Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-03-08

bered." Then I said to myself:
ssWhat right have we in the pulpits
and Sunday schools to take the time
Of the people if we have nothing to
say that is memorabilia" David did
not have any difficulty in remember
ing Nathan's thrust, ''Thou art the
man." nor Felix in remembering
Paul's point-blank utterance on right
eousness, temperance and judgment
to come, nor the English king any
difficulty in remembering what the
court preacher said when, during the
sermon against sin, the preacher
threw his handkerchief into the
kings pew to indicate whom he
meant.
That Providence intends the profess
sion of reporters to have a mighty
share in the worlds redemption is sug-
gested 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 martyrdom,
and nothing of Tabitha's resurrection,
and nothing of the falling and unjail-
ing of Paul and Silas. and nothing OF
the shipwreck at Melita. Strike out
the reporters work from the Bible and
you kill large part Of the New Tesla
ment. It makes me think that in the
future of the kingdom of God the re-
porters are to bear a mighty part.
About 25 years ago 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 his
pencil he derided that and then derided
the prayer and then derided the read
ing of the Scriptures and then began
to deride the sermon. But. he says, for
some reason his hand began>to tremble.
and he, rallying himself, sharpened his
pencil and started again, but broke
down again and then put pencil and
paper in his pocket and his head down
on the front of the pew and began to
pray. At the close of the service he
came up and asked for the prayers of
others and gave his heart to God, and,
though still engaged in newspaper
work, he is an evangelist and hires
hall at his own expense and every Sun
day 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 more genial or highly educated
class of men it would be hard to find,
and, though the tendency of their pro-
fession may be toward skepticism. an
organized, common sense gospel invi-
tation would fetch them to the front
Of 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
at two cents and are hoping for the
time when they can get any of them at
one cent and as consequence the at
taches of the printing press are by the
thousand ground under the cylinders,
you want God to take care of you and
your families. Some of your best work
is as much unappreciated as was Mil
tons paradise Lost" for which the
author received $25, and the immortal
poem "Hohenlinden" of Thomas
Campbell when he first offered it for
publication and in the column called
''Notices to Correspondents" appeared
the words: ITO T. C.AThe Lines COM
mencing: ON Linden when the sun
was low are not up to our standard.
Poetry is not T. C.'s forte"
o men Of the pencil and pen, amid
fod xxoY-l- vo11 n oad an
couragement, and you can, have f..
reporters, compositors, pressmen.
publishers and readers of that which
is printed, resolve that you will not
write, set up, edit, issue or read any
thing that debases body, mind or soul.
In the name Of God, by the laying on
of the hands of faith and prayer. or
dain the printing press for righteous
ness and liberty and salvation. All OF
US with some influence that will help
in the right direction, let us put our
hands to the work, imploring God to
hasten the consummatien. In ship
with hundreds of passengers approach
ing the South American coast the man
on the lookout neglected his work, and
in few minutes the ship would have
been dashed to ruin on the rocks. But
a cricket on board the vessel, that had
made no sound all the voyage, set up a
shrill call at the smell of land, and, the
captain knowing that habit of the in
sect. the vessel was stopped In time to
avoid an awful wreck. And so insig-
nificant means now may do wonders,
and the scratch of pen may save the
shipwreck of a soul.
Are you all ready for the signing OF
the contract, the league, the solemn
treaty proposed between journalism
and EVANGELISM? Let it be a Christian