The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-28
SUNDAY. JANUARY 2s. 1900.
a CHRISTIAN NEWSPAPER.

The announcement that a Kansas pub
1isf,er has agreed with The Rev. Chas..
NJ sheldon TO permit him t. conduct his
paper for one week, has created some
thing of a stir in the newspaper Worid.
as we'll as the religious world MI
Sheldon is the author Of the 5oo't, in
His steps," which has been read. it is
claimed. by twenty million people of
nearly every tongue and cline me T'ur-
pose Of the bool. is TO silow mat men
should follow in the footsteps II our
Lord. and should in every relation CT
life do that which, in their opinion. Christ
would do under similar circumstances. 1t
that as his own rule Of condlct. and 1hat
he lives up to his own prea .h.lg. lie
proposes now to show to the world no"
n daily newspaper should be conducteu'
ma his experiment will be watched with
great interest, although it cannot be con-
elusive of any practical result By ms
,,a mean to saw that Mr.. Sheldon VIII
,,r,,,, nothing. IIe will be able TO GEM
onstrate TO the world his idea OF conduct
inv a daily newspaper. but he will not De
able to demonstrate that MS ~
practicable. lie Will not be able TO sho"
,hrouch his experiment of one week sha'
,,ensna,,er conducted along the Ines
indicated by him can be made % l1s'
a,a II not. then his theory IS imp!
,,catle It might be possible 10. d
man like him to raise 4 VAST sun u
n,oney-one million dollars IS the amount
which he says is needed-io carry GU
,--eat Christian daily. but as .or NE
,,anenanar bushes generally it must be
conducted on business principles in such
a way as 10 make it pay, or 1t cannot se
carried on at all. The man VINO con-
ducts any branch of business must 90 SO
In n way that is acceptable TO his laitoEs
mr. no will fail. The man who goes INTO
.the manufacturing business. and we re-
mark incidentally that printing news
manner is a manufacturing enterprise, must
ascertain what the consumer wants, ana
then make it for him In vain VIII ne
try TO convert the consumer TO his way
the consumer wants or the consumer viii
not purchase #. This may seem very
low view of the newspaper business, but
I, 10 undoubtedly the practical view. A
discreet publisher does not always, by
any means, conduct his newspaper ac-
cording TO his own taste If he would
succeed he must conduct the paper ac-
cordng TO the popular taste.
This does not mean that q newspaper
may not be honest. independent and
courageous in the expression of its edi-
torial opinions, although we must confess.
however humiliating the confession may
be, that those newspapers which have
gained the highest circulation are as a
crowd. But in printing the news of the
day the successful newspaper must live
up to dts name and must chronicle all
the leading events OF the day, giving the
great variety Of news that is necessary
to meet the demands of its Varied con-
s,ituency. There are those who like re-
lisious news. there are those who like
political news, there are those who like
society news; there are those who Hike
sporting news, and so on. Therefore the
successful newspaper must be true
mirror of the times, rejecting the world
and thesworld's doings in ell its phases.
AS ne understand it, Mr.. Sheldon would
not conduct such newspaper. He would
exercise a rigiiant censorship over the
newspaper columns, giving only that
class OF news which. in his judgment. the
people ought TO read.
But Mr.. Sheldon Will not De able to
show. as We have said. by his experiment
4 OF one week. that a newspaper conduct
ed along these lines would be successful
Indeed, every practical newspaper man
+ knows that such q newspaper could moi
succeed except 1t should be the only
suc, newspaper IN the country. In thai
event 1t might obtain for time q yer,
.cids circulation as a freak newspaper
- a hing In q a,eess 6e.aonSt1 nj ed