The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-03-20
DIR, TALMAGE'S SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE,
Subject: The Printed Word-A Call For
Warm Friendship Between Those
Who Make Newspapers and Those
WHO Preach the Gospel.
Copyright 1901.

WHO Preach the Gospel.
copyright 1901
WASHINGTON. D. C.-In this discourse
between those who preach the gospel and
those who make newspapers, the spoken
word and the printed word to go side by
side; text. Luke xvi. s, "The children of
this world are in their generation wiser
than the children of light"
Sacred stupidity and solemn incompe-
tency and sanctifed laziness are here re-
buked by Christ, He says worldlings are
wider awake. for opportunities than are
Christians; Men Of the world grab oeea.
valuable occasions drift by unimproved.
That is the meaning of our Lord when He
says, "The children of this world are in
their generation wiser than the children
A marked illustration of the truth of
that maxim is in the slowness of the
Christian religion to take possession of the
secular press. The opportunity is open,
the ministers of religion are for the
most part allowing the golden opportunity
to pass unimproved. That the opportu-
nifty is open / declare from the fact that
all the secular newspapers are glad OF any
religious facts or statistics that you pre-
sent them. Any animated and stirring
article relating to religious themes they
would gladly print. They thank you for
any information in regard to churches. II
a wrong has been done to any Christian
church or Christian institution, you could
90 into any newspaper Office of the land
and have the real truth stated. Dedica-
ton services, ministerial ordinations and
pastoral installations, cornerstone laying
of church. anniversary OF charitable
society will have reasonable space in any
secular journal if it have previous notice
given.
If | had some great injustice done me.
there is not an editoria! or reportorial
room in the United States into which
that is true of any well-known Christian
man.
Why, then, does not our glorious Chris
tianity embrace these magnificent oppor-
tunities? l have before me subject of
first and last importance: How shall we
secure the secular press as a mightier re-
enforcement to religion and the pulpit?
The first thing toward this result is
cessation of indiscrjminate hostility against
nounce the legal profession because of the
shysters or the medical profession because
of the swindling bargain makers as to
slambang newspapers because there are
recreant editors and unfair reporters and
unclean columns. Gutenberg, the inventor
of the art of printing, was about to de-
stroy his types and extinguish the art be-
cause it was suggested to him that print.
ing might be suborned into the service OF
the devil, but afterward he bethought HIM
self that the right use of the art might
more than overcome the evil use of it,
and so he spared the type and the intelli-
gence of all following ages. But there. are
many to-day in the depressed mood OF
Gutenberg, with uplifted hammer, want
ing 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 illumination.
If, instead of fighting newspapers, we
spend the same length of time and the
same vehemence in marshaling their help
in religious directions, we would be as
much wiser as, the man who gets consent
OF the railroad superintendent to fasten
car to the end of rail train shows. better
sense than he who runs his wheelbarrow
up the track to meet and drive back the
Chicago limited express.
The silliest thing that a man ever does
is to fight a newspaper, for you may have
the floor for utterance perhaps for one day
in the week. while the newspaper has the
floor every day in the week. =,
Napoleon, though mighty man, had
many weaknesses. and one of the weakest
things he ever did was to threaten that il
the English newspapers did not stop their
adverse criticism of himself he would, with
100000 bayonets, cross the channel for
their chastisement.
Don't fight newspapers. Attack pro-
yokes attack. Better wait until the ex.
citement blows over, and then go in and
get justice, for get it you will if you have
of disposition. :,
1t ought to be a mighty sedative that
there is an enormous amount OF common
sense in the world, and you will eventually
be taken for what you are really worth,
and you cannot be puffed up. and you can
not be written down, and if you are the
enemy of good society that fact will come
out, and if you are the friend of good So
ciety that fact will be established.
I know what I am talking about. for I
can draw on my own experience. All the
respectable newspapers, as far as l know,
are nv friends now. But many of you re-
member the time when l was the most
continuously and meanly attacked man IN
this country. God gave me grace not to
answer back, and / kept silence for ten
years, and much grace was required. what
I said was perverted and twisted into just
the opposite of what l did say. Ihere
there was a large sofa in my. pulpit, al
though we never had anything but chair,
and that during the singing by the con-
gregation l was accustomed to lie down
on that sofa and dangle my feet over the
end. Lying New York correspondents
for ten years misrepresented our church
services. But we waited, and people from
every neighborhood Of Christendom came
there, to find the magnitude of the false
hoods concern ing the church and concern
ing myself. A reaction set in, and soon
we had Justice, full Justice, more than JUS
tice, and as much overpraise as once we
had underappreciation, and no man that
ever lived was so much indebted to the
newspaper press for opportunity to preach
the gospel as / am.
Young men in the ministry, young men
in all professions and occupations. wait
You can afford to wait. Take rough mis-.
! representation as Turkish towel to start
M your languid circulation or a system
pokes and pulls and TWISTS ana tnrusts are
salutary treatment.
There is only one person you need TO
manage, and that is Yourself. Keep your
dispositions sweet by cGHQmunion with
Christ, who answered not agsln, get So
ciety of genial people and walk out IN the
sunshine with your hat off and VOC, VIII
come out all right. And don't, join !he
crowd of people in our day who spend
much of their time damning newspapers.
Again, in this effort to secure the secu.
lar press as mightier reinforcement of
religion. let us make it the avenue OF re-
hgious information. If you would secure
the press as a mlghtier reinforcement OF
religion and the pulpit extend widest and
highest Christian courtesies to the repre-
sentatives of journalism. Give them easy
chairs and plenty of room when they come
to report occasions. For the most part
they are gentlemen of education and. re-
fnement, graduates of colleges, with fam
lilies to support by their literary craft,
many Of them weary with the push OF