The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-10-07
Hy William, IT. Eliis.)

GH Ea 49, 'DOoS VI lIC
,oGoious ewspape The situation
bg4 been one of grave concern among
rIgreh leaders: for the general de-
cline IF the church press is commonly
looked upon as a lack of vital, per
#at interest in the things Of RELIGION
~ The part of the members of the
churches.
The matter is brought graphically
forward by the Christian Observer"
itself one of the most successful Of
church papers. 1t is the leading or |
can Of the Southern Presbyterian
church. althugh it has a VIDE reading
outside of its own denomination. Some
Southern Presbyterians consider it
rather too liberal but the circula-
lion books are evidence that the Wig
orous and modern journalistic policy
Of the Staid old observer" is not so
construed generally. It's own review
Of The century through which it has
existed. furnishes a graphic picture
OF the changes that have taken place
IN the realm of religion.
I'm Old Dispute.
Within the pages OF the American
religious press there has been a pc
riodiC discussion as TO which can
claim senior rank. The claimants
eventually narrowed down to two,
The Herald Of Gospel Liberty of
Dayton, Ohio, "a publication of the
~ iSNldI tIuitU dlC1ic uiSDul1DS the
christian Observers title. 1t cele-
hrated what it claimed to be a cen
tugy OF continuous existence in 1908.
THE Presbyterian Banner of Pitts
burg, Will be q hundred years old in
1919. and The Ccngresationalist''
will reach the century mark in 1915.
The distinction Of having been LONGEST
issued under the same name was held,
until last month, by 1.-The Watch
man a Baptist paper, of 81 ston,
which merged q few weeks ago With
The Examiner" OF New York. after
having horne the one title continuous
j. since 1919.
The question with these various pa
pets Is entirely one Of continuity of
ISSUE. All of them have witnessed
transfers of ownership, change of
name. and mergers with other publi-
cations. The christian Observer
user. INK the fat kline of Joseph's
cream, has absorbed twenty-one 9th
eF religious papers in the course of
years n percentage of mortality
among religious papers is even great
'f t1ah mat among dailies.
The editors of the church paper
seem generally inclined to disallow
the Herald Of Gospel Liberty's''
tttlu 10 priority; because, for a CON
ole period il was a bi-n> nthly
naSt>ine, AID not n religious weekly;
anu missed an entire years issues.
me only breaks in the observers
history were one week in 1889, during
At removal from Richmond to Phila-
ttiphla three weeks at the outbreak
"' tuv civil War, when President Lin
eolh suppressed it, causing the return
90 the Office OF publication to Rich.
mona; and at he close Of the war
NheH Richmond was burned.
Presbyterian Persistence.
Philadelphia, the capital If Amer.
eaN trcSbyterians, was the first home
' The Observer" which in the be.
ENhlne was named The Religious
i,e'hemhrancer." There were various
.1dhses of ownership and name
me Philadelphian' and the "Phila
oeiphla Observer being used a
t'aes-until Rev. Amasa Convers,
.'oN charge IN 1889. The following
.t3I the present name was adopted
anu mas ever since been used.
i"reover, the paper has remained t
oa+' in TN Converse family, tn
t-'nt publisher being a youn;
I5'l"Nllle layman, Mr.. Harry +. Con
verse. The Converse name has be
r.'NG familiar throughout the Who'll
4e"oyterian communion; for the ed
OF a religious paper gets close
ms readers, and has a stronge
Ia upon them, than even the edito
,puntry weekly. HIS iS peculiar
" family newspaper"
~ the controversies that have rag
q "lthin the Presbyterian church dur
ing "A century have been reflected i
- pages of the observer" whic
moved the fortunes of the Sout
curing the sixties.
CultivatiDg the Folks
No other religious weekly now is
oNSu IS quite so much of q family
papet IN the sense that the title
NsS-fVed as the observer"
pounds in news of the churches, an
specially of the church workers. Th
'Tsoers are treated as one big famii,
al Interested in each other. DOub
~ determining the dominant factt
. o'ermining the peculiarly person;
interest which Southern Presbyterian
axe in their foreign missionarie
the births and weddings and death