Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-08-04


Scourge of the WOrld-It Fills. the
Prisons and Insane AsyIums-Pov-
er of the Press For Good. Il.
WASHINGTON, July 29.-Dr. Talmage,
who has bech spending IL few days in
st. Petersburg, sends the following re-
port of a discourse. which Will be heip-
full to those who have an appetite for
literature and would like some rules to
guide them In the selection OF books
and newspapers; text, Acts XIX, w.
"Many OF them also which used curl
GUS arts brought their books together
and burned them before all men, ana
they counted the price Of them and
found it $4,000 pieces Of silver"
Paul had been stirring up Ephesus
with some lively sermons about the
sins Of that place. Among the more
important results was the fact that the
citizens brought out their bad books
and in a public place made bonfire
of them. | see the people coming OUT
with their arms full Of Epheslan liter
ature and tossing 1t into the flames.
hear all economist who Is standing by
saving: "Stop this waste! Here are
1900 worth of books. DO you pro-
pose to burn them all up? lf you don't
want to read them yourselves, sell
them AMI let somebody else read
them" "No." said the people; "if these
books are not good for us. they are not
good for anybody else. and we shall
stand and watch until the last leaf has
burned to ashes. They have done us
world Of harm. and they shall never do
others HARM" Hear the flames crackle
and roar!
Well. my friends. one of the wants OF
the cities Is n great bonfire OF bad
books and newspapers. We nave
enough fuel to make blaze 200 feet
high. Many Of the publishing houses
would do well to throw into the blaze
their entire stock Of goods. Bring
forth the insufferable trash and put 1t
into the fire and let 1t be known In the
presence Of God and angels and men
that you are going to rid your homes
Of the overlapping and underlying
curse OF prOhgate literature.
The printing press Is the mightiest
agency on earth for good and for evil.
| The minister of the gospel standing In
n pulpit has responsible position. Dut
do not think it Is as responsible as
the position OF M editor or publisher.
At what distant point Of time, at what
far out cycle of eternity, will cease the
influence OF Henry j. Raymond or a
Horace Greeley or n James Gordon
Bennett or n Watson Webb or an Eras-
tus Brooks or Thomas Kinsella? Take
the overwhelming statistics of the cir
culation of the daily and weekly news
papers and then cipher, II you can, how
far up and how far down and how far
out reach the influences of the Ameri-
can printing press.
| Purified Literature.
| What is to be the issue or all this! l
| believe the Lord intends the printing
press to be the chief means for the
worlds rescue and evangeliZatiOn, and
| think that the great last battle of the
world will not be fought with swords
and guns, but with types and presses
q purified and gospel literature tri'
umphing over, trampling down and
crushing out forever that which Is de-
praved. The only way to overcome
unclean literature is by scattering
abroad that which Is healthfu,. May
God speed the cylinders Of an honest
intelligent, aggressive Christian print
ing pressl
| have to tell you that the greatest
blessing that ever came to the nations
Is that Of an elevated literature
and the greatest scOurge has been tha
Of unclean literature This last has its
victims in all occupations and depart
ments. 1t has helped to fill insane
asyluns and penitentiaries and aims
houses and dens Of shame. The
bodies Of this infection lie in the hos
pitals and I'm the graves. while theil
souls are being tossed over into los
eternity. an avalanche of horror ant
despair! The London plague wa'
nothing to 1t. That counted its victims
by thousands. but this modern pes
has already shOvclpd its millions Int
! the charnel house Of the morally dead
The longest rail train that ever raj
over the tracks was not long enough
or large enough to carry the beastlines
and the putrefactiOn which have Deel
gathered up In bad books and news
papers In the last 20 years.
Now, 1t Is amid such circumstance
that put question of Overmasterini
importance to you and your families
What books and newspapers shall w
read? You see group them together
A newspaper Is only book In a swift
er and more portable shape, and tn
same rules which will apply to bool
reading will apply to newspaper read
. Ing. What shall we readf Shall ou
minds be the receptacle Of everything
that On author has n mind to write
Shall there be no distinction betwee
the tree OF life and the tree OF death
Shall we stoop down and drink out
the trough WUlCu lut NiNhNphSoS "
men has filed with pollution an
shame? Shall we mire in lmpurit
and chase fantastic will-O'-the-wisp
across the swamps when we nigh
walk In the blooming gardens OF God
On. no. For the sake Of our presen
and everlasting welfare we must max
an intelligent and Christian choice.
Pure Fiction IA blessing.
Standing. as we do. chin deep In h'
titious literature, the question tina
Young people are asking is, Shall W
read novcls?" | reply there are novel
that are pure. good. Christian. eleva
ing to the heart and ennObling to tn
life. but have still further to say tina
| believe that - out of 100 novels |
this day are baleful and destructive
the last degree. A pure work OF NJ
tlon is history and poetry combined
IL 10 history of things around III