The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-06-15
CONTRIBUTED


SHOULD HAVE A CHURCH Paper.
Necessity For Such a Publication
Taxing Country People to Build Fine
Churches for City FoIk--Hoodwink-
ing Poor People and Children For the
Benefit Of individuals.
The best country newspaper in the
world is the Yorkville Enquirer. There is
no doubt Of that. More work is done on
The Enquirer than on any other country
paper, and the work is Of the very best.
The Enquirer is an eight-columH paper,
and 1t is printed twice q week on book
paper. The typographical work is perfect,
and the editorial work is on a par with the
Typographical work.
For q great many years we have wanted
to 20 through The EnQuirer's office, just
to see the shop in which such work Is done.
Editor Grist took US all over the build
ing. The building; was built specially all 1or
ed upon. Its filled with modern machin-
cry, including two linotype machines, two
fast presses, paper cutters, and every
thing that goes to mako up a first class
printing office. All the machinsryis kept
cleaned and polished until it shines like
new money. Everything is in its place,
aud there Is a place for everything, In
fact, the whole placeis as neat and clean
as the newspaper that Is issued from 1t.
"That is, all except Editor Crisis W
den. His room,looks just about like every
other editors room, but he says he can
always find anything he wants in it.
Editor Grist Is one Of the best newspa-
per men certainly the best In q
~Icountry town. He is courteous to visitors,
and is q most entertaining talker, and we
shall long remember the session we had
with him".--Anderson Mail.
Editor Grist is all that the Anderson
Mail says Of him, and all that that paper
says Of his work Is true. Besides this. Mr..
Grist is an Elder In the Associate Reform
ed Church at Yorkville, where he is a zeal
Gus worker for all the best interests Of the
church.
Notwithstanding all these facts the
Learned and wise members OF the Synod
totally ignore Mr.. Grist and his ability as
a printer. His knowledge, his activity
and his integrity as a printer is 30 much
greater than the combined ignorance Of
the entire Synod along printing lines that
lhe Is not wanted.
| And much along this line may be said
Of MI. John T. Bigham Of Chester, who Is
| also an Elder in the church-a success
full printer-a man above reproach.
When committees on printing are to be
appointed, as far as our information goes,
| printers and men who are presumed to
know something Of the business are not
needed. This possibly to pile up appoint
ments to Reverend Somebody to the
duties Of which place that Reverend Some
body may be as ignorant as
a monkey is Of the plan Of salvation.
While on the subject Of printing 1t may
not be amiss to urge the necessity of hav-
ing a church paper. The alleged church
paper, as now published, Is by q stock
company, and presumably this stock COM
pany is not different from other stock COM
panies in that it works in the interest Of its
stockholders. The files Of the paper,
would probably fail to prove that it has
been Of late years edited in the interests
Of the church. The proof Is clear, however,
that it has been working in the interests
Of collections for alleged church purposes,
which alleged church purposes may have
been in fact for the luxurious support
somebody's friend or kinsman. The proof
is overwhelming that the paper is pub
lished in the interest Of men who are living
In foreign or other lands than cur own, and
whose interests at our expense, are con-
s%picious in its columns. It would, on the
other hand, be hard to prove by the COL
umns of that paper that it Is edited In the
interest Of the ~upbuildlng Of the home
churches. Proof is abundant, however,
that collections are urged from the poor
est country churches. For instance:
how can any conscientious person outside
Of the Presbyterian office favor the taxing
Of Mt. Carmel, Bethlehem, Long Cane, and
Abeville to build a great church in Atlanta?
AS o rule rich people Of a city contribute
money to the building Of churches for poor
people, but in the A. R. F. church the poor
est people In the country are taxed to
build magnificent structures for city peo-
pie. The zeal Of the Synod in behalf OF
rich city people at the expense Of poor peo-
pie in the country, is best explained by the
Synod's act OF taxing all mission churches
In this country to make a %pretentious
show Of a fine building in the city.
It is inconceivable how an Atlanta gen
tleman could consent for the Synod to put
its. hand into the pockets Of country
churches for his own benefit. Neither
could he see the Christian charity Of the
Synod in taking these little congregations
by the throat while running it's hands in
to the treasury Of poor people for funds
that should be sacred and safe from the
touch of the hands Of others who do
not give a fair equivalent.
1t may be commended that the church
should sometimes dispense charities to
the poor and to the sick, but such charities
are given to Mexicans. Not to u poor.
Are not the doors OF the church colleges
closed against i%mpecunious students at
home?
How can plain honest christian men re-
concile the act Of keeping our own boys
and girls out OF the colleges at Due West
for no greater crime than poverty. This,
too, at a time when we are furnishing
free food. free tultion. free medicine, and