheld or con-
demped. Still another says that Rev.
Sheldon or any other man with the
righr standard can conduct a, newspa-
per that would be pleasing to Christ.
The vein of thought with nearly all
i the preachers seemed to be that Rev.
Sheldon's project would prove nothing
that would be helpful to the cause of
Ghristianity. The interviews follow
aud speak for themselves:
Rev. r. G. Davies.
III believe Mr.. Sheldon or any other
christian man who is acquainted with
the life OF Christ can editsa paper that
would be pleasing TO Christ, but one
week is insufficient time to prove any
thing. From the standpoint of the
publisher it may be simply means of
advertisement but will be failure
from a religious standpoint only be-
cause in SO short period it is impos-
sible to get facts and figures upon
which to base principle. 1t may
stimulate editors to more earnest en-
deavor to keep their papers clean and.
will doubtless create public opinion
against the yellow Sheet
When asked as to what his idea was
+ of newspaper conducted as Christ
would have it, Rev. Davies said that
murders and such things in detail
should not be printed; that mention
\ of the fact that such a thing had oc-
Cured was entirely sufficient without
printing the detail as to how the as
sassin crept upon his victim and with
our stating the exact point where the
knife entered, etc, because he believed
the publication of such things to be
harmful and not at all in accordance
with Christss ideas of running news
paper. When asked as to whether or
not newspaper conducted along these
lines could stand, competition with a
newspaper conducted as it is today,
Rev. Davies said that he did not think
] it could for the reason than the news
papers had created morbid sentiment
X for sensational news which the news
paper conducted as Christ would have
it would not satisfy.
Rev. d. @. Smith.
II do not think that Rev. Sheldon's
venture will be success so far as
proving that paper can be successful
ly conducted in this day and age of the
world as Christ would have it conduct
ed. Neither will it prove anything be-
cause seven days is much too short a
time. As far as capital is concerned il
will be success, because it will be 3
+ novelty that will be heralded far and
wide and the paper will have large
sale for that reason. Another shing:
I do not believe that we know the way
in which Jesus would have newspa-
per conducted, but we do know the
Christian standard that is set for ev-
erything and we could live up to that.
There is a very large class of readers
who have no interest in good reading
because Of the fact that their taste
has been cultivated along the line Of
light and sensational literature, for
which the newspapers are partially re.
sponsible. I do not mean by this that
! would exclude the details Of muir
rs $780,