The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-12-29
Spirit OF the Press.
JOSIAH AND

JoSI[tI1 An GOSL1 I1OS-
Charlotte News.
While the peace of the Christmas-tidc
is spreading over our beloved state, While
Russia and Japan are preparing 10 settle
their difficulties amIcabIy, while Colombia
is being urged not to attempt a war with
the giant of the North, unfortunately
turned bully for the nonce, While mems
minds are uplfted with thoughts of good
will and happyheartedness, there come
from the capital OF North Carolina the
rotes of ominous warfare. The sound of
the hammer Il tonSs is heard and the
State holds its distressed breath ard
whispers, Josiah and J~osephus are at
it again"
The editor of the News is going to
stand each Of the contestants IN a corn
e1, while, with the liberty one may take
with his friends, a public lecture is de-
livered 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 ere a temptation and
the balanced sentence is an enemy of the
truth. While the editor Of q paper which
Is the organ OF a denomination which
rlgdiy and rightly excludes from contact
the two spheres Of the church and State
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 motoring the re
Igious denominations. Josephus is the
ed tor Of g political paper. The retort
IS an easy che that you, as the editor
OF a religious paper, have been Motoring
the Democratic party. You actually
pledged your paper to silence. once, on
q certain issue during a political CAM
arg OF the condition that the Demo-
cratic Iarty should carry out your wa!
The reaction from that was bound 70
Gene. It IS disastrous in the long run to
use ones influence with d church for poll
tical schemes.
And then, Josiah. you mistake vour pre-
JUDGES Ter principles. You did not like
Alderman and Newer. You imagined that
the appropriation OF money by the state
to the State Uniyers y ard tie Etete
Normal was q great religious question
You 90 not like J~osephus. You have dis
covered a great principle again, tie non
interference OF { secular paper ia church
AHA rs. Ard you have bonn trying to stir
W the churches against JosopIus and
his paper. Yet, when we all got through
reading that var 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 Won
and some others. But do not d~ar tba
churches into your own fight. And the
boycott is as dangerous a weapon as the
australian boomerang, and ct only for
savages any way
And then. ~Josephus, under all the smolo
there may be a little fire. You have >
great influence in North Carolina frcry
the fact that you are publishing at the
Capital OF the State, the mornirr naror
with the largest circulation in the State
You are high in the councils of the Dem
ocTatlc party. You should avoid antag-
ohizlng any Democrats who are the MON
beFs OF churches OF even OF a faction Of 4
church, as carefully as the editor ~ J
rel gious paper should avoid anita gon,.-
ing his own people by reference 10 mt
ters political. You were right IN crft5.:..
inS Bassett. But your demand for Ill.
expulsion should have come from Jose7hr.
as a Methodist, rather hi from Jose
phus as the editor of the leading Der,o-
cratic daily. You were right in ,riticioi,,r
1assee III both instances and we cid ~,
observe that you vent too far. though We
are always inclined to let every man CIV
his say in his own way. But we doubr
whether you had the right to attacl, +ha
editorials IN Josiah's paper on the ground
that the were aiding the Repubi.can
party. A religious ape ought 10 no
above partisan politics and it should not
o. denied the right Of stating its opinion
q large questions from the point of
view OF their supposed relation to tho
Kingdom Of Christ. IF the editor trans.
crosses in the line of political meddIing
the best cure IS the dropping of subscri.
bers from his list. And the same thing