Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-03-09

the preacher threw his handkerchief
into the kings pew TO indicate whom
he meant.
Ally of Christian Work.
The tendency OF criticism In the theo-
logical semnaries Is to file off from our
young men all the sharp points and
make them too smooth for any kind OF
execution. What we want, all Of us. Is
more point. less humdrum. II we say
the right thing in the right way. the
press will be glad TO echo and re-echo
It, Sunday school teachers. reformers.
young men and old men In the minis
try. what we all want II we are to
make the printing press an ally In
Christian work Is that which the re-
porter spohen of suggested - points.
sharp points. memorable points. But
If the thing be dead when uttered by
living voice IT will be a hundredfold
more dead when II Is laid out In cold
type.
Now. as you all have something to
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
propose on this Lords day treaty to
be signed between the church and the
printing press. a treaty to be ratified
by millions Of good people II we rightly
fashion It. treaty promising that we
will help each other In our work of try.
ing to ilumine and felictate the world,
we by voice. you by pen; we by speak
ing 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 he these two
potent agencies until the judgment day.
when we must both be scrutinlzed for
our work. healthful or blasting. The
two worst off men In that day VIII be
the minister OF religion and the editor
If they wasted their opportunity. Both
Of us are the engineers of long express
trains Of influence. and we Will run
them into depot OF light or tumble
What a useful life and what a giori-
Gus departure was that Of the most fa-
nous Of all American printers, Benja-
min Franklin, whom ln6delS In the
penury OF their resources have often
fraudulently claimed as their own, but
the printer who moved that the Phlla-
delphla convention be opened with
prayer, the resolution lost because a
majority thought prayer unnecessary.
and who wrote at the time he was Vi
ciously attacked, My rule Is to 90
straight forward In doing what ap-
pears to me to be right. leaving the
consequences to Providence" and who
wrote this quaint epitaph showing his
hope Of resurrection, an epitaph that ]
hundreds Of times read while living In
Philadelphia:
"The body Of Benjamin Franklin.
Printer dixie the cover Of an old book,
It's contents torn out and stripped Of It's
lettering and glldlng), lies here food for
worms. Yet the work itself shall not
be lost, for it will las he believed) ap-
pear once more In a new and more
beautiful edition, corrected and amend
ed by the Author"
Scoffer Remained to Pray.
That Providence intends the profes'
sion of reporters to have mighty share
In the worlds redemption Is suggested
-, 4l,o foo+ .bot Doul aDI Chrict foOty
a reporter along with them. and be re-
ported their addresses and their acts.
Luke was reporter. and he wrote not
only the book Of Luke, but the Acts of
the Apostles. and without that report
er's work we would have known moth
ing OF the PentecOst, and nothing OF
Stephens martyrdom. and nothing OF
Tabitha's resurrection, and nothing Of
the jailing and unjailing OF Paul and
Sias, and nothing Of the shipwreck at
Meita. Strikc out the reporters work
from the Bible, and you kill large
part Of the New Testament. 1t makes
me think that In the future Of the king
dom of God the reporters are to bear a
mighty part
About 25 years ago a representative
of an important New York newspaper
took his seat In my Brooklyn church
one Sunday night about five pews from
the front Of the pulpit. He took out
pencil and reporters pad. resolved to
caricature the whole scene. When the
music began. he began. and with bis
pencil be derided that, and then derid-
ed the prayer. and then derided the
reading Of the Scriptures, and then be-
gan to deride the sermon. But. be says.
for some reason his hand began to
tremble, and he, rallying hmself.
sharpened his pencil and started again,
but broke down again and then put
pencil and paper In his pocket and bis
head down on the front pew and began
to pray. At the close of the service he
came up and asked for tb" prayers Of
others and gave his heart to God And.
though still engaged In newspaper
work. be Is an evangelist and hires a
hall at his own expense and every
Sunday afternoon breaches Jesus
Christ to the people.
And the men Of that profession are
going to come In a body throughout
the country. | know hundreds OF
them. and a more genial or highly edu-
gated class of men 1t would be hard to
ind. and. though the tendency Of their
profession may be toward skepticism.
an organized common sense gospel In
yitation would fetch them to the front
IF all Christian endeavor.
Men of the pencil and pen in all de-
partments. you need the help Of the
Christian religion. In the day when
people want to get their newspapers
or,tc and hnnlny for the time