davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
Scott's Opinion.
TFrom the lola Register. /

From the lola Reg1Ster.I
Having studied the six editions of the
Capital under the editorial management
of Rev. Chas. NJ Sheldon, the Register
feels as if its judgment could be recorded
in a single sentence:
1t was not q newspaper.
And that fact, which we believe is the
common conclusion. was not due much
perhaps, to Mr.. Sheldon's moral censor
ship of the news as to his lack of train
ing a newspaper man. With twenty
years of such training as Major Hudson
has had, for example, there is no doubt
whatever that Mr. Sheldon could make a
much better newspaper than the Capital
was last week, and Just as clean one
So while the Capital during the past
week has not been newspaper, it by
no means follows that there can not be
a Christian newspaper. The result would
have been very different if Mr.. Sheldon
could have united to his moral purpose
the skill of a trained newspaper man.
But whether a permanent Christian
daily newspaper comes out of the expert
mont or not, the Register is of the opin-
ion that a great deal of good will come
out of it. The worldwide discussion
which the experiment has precipitated
has directed the attention of thousands
of editors to their own papers, and there
can be no doubt that the blue pencil will
be more in evidence hereafter than it has
been before, both on advertisements and
news. And the attention af the people
has been attracted also and they are
scanning the papers they take into their
homes with a more critical eye than ever
before.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22

the performance of Gods work as a train
ed doctor. Still. the Rev. Sheldon went
into the work from the pulpit. unadvised
by trained editors. OF course, he failed.
He would have failed if he had gone into
the supreme court of Kansas to pass
upon cases with no knowledge of law. Yet
the Topeka Capitals editor should have
had special training surely as judge
of the state supreme court. And so, pro-
fessionally, Mr.. Sheldon has failed. He
has given the world no new ideas about
the newspaper business. He has not de-
monstrated his theory that a Christian
daily will pay. For, in ten days such a
paper as Sheldon's would be on the road
to bankruptcy. It was edited crudely. If
Sheldon had called to aid him of
Americas great managing editors, had
applied a skilled newspaper mind to his
problem. the experiment would have
been fruitful of useful results. AS it is,
it is merely a freak. But it has set peo-
pie thinking; it has awakened an ideal
of cleaner newspapers. In that it has
been of inestimable benefit to the world.
WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
PRESS, PEOPLE - PULPIT

were to have the privilege of landing
their wares through the columns of the
Capital at the small price of $50 an
inch. The number had to be limited
because the paper was to be restricted
to its normal size of 8 pages.
At the same time it was necessary to
arrange for the printing and mailing Of
the edition. for Of course. it could not
be done with the mechanical facilities
of a paper in a city of 10000 people. Mr.
Houston worked out a scheme to mini
mize the bookkeeping and the labor of
mailing of the papers and arranged to
have editions printed in st. Louis, Chi
cago, New York and London from
matriXes sent from Topeka
All this Mr.. Houston has done unaid-
ed and alone. 1t was he who formula
ted the general plan of campaign for Sc
curing publicity, for obtaining circula-
ton and advertising; it was he who
worked out all the details under these
plans and then put them into execution
From a business standpoint, Mr. Hous-
tons management of the Sheldon edi-
ton has been a phenomenal success.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
The Kansas Hippodrome.
[Goodland Republic. ]


The Kansas hippodrome is in full
course. Kansas is nothing if not
breezy and exciting. There was once
John James ingalls,, the spectacular,
the irideScent dreamer, who looSed
from the sounding cave of his Volumin-
Gus vocabulary the Eurus and NotuS
of breezy Kansas sentiment, in the
halls of the senate for many years
Eolus of forensic oratory. Then came
PETER, and the wind blew through his
whiskers''
There was the breezy 'Sockless Soc
rates. whose smiling, witty wileS float
ing like a Kansas breeze owe rthe new
mown hay, cheered and refreshed the
house Then there was Molly Lease
the silken cyclone in crinoline, who,
like all other aerial things, lacked
steering geer. She rose, she scared, she
was inflated, she collapsed and fell
down on Gotham, midst the world
amazed.
There once war "Foghorn Funston"
he was often ''stumpy," but he blew his
horn until it got out of tune. But a
scion grew up under the shade of the
old tree his name was Fred, and in the
far-off Philippines he swan the muddy
Bag Bag, and set the world agog. He is
a general now
Now comes the Reverend Sheldon, at
tempting something new, to run the
Daily Capital as he thinks the Lord
would do. And Ed Howe lays his lays;
he was Globe, he's Phoebus now and
the Journal scoops his rays. No need
of any fear, it's Kansas in a storm and
when the sky again is clear, the wealth
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
just After asernnon,, No. l.
Ist. Louis Republic. March 49,


Instead of confirming his efforts to their
announced field, Mr.. Howe has entered
upon crusade against Christianity. He
devoteS his comment upon the Sheldon
experiment largely to an exploiting of
his own lack of belief in the faith for
which the Sheldon experiment stands.
It was, however, deeply interested in
the Sheldon experiment. and would have
given appreciative attention to a genuine
criticism of that experiment from the
practical newspaper mans point of view
which was what Mr.. Howe was billed
to give. The expectation was that the
Howe articles would be a valuable part
of the notable experiment.
1t was inevitable, however, that the
Sheldon experiment should have pro-
voked from some direction such an as
sault as that made by the Kansas para
grapher. 1t was something of a chal-
lenge to the lists of theological debate.
The prominence given to the expert
ment has naturally aroused that spirit
of materialism so greatly in evidence
some few years ago, and it must be ex-
pected that this development will con-
tinue in many quarters throughout the
general discussion of Doctor Sheldon's
work.
What is to be regretted in the case of
Mr.. Howe is that he should not have
confined himself to a newspaper mans
sermoniZing on a acknowledgements
man 1t was this which the public were
led to expect 1t is this which Mr. Howe
fails to give.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
Paper a Disappointment.

TF'rom the OskalooSa Independent
Just as this paper predicted last week,
the Sheldon edition of the Topeka Cap
ital was a disappointment to nearly ev-
erybody. Most people expected too
much, on the one hand, and Mr.. Shell
don didn't rise to the momentouS Oc-
casion, on the other hand. The first
number was rather pleasing, in that it
didn't attempt too much or strike a
gait that could not be maintained, and
in the modest and tolerant tone of the
EDITORS Introductory remarks. But the
succeeding numbers have been more or
less of a disappointment. There has not
been the life and force and general at
Effectiveness that should have charac-
terized the paper. The editorial page
should have been especially fOrceful,
and if Mr.. Sheldon was not equal to the
occasion, for any reason or reasons, he
should have had the work done. Then
there should have been more of the live,
daily news which it is perfectly proper
to give and for the world to know, and
which it will insist upon knowing. The
a standard set for a daily newspaper
which would prove acceptable to a large
proportion of the people if they had ac-
cess to no other daily newspaper. This
could have been Some but we do not
believe it has been done. Mr.. Sheldon
is d good man, a sincere and unSelfiSh
and modest man, but he is not equal to
the great task imposed upon him. There
are two numbers to come yet, however,
and they may be improved in these par
ticulars. 1t must be said, however, that
there are some very excellent features
about the Capital as it is.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
Editor VS.. Preacher.

TFrom Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.l
During the past week, while Rev. Mr..
Sheldon was making his newspaper ex-
pertinent the Topeka Journal one of
the leading influential papers of Kan
sas, carried a daily lay sermon, written
by Editor Howe, of the Atchison Globe,
a paper made famous by the editors
natural wit. There was an impression
that the sermons would have been fair,
manly and reasonable. But they are
anything but fair or rational. In fact,
the owner of the Topeka Journal has
apologized, in a way, for their appear
ance, as they are not what he had hoped
to have.
Even those who care but little about
religious matters know that truthful
ness, honesty, industry. education, po-
likeness and fairness make up the stock
and that these essentials are dinned
into the ears of the scholars ffty-two
SUNDAYS in q year
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
Howe and Sheldon.

TF7rom the Holton Tribune.l
What do you think of Sheldon's pa
per?" and What do you think of Howe 5
lay sermons?" are questions you hear
constantly on the street. As far as our
observation has gone the answers are
about as follows The man of religious
and moral convictions, says Sheldon
papers good. excellent. Howe's sermons
are thin. n g. The very religious man
of uncertain morals, says "Sheldon's ef-
forts are weak, Howe's are blasphemous.
pernicious." The very moral man of I'M
certain religious tendencies says. s'Shel-
don's idea is a, good one; in the main he
is o. K. His efforts will do vast
amount of good. Howe, says a few truth
full things, but in the main his efforts will
do more harm than good" The opinion
of the man who is neither religious or
moral is 'Sheldon's H. g. HoWe's all
o. K"
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
Editor Sheldon.

IFrom the Great Bend Democrat
The Sheldon edition of the Topeka Cap
ital is not such a wonder as people eX-
pected it to be. The man who has the
paper in charge this week has demon
strated one thing at least. and that is
that paper can be improved in appear
ance and usefulness by eliminating the
scare heads so common to the daily
press. Thus far we have seen nothing
inconsistent in the reading matter or the
general makeup of paper. The man who
seeks the sensational will not find it in
the Sheldon Capital. Those who take no
interest in the livelier. latter day affairs
can find plenty of reading to suit them
The advertising columns are well filed
and there are fewer patent medicine ads
in it than in the Democrat even.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
The Sheldon Experiment.
[From the Salina Union.l

The Union has RETAINED from COM
menting on Topeka's Christian daily
newspaper until the end of Sheldon
week. Mr.. Sheldon has made a humor-
Gus failure. He thinks a good paper
must be dull. He thinks a paper cannot
contain wisdom unless it is profoundly
tiresOme DR.. Willis who lectured in
Salina recently, said: Church mem
berS with long, sour faces have injured
Christianity more than all the world
infdels." Correct The people want
sunshine. They want bright newspapers
that give the news. Dry sermons are all
right in their place, but their place is
not in the daily newspaper. The MAJ
jority Of successful papers are good
papers. Their goodness makes them
successful.
Mr.. Sheldon says intemperance is a
crime but he doesn't fight the crime by
ignoring it. Instead he paints a picture
of the drunkard and his sin. He gives
the details, although he says ignore
details, bu- give the cause" Modern
papers give details because details
nearly always give the cause. Details
of a murder often lead to the detection
of the murderer. Prize fights have
grown in public disfavor by the publ
cation of the details. Crooks have been
driven from the path of dishonesty by
the publication of details of their meth
DDS.
If a paper should announce that a
murder had been committed the people
would not be satisfied. They would
want some details Mr. Sheldon told
the people that he intended to publish a
Christian newspaper. That bare an
nouncement did not satisfy even the
Christian people. They wanted the
paper in order to get 1.-The Details
A man doesn't have to be a criminal
in order to be familiar with crime Or,
because a man is familiar with crime he
is not necessarily a criminal. The best
criminal judges are the best criminal
cyclopaedias. Mr.. Sheldon knows all
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
Christ in the Pulpit.
TFrom the Washington Start

IF7rom the washington Start
One of the boldest and at the same time
one of the most successful fake adver-
Using schemes of the century is the one
lately conceived. in Kansas, wherein a
sensational preacher of Topeka has un-
dertalxen to give the world an object
lesson of a weeks duration, by showing
how Christ would conduct a daily news
paper The irreverent reverend gentle
man may succeed in his presumptuous
effort to illustrate divine methods in
journalism, and he may not; but the odds
are largely against his success. Anyway,
the consensus of opinion must unques-
tionably be that the Kansas evangelist
and all his kind would do vastly more
good by letting journalism alone by striv-
ing to show how Christ would preach
the gospel. and then modestly living up
to its injunctions.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
It Sold Other Paners.

TFrom the Baldwin LEDGER
The Topeka Capital with its celebrated
edition is with US and it has done more
than anything else to sell the Kansas
City Journal in our city than anything
else that has happened. The regular sub
scribers of the Capital were compelled to
buy another paper after having read the
Capital: The news from congress in the
Capitals first issue measured but six
inches and yet all such news is above
criticism. A daily paper is supposed to
give the news of the preceding twenty
four hours but the Capital gave very
little of the unobjectionable part of it.
About the only thing this weeks issue
of the Capital will demonstrate is that
another week of it would be fat fail
ure.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
That Maple Syrup cad"


have heard a number of comments on
the first issue of Sheldon's edition of The
Topeka Capital, since it appeared in
Worcester Friday, and most of them are
in adverse criticism of the paper and it's
editor. The first issue contained 151a col
umns of clipped matter, 1119 columns of
news. both local and Geographic, q col
umns of advertisements, and the rest was
made up of editorials and special stories.
Mr.. Sheldon said he would determine the
nature and size of the advertisements
published, and unless they were honest
advertisements, he would not print them
One of my friends, in looking over the
paper, saw the notice of Pure Maple
Syrup for sale somewhere. That was
the first thing in which he thought Mr.
Sheldon had not followed out his rule.
Then he said that no man could be sure
that somebody's dress stays were the
best in the world, because he could only
have hearSay on the matter. A prOmi-
nent Methodist minister covered the
whole question, however, when he said
that he bought newspaper to find out
what was going in the world, not to
read the opinions of other people on
things which had happened some years
before.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22

er will be warm. Some stones may fall.
with dull and sfckening thud." and
when the blow is over, they can write
their names in mud
Poor Pegasus must. be tired It's
Kansas chariot race, a la Ben Hur, and
the world crowding the amphitheater-
Whew. wind, wind and dust. But it's
Kansas, the geographical and intellect
uaI center of the universe. Talk about
Boston and baked beans! AS a storm
center Kansas is the 18th wonder of
the world. Howe, love thee! Pity on
thy winding wind
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22

ers of the word to become chief priests
in the temples of -sensationaIisna. where
naught that is pure can thrive and from
whence truth is forever fed.
Write charlatan and blasphemer
against the name of any man. whether
Of the clergy or the lairy, who assumes
to speak, write or act like that man who
made His enemies wonder at the feast
Of the tabernacles How knoweth this
man letters, having never 1earned?"
Such have no lofty purpose and do no
honor unto Him for whom they assume
to sneak
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
Sensational and stupid.

To the Editor of the New York Tribune:
Sir: If you will pardon the paradox, 1
would say that Sheldon's experiment is
a combination of sensational and stupid
sacrilege. It is neither a tract nor a news
paper. Its leading features have been
threshed out by the daily press. With
the Sermon on the Mount available in
every Christian home, the intrusion of
Mr.. Sheldon as a divine censor between
the news of the day and the reader is
presumptuous, impertinent and blasphem-
Gus. H. H. kOHISAAT,
Editor Chicago Times Herald.
Chicago, March 81.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
From the Wichita Eagle.
rFrom the Wichita Eagle

Christ's life was love, and love only
He never called for the enforcement of
any other law than the law of love. He
lived for love and died for love. for His
love of humanity. and his pretended fol-
lowers, who howl only for penalties
make a mockery of His infinite spirit of
love. And whether, as Howe says,
Christ is but mythical. there is other
myth of history, tradition, earth or heav-
en-, embodying so much of the best in
the human heart. so much that is God
like, and so little of that preached by
Sheldon in his Jesus edition,
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
Man of the Holy Land.

IF'rom the st. Louis Globe Democrat
The official guide to the city of To-
peka is being sold this week under the
guise of a map of the Holy Land.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
VIM. Allen White on sheldon's Errors
Especial Dispatch to the Inter ocean.l

lSpecldI Olspdtch 70 the AHeeA -OSSoh.I
Topeka. Kan, March Ito the Edi-
to: Mr.. Sheldon is a serious man. He
has had magnificent opportunity His
deadly seriousness has blinded him, and
He has trusted too entirely in himself.
He has edited his paper from the pulpit
If a Topeka doctor had left his practice
to Sheldon for a week, would he have
tried to heal as Jesus healed? Would
not Sheldon have studied medicine-or. at
least have hired the best doctor that
money could command? And yet, edit
ing is as much a profession as doctoring,
and the trained editor is as necessary TO
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
HE CHIDEs HOWE.

ACF TtpuDIICdI.1
The sermons by Ed. Howe in the To-
peka Journal were intended to be an at
tack upon the bigotry of the church but
they serve again to show the intolerance
of the liberal minded men out of the
church.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
What Each is Saying About
the Sheldon Experiment
And the Newspaper Situation
at Topeka Last Week.
COMMENTS ARE SEVERE
Many Based on Wrong impress
sion of Mr.. Sheldon.
What Some Call the Mistakes
of Mr.. Howe.
COMMENTS ARE SEVERE
Favorable and UnfaVOrable Crit
icisms of Both Men.

The State Journal publishes today
herewith numerous comments on the
s.christian daily" experiment by Rev.
C. NJ. Sheldon. and on the Lay Ser
mons in Paragraphs" by E w. Howe:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
THAT GARD OF THANKS.


II4dWItICt JOuTIdII
There is nothing new under the sun,
even in journalism. Rev Editor Shell
don printed a card of thanks in his
paper this morning, signed by himself
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22
WHAT 1T MIGHT LEAD TO.

The Topeka Capital announces that it
will continue to run as "a Christian
daily" with General Hudson as editor.
This suggests a horrible thought Sup
pose this should become a fad, and Col
D. r. Anthony should undertake to run
the Leavenworth Times as Jesus would
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22

c. S. Carey, president Carey-H ollida!
Lumber Co., Cairo, Ill: Mr.. Howe Il
all right; he is a man after my owl
heart, and 1 want to read more of him.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22

J. NJ. Dutro, R. r. Supplies, st. Louis,
Mo-. "E. w. Howe-I have just finished
reading your Story of Country Town,
with absorbing interest / hope some day
to see and talk with the author of the
book
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22

Oh Cronje. Gen. Cronje, you're a mighty
foxy chap
At a-twisting of the British lions
tail:
But you jumped your kopje quickly
and straightjway got off the map
When Little Bobs" camped out upon
your traijl.
Philadelphia Record.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-22

Ill: "E. w. Howe, of Atchison-Wil the
Lay Sermons be issued in pamphlet
form 1 sincerely hope so. l would like
TO see them published in low priced
paper edition so as to be within the reach
of everybody. 1 wish to thank you heart
lily for the genuine satisfaction 1 have
had in reading these sermons They
are the right stuff and rejoice that you
are brave enough to give them to the
world They will be a power for right
thinking and consequently for right liv-
pen and voice never falter in this work -