The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-29
THE PRESS OF THIS CITY
REV. j. CUMMING SMITH SPEAKS
HIGHLY OF LOCAL NEWSPAPERS.
Says Reporters Are Pessimists-His
View of the Author of
elm His Steps"

Rev. J. Cumming Smith. of Tabernacle
Presbyterian Church, discussed newspa-
pers at considerable length at service
held last night He took the position that
the newspapers of Indianapolis are sim
gularly free from impurities by comparison
with those of some other cities. He adj
vanced the opinion that the character of
newspapers is always what its readers
want it to be and that if the world were
filled with holy people the newspapers
would all be holy papers, and that If the
world were filled with people of swim
ish. brutal and lustful natures, the news
papers would be brutal, lustful and swim
ish in their tone.
In discussing Rev. Charles NJ Sheldons
purpose to take control of the Topeka
QKan.) Capital for one week in order to
demonstrate the possibility of conducting
it along the lines of What would Jesus
do Mr.. Smith said MIR. Sheldon is
good, sincere man, who has written an
unfortunate book entitled In His Steps
The chief objection to 1t is that 1t i'm
presses the average reader with the
thought that the religion portrayed there
is not the kind he wants for himself. 1t
is to be regretted that he had not the
ability to write something that would gain
a stronger hold on the whole people. The
owners of the Topeka capital have hit
upon plan by which they will coin money
for week. They went to him and said:
Mr.. Sheldon, we win give you entire
charge of our paper for one week, knowing
that for that one week 1t would be, per-
haps, the most widely read paper in the
country. But it is not in one week that
81 test of such q matter can be made. The
will take ir for week hut
that is no indication that he will take 1t
for fffty-two weeks or approve of the way
Mr.. Sheldon will conduct the paper. After
three or four weeks, when the novelty has
worn off, will come the test and then an
opportunity would be afforded of demon
strating whether 1t would be possible to
maintain the paper IL conducted perma-
nently along the lines suggested by Mr.
Sheldon's book. 1t is to be regretted that
the experiment cannot be continued for a
year and / am not sure Ii would not be
q success, but do know that many editors
who stand well in church and society and
by their lives deserve to stand so, have
told me that their constant aim has been
to make their papers purer, but that no
one could imagine the perplexitieS they
encountered every day in attempting to
discriminate as to what ought to go into
the paper and what ought TO be kept out
A HOPEFUL SYMPTOM.
ct look upon the attempt of Mr.. Sheldon
as one of the hopeful symptoms Of de-
sire to apply Christ to life. The press adj
mits Improvement as all institutions do
and the best plan is to buy the paper that
stands on high ground. Our best editors
allow things Of a doubtful character in their
columns, but only because of the level of
common opinion on those subjects. / can
understand an editor of lofty ideal per-
hitting many reports in his issue which
he himself dislikes. but the constituency
demand No man can live too far ahead
of his age-or he and his will starve. The
Christian people will let him starve. Hence
blame the people often when you scourge
the editor. One bad feature is that many
reporters turn atheists or pessimists be-
cause they are down in the trade of I'M
earthing the villainies of life. Such skele-
tons there are and the irrepressible sad
ness is that young men who have sprung
from the best loins, reared In the happiest
auspices, appear for livelihood TO be
forced to course that taints the mind.
L can understand man being still a
man who loses a limb or grows rusty In
some art, but 1 cannot understand man
being a man who has lost hope in man
and with Ii hope in God Doubt tnat men
can rise or want to rise and you cease to be
a man. i feel that the press of our city
stands on high gounds. IL is easy to crit
icise. Not SO easy TO construct. Mr.. Shell
don deserves credit lor the courage of TAX
ing the place and trying ii.