The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-26
sHELDoN'S VIEWS NARROW.
REV. CHARLES II. STRONG's IDEA
OF WHAT THE PRESS SHOULD BE.

should be Absolutely Devoted 10
Truth in Everything, Possessed OF
Honest Convictions and Giving
Publicity All the Good as Well as
All the EviI-Mr. strong Does Not
Regard MIR. ShcIdOn's Experiment
With FavOr-The Present Methods
of the Daily Press, Publishing
Both Good and Evil, Insure Better
Results.
The effort of Rev Charles NJ. Sheldon
60 run a daily newspaper for a week las
Christ would have done" furnished the
topic for a sermon by Mr.. Charles II.
strong at st. Johns Church last night
While commenting upon Mr. She,don's
experiment, Mr. Strong elucidated his own
views on the subject of how the public
press should be conducted, criucising Sc
verely some of lis tendencies and yet
praising the general idea which animates
the men who make the newspapers.
After reviewing the ideals of Christ
which prevailed through the different ages
of the church, Mr.. Strong said that The
ideal of Christ to-day is that Of an abso-
lutey perfect, good, pure and holy life.
ne AhoiHilty VI I'll AoAi AZ SAlNr ~ 94iCffli
in the accounts of his deeds and words,
is laid down upon the largest kind Of prin
ciples. 1t is the sort incuoate in man that
spirit of Christianity which enables him
to decide upon the right line of conduct
in the light of his own conscience. 1t is
not the sort of morality which can be APP
pied to the details of any particular event.
Christ turned water into wine at the we'd
ding feast at Cana. Mr. Sheldon would
hardly have approved of this, as he has
forbidden all advertisements for liquors
and wines in the columns of his paper.
On the other hand, it cannot be inferred
that Christ would repeat this act were he
on earth to-day with knowledge of the de-
cided religious opposition to the use of in
toxicants.
Turning to his subject Mr.. Strong said
that more brains are required to success
fully edit daily newspaper of to-day than
are required in any other vocation of life,
A great change has come over the world.
The press has largely usurped the place
of the pulpit. -Four hundred years ago the
pulpit was the source of all intellectual
and moral, as well as religious inspiration.
The world obtained its intellectual food
from the pulpit. The great universities
were established and controlled by The
priesthood and supported by the church.
Even the theater originated with the
church as a means of religious instruc-
tions. The amusement, as well as the ed
ucation of the people, was in the hands Of
the church The familiar Punch and
Judy show was in its original form a rei-
gious drama based upon an ancient tradi-
ticn as to Pontius Plate and Judas Iscar-
lot.
To-day all this is changed said Mr..
Strong. Literature, science and education
are all in the hands of the press. tt is
the great source from which the great
masses of the people obtain their ideas as
well as the news of the day. Nine out of
ten men have no reading matter but the
newspaper. The pulpit speaks to only
handful of the people. 1t stands in he
community simply as the exponent of re-
ligious ideas. The important position oc-
cupied by the press, Mr.. Strong said,
should carry with it a terrible sense of re-
sponsibility. Does the press realize this
awful responsibility. he inquired.
Mr.. Sheldon's idea of running newspa-
per is not what is demanded, Mr.. Strong
said. The shutting out of news that does
not coincide with the religious idea of the
editor is of no value, he said. 1T is a
malignant fallacy that men and women
cannot be trusted with the details of
their own lives. You cannot educate men
in darkness. Men and women should be
trusted with life. Let them know all the
good and all the bad but let us teach
them what is good and what is bad. You
cannot make men sober or pure or moral
by legislation. This can only be
done by education, by letting them
see life as il is, and this can best be done
in the columns of the daily press"
Speaking of the great function of the
daily newspaper, Mr.. Strong said that it
should always be absolutely true in every
thing pgrtisanehiD there
rily be and always will be so long as
there are political parties, but let them be
true even in their partisanship. 1t makes
little difference to us what party will be
in power in Washington thirty years
hence, but it makes the greatest differ
ence in the world if we daily and hourly
oppose the kingdom Of truth. Every item
and report and headline should be care
fully and truthfuliy prepared. There is
an absolute necessity for truth in the
public press, because the great majority
of the people take their opinions from the
newspapers.
"A newspaper should not try to please
every one," said Mr.. Strong. 1T should
have absolute convictions and be true to
these convictions. 1t cannot please every
body and in trying to do this it is more
like y TO please nobody. With honest con-
Nictons and the effort to seek the truth
in all things there should be coupled mer-
cy. 1t would not hurt the press to show
more kindness and consideration for those
of whom it speaks. The regulations of
men and women often hang on the little
words which are written so quickly"
As an instance of the danger and in
justice of misleading headlines, Mr..
Strong alluded to a recent incident in the
visit of a distinguished visitor" to Sa-
Vannah, who was entirely innocent of
any excess or indulgence but the mis-
leading headlines which had appeared
over the account in the newspapers
throughout the country led people to be-
heve that the greatest hero of the war
had done something unworthy Of himself
The misleading impression will remain
for years and should he ever become
candidate for the presidency 1t will sure
ly be brought up aga INST him.
why cannot the newspapers represent
life exactly aus 1t is?" inquired Mr.
Strong why do they not give publicity
TO all the kindly things which are done,
as well as to the fires, murders rapes