The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-19
WATSON ON SHELDONISM
A Spirited Sermon by the Pastor Of
Grace NJ. T.. Church.
Newspapers. He Declares, Work for
Money, Not for GOd-W Risky and
Patent Medicine Advert i>e M mt y
the Things That Appeal to Pub
Iishcrs-Topeka Man out of Place.

Rev. Edward L. Watson, pastor of Grace
N. T. Church Ninth and Streets north
west, delivered a sermon from his pulpit
last evening. taking for his subject the
famous Topeka newspaper experiment. He
took for his text. Therefore. whether ye
eat or drink. do all to the glory of God, -"
Corinthians. x31.
You have doubtless heard" said Mr..
Watson. in opening his address. - how the
Topeka Capital was placed in charge of
Rev Charles NJ. Sheldon, from the print
er's devil. through all its departments, to
the managing editor. Sundry things, as
you know, have been said about his MAJ
agement of the paper, the press from
New York TO the Golden Gate having been
fierce in its criticism of the results
achieved. The local papers looked upon it
as the prize fake of the century, and
Mr.. Watson said that he had read mum
Der of comments which. being interpreted.
meant. Preacher. stick to your text
The speaker remarked that Mr.. Sheldon
had won literary fame through several
very popular books, one of which was en-
titled I'm His Steps; or. What Jesus Would
Do This book he said, had been even
more widely sold than "Uncle Toms
Cabin" the distribution running into NIL
lions of copies. In his first book Mr. Shell
don set forth his conception of Chris
tian journal. and it was to carry this idea
into execution that he was given charge OF
the Topeka Capital
1t was remarked that two great princi
pies were recognized in this idea of Mr..
Sheldons, the untold Importance and
power of the newspaper in modern society,
and the fact that the journalism OF the
present time is not run on high level.
Concerning the firsi OF these principles
there is no difference of opinion, thought
the speaker. and the place for controversy
centred only in the second.
rs the press" Mr.. Watson asked, ''in
any true sense of the word. a maker or
moder of public opinion? 1t is fact.
he thought, that the average journal is in
the market to make money, and that is its
only purpose" II the average newspaper
of the present day has any moral purpose
beyond catering to the notions and pet
theories of the greatest number, Mr.. Wat
son intmated that he was not aware of it.
He thought that the motives of editors and
propretors of newspapers alike were to
please everybody SO far as that ideal Is
possible OF accomplishment. The modern
paper. he believed. no longer expresses the
convictions CT talented. fearless and sim
cere men in the editorial chair. On ths
contrary, in his view. the newspaper seeks
first to find out, and then TO express what
the greatest number of its readers think.
ut Is the reader said Mr.. Watson, who
is catered TO as much as possible
The speaker told his audience that it
often happened that it was necessary to
consult with an editor>and business man
ager. or perhaps two or three of them, in
getting even the most ordinary notices and
news items into the paper. He claimed
that whisky and patent medicine advertise
ments were the things that appealed to the
business managers, because there was more
money in them. The newspapers he
held. do not guarantee that all the nos
trums that are set forth in their columns
will cure the diseases which it is claimed
they will. nor do the papers care whether
they sill or not. If the advertisement is a
paying one, that is as far as the newspaper
cares. There was a time not long ago.. he
said, when utterances were publicly made
in this city, reports of which appeared in
the daily press, but when the pulpit rep led
tc them not a word was published, and
when the church went TO the papers and
endeayored TO secure admission to their
columns they found that it would BE- neces-
sary 10 eKpend something in the neighbcr-
hood of sixty dollars for the notice. They
naturally declined
On these lines the speaker. who was in
tense in his convictions, spoke of the
pusilanimity of the press and Of its greed
for money to the expungement. if neces-
sary, of all that was good 10: the world TO
know. He held that DIR. Sheldon WAS lot
an editor, that editors could not be ap-
pointed. but that to make one il was
necessary to drill and train him from the
bottom up, like Horace Greeley and Henry
w Grady and host OF others were
trained. DIR. Sheldon. he said, made
good story writer. but as an editor he was
a magnificent failure. for he had filled the
paper up with material that the great
mass of the people did not want and
which, IL repeated. would ruin the paper
upon which he had experimental. He
said that the advertising would be taken
out and that when the fall came, il
would be mighty and final. for the reason
that DIR. Sheldon did not understand the
principle upon which the modern news
paper is conducted.
The result Of the experiment DR.. Wat
son held. was the acme of Sheldonism,
fer the preacher-editor had not succeeded
in the enterprise. Mr.. Watson asked what
was the sphere of the pulpit what the
sphere Of religion, what the function of
the preacher? Was il editing he wished
&c ItSrE. OF WIS the true IGDctlOn TO De
found in the earnest endeayor TO put down
crime and stamp out vice? He commended
that IL was foolish to cry sensationalism
when the pulpit was used for these pur-
poses. for IL was the business Of the
preacher to be outspoken on great moral
truths. be the speaking done in the shop
or in the Office, at the freside or in the
pulpit. 1t was his business to visit hos
pitfalls. to tend the sick. and the weary
hearted: to comfort the afflicted but to
attempt TO edit a paper, and especially
paper on such a theme. was a secular
thing beyond his province, and the Rev
DR.. Sheldon had made a mistake. and
failure in the experiment II is the plan
Of God DIR. Watson held. for the universe
all to love each his neighbor, and that
until that plan has been fulfilled the mis-
sion of Christ will be for naught
Man. he argued. lis going TO be saved
moi by union Of church and state but by
sanctifcation. kindergarten was at one
time part of the Churchs work, but now
the schools have taken up that idea at
one time the churches fed the poor. and
the State said, Let the poor perish but
the Church kept on feeding them. and the
State awoke TO the fact that it had a duty
and it took it up" he said that the Gov
eminent would become more and more re-
ligious and Christlike; that editors were
not necessary of creation by the Church
but that the Time was coming when they
would come IN out of the soil of religion
like the roses that blossomed at the com
mand of God that that day would not re-
auire sheIdonism. but that out OF the bo-
som of God would come the inspiration
q hat nj ff,-t