Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-06-21
SAYS newspapers
PREACH the GOSPEL
Illuminating ADDRESS on Relation
Of Press and Pulpit Is Given
BY Rev. Smith
(By Associated Press)

! Vii lSlIdl CIluTCIleS, NeV. L.
Brabner Smith, of Chicago, of the
division of publicity, Committee
on Conservation and Advance of
the Boards of Benevolence of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, told
the convention of the Associated
Advertising Clubs of the World
here today. He declared that
there should be fund in every
church for publicity purposes and
that the church should buy space
IN the daily papers and announce
| its services to the community
with the same energy with which
( the business man advertises his
! stock.
in seven years active cooper
alton with the secular press we
have found the press of America
sound to the core" said Rev. Mr..
Smith. There is no controlled
American press. Either by any
particular church or by any par
ticular business. It is ridicu-
!! lous to say that any certain de-
nomination controls the Ameri-
can press.
Many of the leading newspa-
pers both editorially and in their
news columns, are at present
preaching the gospel as clearly as
it is being preached in any pulpit.
There are editorials which con-
vince us that many of the editors
are prophets, and some Of them
with a prophetic vision which out
classes many of the preachers in
the modern pulpits. This is a
true and faithful saying
Editors could we'll afford to |
give more space for news and
churches could we'll afford toI
spend more money for advertis-
ing the church in the papers. The
value of the church to society is
of great publicity value. Rogerl
Babson has asked the question,
Surprising we had no sons Of
preachers p Preachers sons were
once called the worst brats in
the parish but Roger Babson dis
covered that out of 100 leaders in
America thirty came from the
homes of poor country preachers.
Churches cooperate with
newspapers in order to secure
first hand information and to
study advertising. The Metho-
dist ministers of New York are
planning a six weeks course in
church advertising, taught by
Ne wYork advertising men. mi
this way the ministers and lay
men will obtain the services Of
expert advertising men and they
will also give them some va1ua-
bic information regarding the s;
cessful art of advertising. /,
"Rev. Oliver Kene has been pasl
tor of the Methodist church at
Kearney, Neb., for four years and
in that time he has quadrupled
the membership. How did he
do it by Advertising he says. i
Among the preachers who are
buying space in the newspapers
is an eminent Methodist clergy-
man in Detroit, Mich. He began
his pastorate with a small congre
CATION and also with. the outlay
Of $500 for advertising. With |
persistent advertising and 'deliv-
ering the goods when people
came to church he has now con-
gregation which overfcws the
church; the increase in loose col
lections pays for the advertising,
and there's money left for other
church purposes.
''In the New Testament wei
read of one man, Zaccilaeus, who
could not see Christ because of
the press meaning of course, |
the press of the crowd. This in-I
cident is constantly quoted byl
many church men. I
Editors and newspapers, like
preachers and churches, are held
accountable for their utterances1
by their auditors. The BibleI
says they have their reward.'l
This often comes when tlel
preacher ceases to move his con-
gregation to action by his incon-
sistency or his lack of zeal for thei
the highest good and he becomes
"a sounding brass or tinkling
cymbal.' This applies just as
forcibly to the editors and the
newspapers. There are many
newspapers widely read by per-
sons who read them for other pur
poses than to accept their leader
ship,
"The constant sense1ess criti-
ism of the pulpit or the press is
harmful, but constructive criti-
cisfn and cooperation of the
church with the newspaper means
tremendous power of uplift I'M
any community.
ff,17 he f1t1ac4ins1 s'3-iSee y0l1af &c /