The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-23
SHELDONISM.

The first three issues of the Topeka
Capitol under the editorial and bust
ness direction of Rev. Charles NJ Shell
don. Conducted according to his idea of
how Jesus would conduct it, had APP
peared before the City of peking sailed
About the financial success Of lhe
weeks editorship under Sheldons ats
pices there was no doubt. The subscrip-
tions for the weeks issue numbered
more than 100000, and the street sales
throughout the country were expected
to bring up the number sold to SOO,0Oo.
The Topeka presses were unable to
print the number required and stereo-
type matrices were sent to Chicago ana
New York from which to print the addi-
tional number required.
That a week Of the pap4r, with the
world wide advertising 1t received
should be financially successful was to
he expected. This success proves no
thing as to the probable success of a
paper established on the lines laid
down. And it is understood that Rev.
/
that the whole question of the wisdom
or unwisdom of Rev. Sheldon's ideas OH
the subject remains exactly where it
was.
| AS to what those ideas reduced to
practice are, the Coast papers give very
full accounts. The paper is largely fill
ed with articles which discuss different
phases of sociology and economies. OF
Eews as 1t is commonly understood,
that is accounts of current events the
happenings of the day all over the
world, there is very little and it is
crowded into the background. Besides
that with each or at least many of the
news articles there is given editorial
comment, pointing moral or enforcing
a lesson. The distinction between the
editorial and the news columns is OBJ
liberated. Rev. Sheldon says he does
not intend to give his readers the news,
but such news as he thinks they ought to
know, such news as he thinks will tend
to make them better. The logic of this
is simply that if he is to be in a posi-
ton to make a wise selection, he must
know all the news both of evil and
of good, but nobody else must because
he alone will be uninnuenced by that
which is not Of an elevating charactar.
For if he does not know all the news,
all the attanable news, how can he
make a wise enough selection TO make
him mentor of all his readers, unless he
has at least in large degree the attri-
butte of omniscience? And consciously
or unconsciously his whole position is
an assumption of this.
Rev. Sheldon mistakes the whole pro-
vince of a newspaper, A newspaper,
SO far as its news columns are concern
ed, is for the purpose of publishing
news. Just what constitutes news has
never been entirely satisfactorily de-
fined. Charles Danas definition has
been so far the most satisfactory anC
he defines news as IAN account or de.
scription of any event or matter Of pub
lie interest not hitherto published
And what province could be more
worthy than that of publishing news
as thus defined? 1t gives every one
who will, the opportunity to know those
things which are the immediate causes
end influences by which today's con-
duct must be regulated. If one were
trying TO do las Jesus would" how car
he form any judgment of what Jesus
would unless he knows the facts Viii Il
form the complicated tangle of factors
which involve him.
Rev. Sheldon has planned for a publ.
cation but not for a newspaper.
But there is nothing new or novel il
his ideas, except the point of view
They have been in practice ever since
pamphleteerirg began. Garrison's
''Emancipator" was conducted on ex-
actly the same lines. Every Organ
is published with the same ideas. Shell
don would print, not newspaper, but
an organ of "Sheldonism"