The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-13
SECRECY ON CHURCH QUESTIONS.

university, at the Mondays meeting Of
the Methodist Ministers association, dis.
! played singular and unusual narrow.
ness In discussing a question that came
before the meeting, which has surprised
and panied his many admirers.
The question was as to giving publicity
in the daily newspapers to the proceed
ings of the association, and DR.. Bridg-
man is reported to have expressed the
! opinion that mo report of our meetings
should ever be made by a secular re-
porter for a secular newspaper but all
should only be told by one of the min
listers themselves. From this the G o b e
infers that DR.. Bridgman means: First.
that the secular" reporter does not
questions, or is not in sympathy with
church matters, and is, therefore, not
qualified to give an accurate report.
Second, that secular newspaper is not
the proper vehicle for conveying informa-
ton on church matters to the public.
Third. that only minister is competent
to report such meetings, and fourth, that
a weekly or monthly church paper is the
only vehicle for the dissemination of
| church news.
1t would also seem that Or. Bridg-
man is of the opinion that ministers
meetings should be held in secret.
|
to learn that the average secular re-
porter on daily newspaper is fully COM
petent to grasp the different questions
arising in connection with the work Of
churches. Such questions are not Of
great profundity. and there surely can
not be any discussion at a ministers
meeting of which the lay members Of
the church must not know Secrecy in
! church matters is suicidal for the church
in which it obtains a foothold Many
members Of the reportorial staffs Of
newspapers are church goers, church
members or have been reared in an en-
| vironment which has faniharized them
with church methods and work Some Of
| the reporters employed on St Paul news
papers have graduated from Hamline or
Manchester university But, even if the
reporter is not church-bred and affiliated
with such a body, the intelligence neces-
sary to perform general newspaper work
has no difficulty in grasping the questions
which may arise at ministers meetings.
! If it Is desired to surround church
matters with mystery and keep the pub
lie in the dark regarding them, the secu-
lar press is certainly not a proper ve-
hicle for the publication of church Eews;
| publication In a daily newspaper means
the freest and widest publicity, and in
! the interests of the public and for the
| maintenance of its own reputation a
daily newspaper will always aim to print
a full and accurate account OF all mat
ters in which any considerable portion
Of It's readers are interested
| AS to the capacity Of ministers as re-
porters-with all due Difference to Their
abilities when employed In the work for
which they have been trained-it may be
stated that the average minister is a.
mighty poor reporter from the stand.
point Of the daily newspaper, and most
ministers are aware of the fact and stick
to their own calling
If there is any vitality in church work
and church questions it is only fair that
church members should be promptly in
| formed regarding them and NOT ba ooyn
PEELED to wait for week or a month to
read stale news of them in church
magazine. There is field for such maya
| zines, but they are not intended to and
cannot give news as promptly or as salts
factorily as the regular daily newspaper
The value of publicity in regard to the
( proceedings of this particular ministers
| meeting IS shown by the fact that the
/ public was. informed by Dr. Lathrop that
prize fight is to be held at Newport
next Sunday. If the proceedings had been
secret the police authorities would prob.
ably never have heard Of this intended
| breach Of the law and Sabbath iesecra-
ton and it would have been pulled off"
| without interference. Now, thanks to the
secular reporter OF secular newspaper,
the police and the public are informed
Of the fact and there Is no excuse for
the police not doing their duty.