The age-herald., 1900-03-17
SHELDoN'S IDEA A FAILURE
Editors of Religious Newspapers See
 Little Good in the Project

The Rev. c. M. sheldon's endeavor in journalism does not meet with the approval of all the editors of religious papers in Chicago.
 The general tenor of their opinions is that the undertaking is not dignifed, that it will be practically useless as a demon stration of any theory, and that it will be injurious to the prestige and dignity of the Christian church.
 pr. W. c. Gray, editor of the Interior, said
 ''Dr. Sheldon tells us he would show the world how Jesus Christ would conduct a newspaper. A man who can utter such a remark is a monumental egotist. No man has the right to say such a thing. It is a degradation of the name of Jesus Christ. As to the paper that Dr. Sheldon brings out, it does not rise to the level that would justify criticism. It is not a newspaper. The effect of the whole thing will be simp- ly to bring ridicule upon Christianity. The whole object of tine thing seems to be to give notoriety to the paper and to Dr. Shell don himself at the expense of the Christian church. True Christianity means hard, en- ergetic, 1evel-headed, and industrious work for the elevation of our fellow men, and Dr. Sheldon's undertaking is surely not step in that direction"
 Dr. Arthur Edwards, the editor of the Northwestern Christian Advocate, said:
 "It is difficult for me to see how that ex- pertinent will demonstrate anything. MT Sheldon might learn in time, perhaps, to edit religious newspaper. This week, however, he is trying to edit a secular newspaper, the contents of which are more or less valuable. When he finishes the pa- per will return to it's old managers. For general purposes it undoubtedly will be better paper than it is now.
 "Of course, it would not be fadr to judge his work by a single day. I have my doubts about the success of the experiment, be- cause the time is too short"
 The Rev. J. s. Cantwell, editor of the Uni versalat Leader, expressed himself fol- lows
 q do not think Jesus would have at- tempted to edit a paper for week expect- ing his conduct of the editorial columns would embrace any better teachings than he has given in gospels.
 While conceding Dr. Sheldons excellent motives, I think he has made serious mis- take in the way he undertakes to reform the newspaper world and I cannot relieve myself from the impression that the enter prise savers strongly of the sensational.
 "Eliminating certain features, such as the undue attention given to scandal nor TOTS, and sporting news, I cannot. see that Mir Sheldon's paper is any improvement Tn a moral way over many issues of papers of Chicago and other cities. which are clean and decent and are admitted freely into our houses."
 J. S. Dickerson, editor of the Standard, said:
 ''I do not think one may judge of MT. Sheldon'S epoch-malxing experiment by the dispatches in the morning papers. Neither is it fair to judge of Mr. Sheldons success as manager of a daily newspaper by one issue. While I think the experiment is in teresting, while it will be of great value in advertising the Topeka Capital I do not believe it is possible to discover what effect a newspaper edited and published under MT Sheldon's peculiar ideas will have on daily newspapers-with so brief an experi- ment At least year would be necessary to ascertain the real merits. 'I give MT Sheldon full credit for sin cerity and for the genuine effort to help humanity. I think the Capitals move will be suggestive to many other daily news papers, After all, the great majority of people in the United States are moral, if not religious, and appreciate every honest | effort to ameliorate the condition of man. | kind. I have little sympathy with the l phrase, What would Jesus do in editing a | paper today?' as it is impossible to imagine | our Savior in any such position. His mis- | sion was that of Savior and teacher. But, l as have said. some good will come from | the experiment, and I notice that even | some of the yellow papers of New York | are giving greater attention to the discus | sion of news from the religious point of 1 view"