The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-12
A oNE-wEEK RELIGIOUS DAILY.


a book that has had a very large sale is
going to try the experiment of running for
one week daily newspaper edited as he
thinks Christian daily should be edited"
lie is to have absolute control of every
department-news, editorial and advertis-
ing" and for a week viii print only such
matter as ne conceives proper to be sent
into Christian homes, and conducive to the
furtherance. of Christianity.
1t may be that the gentleman, the Rev.
MIR. Sheldon, will make great success of
his experiment. 1t is practically assured
that the paper, for the week, will have a
large circulation; and probably also a con-
siderable advertising patronage. The nov
elty of the undertaking, the curiosity of
the people 10 see what sort of paper Mir.
Sheldon considers the proper thing in re-
ligious daily Journalism, win induce a
large patronage for six days-he would
not, of course, print Sunday edition.
And the gentleman ought TO be able to
give value received for every dollar that
he takes in. He win find a perfectly
equipped and organized establishment
from which to issue his paper. He will
have at his service in the mechanical de-
partment men drilled in their business,
and for his news matter and editorials he
will have, if he desires it, assistance, gra-
tbs, from all over the United States.
But suppose he had to run the paper
for year. would the patronage drop off
as the novelty wore away? That probably
depends entirely upon what Mr.. Sheldon
considers to be a properly edited religious
daily. In the event that he eliminated all
of the reports of horse races, prize fights,
murders, lynchings, robberies, sensational
court proceedings and similar matters,
such as are usually condemned by gentle
men of the cloth, the probabilities are that
he would find his clientele falling away
from him, and through his news
pepper he would soon be able 10
talk TO not many more persons
than he could address from his pulpit
Especially would this be true if the space
usually devoted to what is commonly
called news.by newspaper men should be
filled up with reports of foreign mission
airy work, church sewing circles, expert
ence meetings and doctrinal sermons.
will take a broad view of the question
What is news?' and give his readers the
sort of information they demand and will
insist upon having as long as there are
newspapers published. And unquestion-
ably he will endeayor to serve up his news
in the most beneficial and beast harmful
manner. He win use his best efforts to
inculcate honesty. morality and right liv-
ing through the medium of his paper. But,
in doing these things. will he depart one
iota from the plan of the ministerial
editors of the best daily newspapers?
Truth. justice and fearlessness are the
cardinal principles of honest journalism,
which overwhelmingly preponderates in
this country-is il likely that Mr.. Sheldon
can improve upon them?
Were it not that the secular newspapers
cover the ground so fully. including church
and religious news as wei as other kinds
were there room or demand for religious
daily-it is morally certain that such a
journal would long ago have been estab-
lished, in New York, Chicago or some
other teeming center of population. There
would have been no waiting for Mr.. Shell
don's experiment in Kansas. Meantime,
his one-week christian daily" in Kansas
may accomplish a great deal of good, and
we wish for it abundant success.
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