Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1901-05-04
THE PLAIN TRUTH.

THE PLAIN TRUTH.
A great deal has been written re-
garding the decadence of the church,
and it has become the fashion to
charge the failure Of the churches
to increase their membership to the
inability of the clergy to maintain
interest in religious exercises. In a
recent address by the Rev George
Edward Reed, president of Dickin-
son College, he recalled the fact that
in the apostolic days, to which the
critics of the church are so fond of
referring, there was great force in
the power of the laity in matters
ecclesiastical. President Reed
thought ne detected a tendency in
this age toward vastly increased
activity in church matters on the
part of the laymen. This leads to
the thought that he has struck at
the heart of the matter. While the
laity have been finding fault with
the clergy, the real difficulty has
been that the former have not raj
lied to the support of their chosen
leaders as they haze done in times
gone by. No clergyman can be ef.
ficient ii the pulpit without the
hearty. earnest, and unremitting
support of the congregation. 1t is
too often the fact that the apathy
of the congregation has more to do
with the decadence of a church than
the shortcomings of the man in the
pulpit Many q weak church has
been made strong by the leadership
of n powerful executive head IN the
congregation, and many strong
church with a minister of ability in
the pulpit has failod because the
congregation was weakened by
worldliness or destroyed by dissen-
sions. .-Leslie's Weekly.
No newspaper in the United
States, and probably none in the
world, has ever included in its list
of editors a greater number of dis
tinguished men than the New York
Tribune, which has just celebrated
its sixtieth anniversary. The list
recalls some of the most eminent
Americans, and includes Bayard
Taylor, Horace Greeley, Charles A.
Dana, John Hay. Henry j. Ray
mond, Whitelaw Reid and George
w. Curtis. Great as was the
Tribune while Horace Greeley was
its presiding genius, covering a
period of nearly thirty years, it was
then not more influential and was
certainly far less profitable to its
owners than it has been in later
years. For twenty years it
has been under the editorship and
control of the Hon. Whltelaw Reid,
and he has given to it a power, a
strength, and financial success far
beyond the expectations of even
Hornce Greeley himself. The
Tribune occupies field of its own
in New York journalism. 1t is con-
servative in all things, even in its
political views. Unfalteringly Re
publican, it deals justly and fairly
with every public question, and is
hardly less sparing of offenders in
its own party than of those in the
ranks of the enemy. 1t is scholarly
in its editorials, accurate in its
news, intelligent in its interpreta-
ton of public opinion, and it there
fore runs on the most even keel OF
any newspaper in the great metrop-
oils. It is a tribute to the good
sense and discriminating judgment
of the reading public that, while
the Tribune in the midst of all sorts
of rivalry from cheap and sensation.
al journals, has rigidly maintained
its price of three cents a copy, il
has Co tinued to increase its circu.
lation, to strengthen its influence
and to add to its great success. Il
would be unjust if the credit fol
this remarkakable achievement
were not given to Mr., Reid, t.
whose painstaking care and journal
istic genius the credit is solely due
--Leslie's Weekly.