The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-26
A CHRISTIAN 1Mposs1pILITY.

There is much discussion prevailing
of a plan devised somewhere out in
Kansas, for the publication of daily
paper on truly Christian principles for
the space of>eene week. The proprietor
of the newspaper in question has con-
sented,tosturn hiseproperty over to a To-
cale niniste-esin order that the doubtful
experiment may be tried.
1t does not appear that the gentleman
who is thus to make the experiment
with another mans property has ever
had any experience in running news
paper, Christian or pagan. He is just
going to show the world what one clergy
man thinks daily newspaper should
be in a Christian land. If he doesn't
know anything about the newspaper bust
ness being a clergyman he is presumed
at least to know all about Christianity.
That is the assumption on which every
one seems TO be going in considering the
proposal This particular clergyman
has writ a book. fact with which the
world is now being made acquainted for
the first time. AS the book owns the
title, 'In His Steps" (meaning, no doubt,
in the steps of the Founder of Christian
ity), the clergyman no doubt also thinks
he knows at least one side of his under
taking
We fear the American public will real
ize long before the last number of the
Christian daily newspaper appears that
the ways Of the advertiser are various
and often INGENIOUS and that that min
lister may have missed his vocation in
not having. early in life taken up the adj
vertising end of some newspaper project
more or less Christian in character
Such thing as a Christian daily in
the ordinary understanding of such an
undertaking, is just plain impossibility
Such a publication would not be read,
even by those in whose interest it might
be published. 1t is a grim stroke Of sa-
tire really on the Christian idea in jour.
nalism to get out a Christian daily at a
time when the current prints are not
quite through discussing the passing Of
the Christian weekly sheet Of course
the conception of Christian newspa-
per which prevails among church people
is that one that would give itself over
to the consideration of matters of in
terest to church people. There may be
some difference between the Christian
newspaper and the religious one, but #
has not been made plain by any publ
cation protessedly Christian or religious
that has ever appeared and lived, at
least in the United States.
This ingenious churchmar who has
gone into this undertaking-we believe
his first yearnings were for some philan-
thropic millionaire who would give him a
million dollars or so to show the world
what a Christian daily is like and might
do-would show himself the possessor of
even more world sense than this adver-
Using project of his implies which is lot
a little, if he should turn out a sheet
which would publish all the legitimate
news at his disposal, cutting off the
feshy nonsense which all papers feel
more or less obliged to serve up to their
readers, and accompany that news with
intelligent comment. That is the kind
of Christian daily the American people
want, and that is the only kind of Chris
tan daily that will live. If the clergy
man in this case succeeds in offering
an object lesson Of the truth of this
proposition he will have paid well for the
advertising which he has secured fol
himself.