The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1901-03-22
JOURNALISM EVANGELISM.
Or. Talmage Proposes Solemn Con-
tract Between the Two.


From sermon delivered by Rev. I. Dew IL Tai
mage March 3, 1901
Now. as you all have something tn
do with the newspaper press, either in
issuing a paper or in reading II, either
as producers or patrons, either as sell.
ers or purchasers OF the printed sheet,
l propose op this Lords day q treaty
to he signed between the church and
the printing press, a treaty to be rati.
fed by millions OF good people II we
rightly fashion it, a treaty promising
that VIC will help each other in our
work Of trying to illumine and felici.
tate the world; we by voice, you by
pen, we by speaking only that which
is worth printing, you BY printing
only that which is fit to speak. You
help US and we will help you. Side by
side be these two potent agencies until
the judgmentday, when VIC must both
be scrutinized for our work, healthful
or blasting. The two worst of men
in that day will be the minister Of re.
ligiOn and the editor II they wasted
their opportunity. Both Of us arc the
engineers OF long express trains Of in.
fuence, and We will run them into a
depot of light or tumble them of the
| embankments.
What a useful life and what a glori.
Gus departure we're those OF the most
famous OF all American printers, Ben.
jamin Franklin, whom inhdels In the
penury OF their resources have often
fraudulentiy claimed as their own, but
the printer who moved that the Phila.
delphia convention be opened will,
prayer, the resolution lost because a
majority thought prayer unnecessary,
and who wrote at the time lie was vi.
ciously attacked, "My rule is to 20
straight forward in doing what ap.
pears to me to he right, leaving the
consequences to Providence" and who
wrote this quaint epitaph showing his
hope Of resurrection, an epitaph that
l hundreds Of times read while living
In Philadelphia:
''Thc body Of Benjamin Franklin,
printer like the cover OF an old book,
Its contents torn out and stripped Of
Its lettering and gilding), lies here
food for worms Yet the work itself
shall mot be lost, for 1t will las he he.
lieved) appear once more In a new and
more beautiful edition, corrected and
amended by the author"
That Providence intends the pro-
fession Of reporters to have mighty
share in the worlds redemption is
suggested by the fact that Paul and
Christ took a reporter along with
them, and he reported their addresses
and their acts. Luke was,a reporter,
and he wrote not only the Book of
Luke, but the Acts OF the Apostles,
and without that reporters work We
would have known nothing OF the
Pentecost, and nothing Of Stephens
martyrd0n, and nothing OF Tabitha's
resurrection, and nothing Of the Jail.
ling and unjailing 0f Paul and Sllas,
and nothing Of the shipwreck Of Mel.
ita. Strike out tho reporters work
from the Bible and you kill 4 large
part 0i the New Testament. 1t makes
me think that In the future OF the
kingdom Of God the reporters are tu
bear weigl,ty part.
| About twenty-five years ago.a rep
rcsentative Of IN important New
York newspaper took his seat In my
Brooklyn church one Sunday night
about nve pews fr0in the,fr0Rt Of tlls
pulpit. He toOk out pencil and re-
porter's pad, resolved 70 caricatuse
the whole scene. When the music
began, be began, and With his pencil
he derided that, and then deridsd the
prayer, and then deridsds se'Feadsna
OF the Scriptures and then began y
dcrIde the sermon. But, he says, fcf
some reason his hand bean TO trem.
BILE, and he, rallying himself, sharpen
Cd his pcncil and started again, but
broke down again, ssad then put pen'
eli and paper 10 mis- pockSt and ~
lhead down % the ttDnt " the ~
and began 70 pray. Az the clQaAsol
[the service hceanSe up snd asksd y!
{ ,ftk1 prayers Of othsrs aod 'gSve' ahll
heost n 0od, And, ollo~1h telli q