Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1903-01-14
TnF. .IREsS AND fnE PULPIT.

jamin franklin, was described by the
first editor OF a later day, William
Cullen Bryant, as printer who did
not drink, = philosopher who wrote
common sense, and a politician who
did not steal. These two good men
are dead; aud as some persons would
have US believe, all goodness. in editors
has died with them. But. it seems
probable that there are still some
good men left among present day
editors - men who are temperate,
sensible and honest. The press 10, after
all, not quite - black nor so yellow
As it has sometimes been painted, es.
pecially OF late by certain we'll.
meaning clersymen Of the East. Bad
rs it may be in some quarters it is
largely the fault of the people who
read. The newspaper is, after all,
just about what the people choose to
make it; and if they want it be tier
they can make it better. All news
paper men are not good men, but if
American papers had no morals the
country would certainly be in worse
case than it is. 10 print what hap
pens as soon as it happens, and some.
times sooner; and to speak the truth
before other people know anything
about it, is so difficult that the news.
papers rarely ever get full credit for
the effort they make to do it. A Ger
tain amount OF news that is not so in
evitable, and is the price we pay for
speed. As a prominent editor has
said, III we are to have news while it
is news, there will always b. mis-.
takes" But now and then We get
deliberate inventions, and it seems
reasonable that the public should know
whether the inventor Of the lie suffers
any inconvenience at the hands OF
the editor.
1t is not newspapers chief bus
mess to make people better, but in
ntally it may certainly do some-
thing to- that end. Now it is the
business Of the pulpit to make people
better; and a. the pulpit makes fire..
quent criticism Of the press, telling
people how shockingly bad it is, per.
haps come well.meant kindly sugges:
tions from the press might not be
unacceptable to the pulpit. Doubt
less the newspapers have prodted by
pulpit criticism, and now, in return,
possibly the pulpit might be willing
to listen to and null over a few modest
suggestions from the press. :-
Newspaper men, bad As they are,
90 to church, and, OH the
whole, they hear fairly good sermons.
1t is very noticeable that when
preaching is good, people generally
find it out. But it does seem to the
average laymah that the subjects gen.
orally chosen for the ministers dis
courses are often from = range OF life
which is by comparison very narrow.
And these are the ministers who com.
plain that 80 few men, including
editors, come to church. When
preaching is good and ON vital sub.
jects, aud real man is in the pulpit,
men will 60 to listen. There 10 no
doubt about that. There was never
any trouble abou, the audiences. OF
Philips Brooks or Edward Everett
Hale. Rain or shine, they were
there. And il you wanted to know
what was going on in the real life OF
Boston, you went and listened to
them. 1t was preaching made from
subjects which their talk with men
and their intimacy with real affairs
suggested. On the other hand, if one
will examioe a list OF scrm IN subjects
as printed in the Sunday church no.
tees, or in homiletical journals he will
find that the topics are largely eclesi-
astical-they SAVIOR more or less OF
the cloister. We need plain, old.
fashioned talk in the pulpits. We
need preaching OF the sort that will
make men think not so much about
Adam as about his posterity, and not
10 much about the abstruse themes
Of theology as about something that
will help at the wsshtub or at the
desk, or on the street snd in the
home, and the daily discharge OF
manly and womanly duties. So shall
the newspapers be more likely to fol.
low the preachers than the preachers
to follow them. Let the church
cease it's anxious worry about ma
trust its prophets, and turn
its Pharisees out OF doors; help men
and women to do their work in their
own place, thinking not alone OF
themselves but living for othrs.-San
Francisco Chronicle.
John d. Rockefeller is the richest