Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-03-16
THE SHELDON EXPERIMENT.

Most critics Of the Sheldon expert
ment in journalism agree that II is i'm
practical Rabbi Hlrsch takes the view
that from the biographical material at
hand It is impossible TO judge Of what
the conduct OF the Master would be in
modern surroundings. He points out
that the Sheldon experiment has al
ready laid i,self under suspicion Of
panderlng 70 that which It processes to
combat--sensationa and that COM
mon sense would have suggested, in
order TO make the experiment valuable
that absolute silence should have
marked the change in the editorial
chair.
The Chicago Herald endorses
these views OF the Rabbi, and adds that
a great number Of Christian" people
are Of the same opinion, although de-
TERED from expressing themselves. be-
cause Of the unchallenged purity OF
purpose professed by the gentleman
who proposes TO exemplify Christianity
In the conduct OF a newspaper.
The San Francisco Chronicle EVIL
IDENTIFY has no scruples OF the kind the
Chicago paper assumes TO exist among
the friends Of Sheldon. The Chronicle
bluntly says that the question, What
would the great Teacher have done?
has not been applied 20 the subscription
price, which for the week has been
doubled; Sheldon ought 10 have printed
a free paper. 1t then continues;
This freak OF journalism is, after all,
gotten up on strictly commercial lines
like boy preaching, which Is based upon
a forty dollar-a-day collection. The
eagerness with which the publisher Of
the Capital Is reaching out for subscrip-
tons Is conclusive evidence OF the COM
mercialism OF the enterprise. The rev
erend editor has shown his worldly Wis
dom In the limitation Of his work TO one
week, the publisher his keen business
sagacity In his announcements OF the
growth Of the subscription list TO 3OO,-
600 and orders still coming in from all
parts OF the world, with a fine pros
pect Of an almost equally good return
10 follow for the next three months to
come. for purposes Of comparison. Veri-
ly these are not things that Christ
would have DONE
The editor OF the Topeka State Jour
nal, the rival OF the Capital, In an in
teryiew is quoted as having said that
many Of Mr.. sheldons rules are abso-
lutely foolish, He says:
Many Of these instructions are sensl-
Bile, many others are foolish BY that
] mean TO say. foolish for the conduct
OF a newspaper MIR. Sheldon cannot
run a newspaper, in my opinion, on the
plan he outlines. Without the news a
paper becomes merely a periodical Mr..
Sheldon says TO his reporters: Avoid
slang That Is quite O good rule. He
says. Submit all interviews 70 the
person interviewed That Is an right
for weekly or monthly publication,
but Is impractlcable for an enterprsing
daily newspaper. and none else can eN-
Isl and be a power for good In these
days OF modern action, competition and
endeavor.
The expressions quoted give a fair
idea Of the public sentiment IN regard
to the novel experiment. 1t Is only
fair 10 add that Mr. Sheldon himself
Notwithstanding the popular impress
sion created by advertisements. does
not insist that his paper is in every
particular a pattern Of the supposed
editorship OF the Master "The only
thing. he says. Il pr any other Chris
tan man can do in the Interpretation
OF what Is Christian in the conduct Of
this paper Is to define the term Chris
tan the best that can be done after
asking for divine wisdom"
II this had been clearly understood
from the beginning. there would not
have been much demand for the pa
per. Hundreds OF editors in this coun-
try are trying 10 give their concep-
ton OF what a christian" newspaper
ought to be. Mr.. sheldon's ideas can
not be Of much more value than those
Of other Christian gentlemen. OF
ladies'.
Mr. sheldon, as so many other mod.
ern clergymen, does not believe In d.
rect revelation or inspiration from on
high. How. then. can he ascertain the
mind and will Of the Master any more
than others who can read the New Tes-
lament and the numerous commenta-
tors2 Rabbi Hirsoh Is right. The ex-
pertinent is under suspicion Of sensa-
tionalism. As such Il can furnish no
antidote TO yellow journalism. ana
the proof OF this is In the fact that the
New York Journal too, Is going to
have a page edited las Jesus would
do f." The Sheldon experiment may