The sun., 1916-12-29
MODERN NEWSPAPERS.
Covering Every Field Of Thought and
Industry. They Are indispensable.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: In
an interesting article that appeared re-
Gently in THE e DIR. Eaton uttered
these suggestive words
How does It happen that church mem
hers become so hopelessly narrow that
they want their church to exist in q moral
vacuum, while great newspapers have be-
come so imbued with the spiritual ideal
that they desire all lIfc TO come under the
control OF moral principles II this process
IS to continue tho time will come when
the religious ,eoplc will have 10 60 to the
newspaper for their religion.
That tim. has already come. II is here
row. People already go to the news
paper for their religion. Outside Of the
Bible | doubt very much II there Is any
force so potent in our present day life as
the great modern newspaper. believe
1t was Carlyle who said that Edmund
Burke pointed TO the reporters gallery in
Parliament and exclaimed that there was
a fourth estate greater thar the three
others. II II was true that the fourth
estate in Burke's day a greater than
the estates II the mobiles. clergy and
commons. how much more true Is it to-
day that the fourth estate leads all the
others.
We depend upon the newspapers in the
conduct OF every department Of life.
Are We about 20 buy food. clothing or
some other necessity Or convenience Of
life We turn to the advertisements in
the newspaper. An" We going upon ]
Journey, ar" we thinking OF undertaking
a certain enterprise, are We Interested In
bringing about 4 certain reform, are We
concerned in some danger that threatens
the community. do Nc desire Ia learn
about life and human naturc. do We
crave moral and religious instruction. do
We want to safeguard our welfare and
provide for II IN the future. are We about
to elect a President or other public Of
In all these matters and In a
hundred others We turn TO the news
the voice OF the people. the pulse
OF the life Of a great nation,
The arm Of the church. In this our
day, does not reach SO far as the arm OF
the press True, the church. as a divine
is greater 'aan the fourth
but tive point is that in our day
tho visible chuiCh does ut adequately
the invisible church. The mod
~ ~ - " A' '''lN' " community III
saints. As in the days Of Jesus. the
true saints are now often To- he found
among the "publicans and sinners" The
church no longer stands as the repre-
Of these. The press has usurped
IT. place and its functions.
So true is this that some clergymer
and !aymcn have loft or turned away
from the pulpit In order to preach thci.
doctrines through tho columns of the
newspaper. Such men realize that in
The readers OF the newspapers they can
Command a wider audience than they
could possibly hope to reach In any other
In every city, town and hamlet. in
'vcry backwoods settlement. on every
populous city street, or every lonely
by river, lake and sea, by the dusty !
and tho light of the foundry fire,
md on the wide. breezy reaches of the
men e the news and the
messages ~ the press.
Hail To this force. the great force OF
he twentieth century! Hail to this rock
# our salvation, "And whosocver shall
or this stone snail he broken but on
, homsoevcr II shall fall It will grind
to powder CHARLES Hooprr
SEATTLE. Wash. December 81.