The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-27
Spirit of the Press.
JOSIAH AND JOSEPHUS.

Charlotte News.
While the peace of the Christmas-tide
is spreading over our beloved State, while
Russia and Japan are preparing to settle
their difficulties amicably, while Colombia
is being urged not to attempt war with
the giant of the North, unfortunately
turned bully for the nonce, while mems
minds are uplifted with thoughts of good
will and happyheartedness, there come
from the capital of North Carolina the
rotes of omlnous warfare. The sound Of
the hammer and tongs is heard and the
State holds its distressed breath and
whispers, Josiah and Josephus are at
it again"
The editor of the News is going to
stand each of the contestants in corn
er, while, with the liberty one may take
with his friends, public lecture is de-
hvered to each and they both are exhor-
ted to quit their behaving:
"The trouble with you, Josiah, is that
you talk too well and write too bril-
liantly. Epigrams are a temptation and
the balanced sentence is an enemy OF the
truth. While the editor of a paper which
is the organ OF a denomination which
rigidly and rightly excludes from contact
you are too much inclined to use your
influence for political ends. That course
will prove a boomerang at last You are
accusing Josephus of 'hectoring' the re-
ligious denominations. Josephus is the
editor of a political paper. The retort
IS an easy one that you, as the editor
OF religious paper, have been hectoring
the Democratic party. You actually
pledged your paper to silence, once, on
certain issue during a political cam
palgn on the condition that the Demo-
cratic party should carry out your wli
The reaction from that was bound 70
come. 1t is disastrous in the long run to
use ones influence with a church for poll
teal schemes.
"And then, Josiah you mistake your pre-
JUDGES for principles. You did not like
Alderman and McIver. You imagined that
the appropriation of money by the State
to the State University and the State
Normal was great religious question
lou do not like Josephus. You have dis
covered a great principle again, the non
interference Of a secular paper in church
affairs. And you have been trying to stir
up the churches against Josephus and
bis paper. Yet, when we all got through
reading that war cry-To your tents, O
Israel we all wondered what the war
was about. We do not object to your
fighting. That is constitutional with you
and some others. But do not drag the
churches into your own fight. And the
boycott is as dangerous weapon as the
Australian boomerang, and fit only for
savagcs any way.
M tI,n
there may be a little fire. You have a
great influence in North Carolina from
the fact that you are publishing at the
Capital OF the State, the morning paper
with the largest circulation in the State.
You are high in the councils of the Dem
ocratic party. You should avoid antag-
onlzing any Democrats who are the mem
bers of churches or even of faction of a
church, as carefully as the editor of
religious paper should avoid antagonlz-
ing his own people by reference to mat
tiers political. You were right in CRITICS
ing Bassett. But your demand for his
expulsion should have come from Josephus
as Methodist rather than from Jose
plus as the editor of the leading Demo
cratic daily. You were right in criticising
Massee in both instances and we did not
observe that you went too far, though we
are always inclined to let every man say
his say in his own way. But we doubt
whether you had the right to attack the
editorials in Josiah's paper on the ground
that the were aiding the Republican
party. religious paper ought to be
above partisan politics and it should not
be denied the right of stating it's opinion
Of large questions from the point Of
view of their supposed relation to the
Kingdom Of Christ. If the editor trans
crosses in the line of political meddlng
the best cure is the dropping of subscri-
bers from his list. And the same thing