Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-02-10
|OWER OF THE
NEWSPAPER
S Viewed by Rev. Fry in Sunday
Evening Sermon

he influence OF the Editor upon
ciety'' at Sanders Hall Sunday
int. Mr.. Fry took for his text the
th verse of l. Jeremiah-"The sin
Juda is written with a pen of iron,
b with the point of a diamond;
is craven upon the table of their
Arts and upon the horns of your
lrs." The large congregation was
bly, entertained by the eloquent
eourse, which was interesting and
Lructive throughout He said in
It:
What the author of the text was
Judah, the editor of today is to
bdern society. Not only is it the
ty of the prophet to foretell, but it
his duty also to tell forth and in
Fpret what has and is happening.
this way the editor enables us to
low what God permits to be done in
parts of the world. We know
bat people are talking about and
bat they are thinking about, our in
ence is increased, our Intelligence
dened, we are able to avert a thou
I'D forms of wrong and promote
eusand blessings which otherwise
uld be impossible were it not for
assistance and influence of the
odern editor.
Many years ago the world was
bverned by three boxes. The car
idge box, the ballot box and the
Rndbox-by force, votes and women.
ut to these three there has been
dded a fourth and still mightier-
amely the mail box with its count
ISIS products of the printing presses
NJ the land. But 216 years ago
here was not a newspaper on this
ointment. The first issue of a news
hper appeared in 1890, nothing
ore was heard of it till 1904 when
e Boston News Letter" became
permanent issue. At the time of
gning of the Declaration of indie
endence there was only thirty-six
eekly and one semi-weekly papers
the country. But so great is the
fuence of journalism today, that
e editor may be fairly said to oc-
hpy the mightiest pulpit in the land
ID lay claim to the greatest educat-
3 and civilizing force in the world.
can compete with universities in
Atters of education, with churches
i# creating civic righteousness, and
tn our penitentiaries in the punish
ent of crime. He may assume to
eect presidents, dethrone kings and
Dntrol armies. Roscoe Conkling said
o man or party can control the state
u New York till they have first con-
rolled the weekly newspapers of that
tate Most great papers are ident-
bed with either one of the great po-
tical parties. Perhaps it is well so,
ince we are indebted to politics for
sur present system of government.
THE influence of the editor is in
alculable when we realize the gigan-
c proportions the secular press as
umedand the wonderful energy it is
exerting. The London Times con-
btructed a private telegraph line to
Berlin and Paris at a cost of $780,
poo and paid $4,000 for a report of
he Berlin congress. The way in
which the New York Herald assisted
b the finding of David Livingstone
another example of the influence
nd energy of the press. There is an
Decreasing demand for great men to
II the editors chair in this country
Ien of broad-minded intelligence
and universal good will. Men whose
moral character is beyond a we'll
Founded suspicion; this ought to be
demanded because of his increasing
influence upon public morals and the
shaping of public opinion. Geo. Jones
of the New York Times was offered
$780, Zoo to suppress a damaging ar.
ticle relating to public dishonesty OF
the part of a great business firm but
he spurned the gift In 1870 the
London Times exposed a banking
fraud which would have ruined many
people and received as an expression
pr public gratitude $4,000, ever,
dollar of which was promptly turnet
oyer to the university OF England Il
create Times scholarships. No maj
has done more for the morals OF Eng
land than has Mr.. Stead the fearless
editor Of the Pail Mall Gazette.
Il think the public morals in thi