The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-07-13
6F A NEWSPAPER.
Ggtions Thereon Suggested
Article Printed In The
/ RECORD.
. COUNTY RECORD:

SoPNO o' iy " P "
opinion by all newspapers. The
pulpit and the press, more than any
other sources, control pu bllc
opinion from the fact that not one
man or woman ont of ten has an
opinion of theil own. In other
words, the positive characters are
few compared with the negative
characters, and strange as 1t may
appear, the positive character is at
a discount in the government Of
State and country. 1t is only 70 the
man who can be on all sides and
offend none that political honors 60;
hence the degeneracy IN statesman
shin that We now witness. But ]
am depressing somewhat. As l sald
before. the pulpit and the press are
more responsible for public opinion
and consequently, public honesty
and morality, than any other agency.
If this is true-and we defy truth
ful contradiction-then it behooves
both pulpit and press to see that no
false doctrine, no make-shifts at
honesty, and no questionable
morality is foisted upon the public.
1t is true that newspapers are pub
lished us financial enterprises, and
hence must to some extent Cater to
the appetites of the people to war
ran, success; vet there is vast dif-
ference between newspaper dlscre-
ton and newspaper dishonesty, and
tbe same can be said of the pulpit.
The extremes mentioned IN the
article published can be honestly
barmon;zed. Abuse and ridicule OF
the individual should never be tole-
rated. neither should false praise be
accorded anyone. The rule to OBJ
serve silence when no good can be
said is just and good rule. 1t IN
lures no,one; on the contrary, a bad
character eulogized and male an
gelic tend 10 evil and results in
harm morally. A man dies. His
conduct has been not that which we
should initiate. He has been a lib
eral subscriber to the church and
its annexes and his minister paints
him in heavenly colors and mourns
his departure as public loss. There
is no excuse for this; it is dangerous
ana demoralizing to those left be-
hind. Man is prone to evil as the
sparks fly upward. So every indl-
vidual, who can in the life of an
other read approval of his own short
comings, will by the church claim
approval of his own immoralltles
and continue them with the blind
assurance by the church that he is
on the right road to heaven. What
incalculable harm is thereby done,
and when at the end of life, how
many, realizing the utter hopeless
ness of their case, can point to this
false encomium as the starting-polnt
in their downward career. And yet
such incidents are not uncommon
and excusable upon the plea that
we should speak well of the dead.
AT present the press is filled with
discerdant views as to the reception
by the church OF tainted money
The money is not tainted. Its re-
ception can do the church no harm
from that false standpoint, but it is
a lesson to futurity that will wotk
corruption when We give encourage
ment to the methods by which the
money was accumulated by accept
ins the same and honoring the don
or. For when We accept his or her
gift, We can't in reason and common
decencv condemn the giver, "Come
We out from among them, have
nothing to do with them or their
gifts and We lessen the desire for
monty dishonesty acquired. Social
ostracism wonld nave more effect
upon making men do right than any
other punishment, but when known
thieves are upheld by society and
eulogized by the church, honesty
stands "a poor chance,and the preach
er who takes this money with the
expectation that it will be purified
by consecratins it to God is serving