The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1901-06-28
CHURCH AND PRESS.
A Warm Friendship Should Exist
Between Them.
DR.. Tnimagc snyS That the SpoLen
Word md thc Printed Word should
Go Side by Sidc-God aud
the Printing Press.
Ico1yrIghi l01- ~ Louis Klop.chl

AAf A.iiHliuk IFtNN.
copyright, lHl. hy Louis Klopschl
Washington. March g.
In this discourse Dr. Talmagc call.
for a warm friendship between thos,
who preach the Gospel and those who
make newspapers. the spoken worC
and the printed word to go side b.,
side; text. Luke los: "Thc children
of this world are I'm their generation
wiser than tine children Of light"
Sacred stupidity and solemn incom-
potency and sanctifcd laziness are
here rebuked by Christ. lie says
worldlings are wider awake for OPP
portunitics than are Christians. Men
of the world grab occasions. while
Christian people let the most valu-
able occasions drift by unimproved.
That is the meaning Of our Lord
when lie says: THE children of this
world are i'm their generation wiser
than the children of light"
A marked illustration of the truth
of that maxim is i'm the slowness Of
the Christian religion TO take pos
session of the secular printing press.
The opportunity is open and has
been for some time open. but the
ecclesiastical courts. and the
churches, and the ministers OF re-
lgion are for the most part allow
ing the golden opportunity to pass
unimproycd That the opportunity
is open ] declare from the fact that
all the secular newspapers are glad
OF any religious facts or statistics
that YOU present them. Any animat-
ed and stirring article relating TO re-
ligious themes they would gladly
print They thank YOU for any in
formation i'm REGARD to churches. If
a wrong has been done to any Chris
tian church or Christian institution
you could go into any newspaper Of
flee of the land and have the real
truth stated. Dedication services,
ministerial ordinations ana pastoral
installations. cornerstone laying Of
church, anniversary of a charitable
society. viii have reasonable space in
any secular journal if it have preyi-
GUS notice given. If / had some
great injustice done me, there is not
an editorial or a reportorial room
i'm the United States into which /
could not go and get myself set
right, and that is true of any we'll
known Christian man. Why. then,
does not our glorious Christianity
embrace these magnificent opportuni-
ties? ! have before me a subject of
first and last Importance: How shall
we secure the secular press as n
mighty reinforcement TO religion and
the pulpit?
The first thing toward this result
is cessation OF indiscriminate hos
tiiity against newspaperdom. You
might as we'll denounce the legal pro-
fcssion because of the shystcrs. or
the medical profession because Of the
quacks, or merchandise because Of |
the swindling bargain makers, as TO |
slambang newspapers because there |
are recreant editors and unfair re-
porters and unclean columns. Guten- /
berg. the inventor of the art Of print /
ing. was about TO destroy his types |
and extinguish the art because il was /
suggested 10 him that printing might
be subOrned into the service of the
devil. but afterward he bcthOught
himself that the right use of the art
might more than overcome the evil
use of it, and so he spared the type
and the intelligence of all following
ages But there are many to-day in
the depressed mood of Gutenberg,
with uplifted hammer, wanting TO
pound to pieces the type, who have
not reached his better mood, in
which he saw the art Of printing TO
be the rising sun Of the worlds
If. instead Of fighting newspapers
we spend the same length Of time and
The same vehemence in marshaling
heir help in religious directions we
would be as much wiser as the man
who gets consent Of the railroad super
ntendent TO fasten a car 10 the end
# rail train shows better sense than
he who runs his whee barrow up the
rack TO meet and drive back the Chi
ago limited express. The silliest thing
hat man ever does is 10 fight a news
paper. for You may have the floor for
itterance perhaps for one day in the
week, while the newspaper has the
loor every day i'm the week Napoleon.
hough a mighty man. had many weak
.esses. and one of the weakest things
e. ever did was TO threaten that if the
,nglish newspapers did not stop their
Diverse criticism Of himself he would
With 100000 bayOnets, cross the chan
.el for their chastisement. Don't
ight newspapers. Attack provokes at
ack Better wait until the excite
lent blows Overland then go in and get
ustice. for get ii You viii If You have
atience and common sense and equi-
oise of disposition. II ought to be g.,
Mighty sedative that there is an enor-
nous amount of common sense in the J
.ord. and YOU viii eventually be taken
or what YOU are really worth. and yqu ,
annot be pulled up and you cannot
@ written down, and if you are the
nemy of good society. that fact will =.
ONE out. and if YOU are the friend Of
God society that fact Will be estab- ]
shed.
l know what am talking about, for !.
can draw on my OWE experience. All y
ne respcctabIe neWspapers. as far as