The Washington herald., 1913-08-09
Why Vending Church News
Through Church Journals
Seems a WQStefuI Business

also considerably overdone. People buy
church papers not for pictures. but for
the information which they contain. and
| while photographs of bishops, clergy.
and lay functionaries at ordinations,
confirmations. laying OF corner stones,
diocesan conventions. brotherhood gath
erings, and all that, may now and then
be permissible. we have got so used to
the faces Of our bishops, prominent
clergy and laity. that We can see them
in our sleep, and the paper might Just
as well give US rest. The Churchnhan,
Of New York, some time ago particular
ly delighted in the picture business: one
might have thought that II was intended
for the nursery. In the English papers
referred to you will scarcely see a pic
ture from one end OF the year to the
other. Thy leave that to the illustrated
papers Of the day.
Thirdly-The unwillingness on the part
Of the church paper to deal with the
real burning questions Of the day and
hour Is another cause. 1t Is all very
well to write about the change of name,
as IL that were the only thing that the
church should be interested in. but let
any one write to q church paper and
call attention to some real needs Of the
church. particularly in the way OF re-
form. and he will receive a polite note
wise to touch the question. We happen
to know Of a protest against the anoma-
lous procedure Of turning over thousands
OF dollars to the missionary bishops
without requiring from them any audit
ing of accounts: and another and SINH
lar protest against subjecting the clergy
Of the missionary jurisdictions to the au-
tocratic and absolute rule Of the mis-
sionary bishops, contrary to all Ameri-
c-N- g. -
trary to the principles OF the church
everywhere, has been returned by more
than one Church paper. notwithstand-
ing that in these particular cases the
urgent need for reform Is admitted in
the inner circles. Evidently the papers
fear to ventilate such matters. and will
not do so until public opinion has forced
them to It OF course. this policy may
bring peace for a while. but 1t is that
sort OF peace that causes the salt to
lose its SAVIOR.
Fourthly. and perhaps chiefly-The
daily press has of late years covered the
ground which the church paper Is sup
posed to cover. In fact. there 10 no
great movement in the church today chat
is not heralded in our daily papers. COM
mented on and reviewed far and wide.
long before by any possible chance II
can be seen In the church journal.
These come in ten days or more after
ward with what is then practically cold
storage news.
What is perhaps called for today is
church magazine run on the maga-
zine principle. dealing with the live
and burning questions Of the times. We
are inclined to think that as molders
of public opinion. and as educational
factors. church magazines run on such
lines would be far superior to the church
journal as II is now gotten out, better
servant OF the church. more helpful in
every way.
In the meantime the daily press. real
izing its great opportunities should be
more and more giving attention to the
doings Of the religious world These
doings may not interest 80 many as are
interested in the doings We will say of
the sporting world, but religious people.
anxious to know what Is being done in
that world that mainly interests them.
are a very large factor in every COM
munity, and 1t would seem TO be a
reasonable demand on their part that
their desire for news should find recog
milton in a regular and stated way.
Then. too. just as specialists are ap-
pointed to deal with the sporting fra
ternity news. or the doings of society,
or the musical world, SO church news
should be dealt with by specialists. too.
and not left as II Is too often left, TO
those who do not know the difference
between Unitarian and Vegetarian or
Methodist Episcopal and Protestant
Episcopal, with the result that their
comments are not Illuminating and their
Information not always reliable.