necticut to fill a very honorable place in the group of historic "Commonwealths," so admirably treated in this series, is in itself no unworthy memorial of what is most noble in the past history of the state and no small source of inspiration for

its future prosperity.

JOHN ADDISON PORTER.

VOL. XI.

13

ARTICLE III.-A CHRISTIAN DAILY PAPER.

DAILY, except Sundays! A Christian daily rather than a religious daily. We have excellent religious papers, denominational and undenominational. They have a distinct sphere and mission. They do not need to be dailies, for their work is best done by the weekly issues. What is needed is a Christian daily, and there is a fundamental difference between this and the religious paper. The latter aims to set forth religious truth. It gives information, to be sure; it deals in poetry and fiction; it discusses social problems; but its main aim is either the propagation of general religious truth, or the support of some denominational organization, or both. It is not at all necessary for the present purpose to seek to determine whether its sphere is broader or narrower than that of a really Christian daily. It is enough that it is different.

Now this Christian daily ought to give its picture of the daily doings of the world as those doings appear from the Christian point of view. I would not go to this ideal daily for Scripture selections to use in closet devotions. I can get these better in the Bible itself, or in the specially prepared books of devotion. I am supposed to have had my portion of "daily food" before I open the morning newspaper. There are other objects in view in perusing its columns. It was, I believe, the late Dr. Brainerd, of Philadelphia, a great reader of newspapers, who used to say as he opened his morning journal: "Now I will see how God is governing his world." If he could say this of the ordinary paper, much more will it be true of the Christian daily; for while the great body of facts to be recorded is essentially the same for all, the point of view, the perspective and proportion, the explanation will be different.

This ideal Christian daily will be really a news-paper. It will tell the story of the world's happenings during the twentyfour hours with fullness at least equal to that of its compeers. If it is to occupy the rank that is proposed for it, it must do

this. People want information. We are growing in this country strangely like the ancient Athenians who spent their time in nothing else "but either to hear or to tell some new thing." So this ideal paper will have its news gatherers abroad. It will be a reporter; at any rate the work of the reporter will be the basis of the work of the editor.

Of course the question at once arises, and it is a fundamental one, what is news? At least what sort of news is worth the telling? Events are continually occurring about the telling of which, and perhaps with detail, there is no question. Of these matters-different every day, but always important—every one ought to know, the larger number want to know. Concerning these important things, in our own country and abroad, this Christian daily ought to aim to set forth the exact truth, as nearly as painstaking search can obtain it.

But there are other matters which are in doubt, for it is obvious that no paper can undertake to publish everything. Limitations of space, if nothing else, compel some form of discrimination. Leaving details, however, to be determined in accordance with practical experience, it would seem to be a good general principle to aim at the inclusion of a large range of occurrences, not trivialities, but whatever seems of real importance. This would include reports of crimes; but it need not include the details; nor need it be that elaborate telling of the story that shall pander to a morbid curiosity or stir and feed a prurient imagination. Such records need not be conspicuous; on the contrary they should be where they will attract least attention. Nor need they occupy much space. But these things are facts-grim and unpleasant, to be surebut still facts in the world's history, and therefore they should be recorded. Otherwise we would be in danger of underestimating the evil that is in the world, and as a consequence would be by so much unfitted to meet that evil.

When we pass, however, from this region of facts, even though the facts are often unpleasant, and come to the things that employ the attention of the sporting world; we are, so to speak, among artificial happenings. For these things, certainly beyond the barest statement of their occurrence, let the sporting world turn to its own records.

The same general principle should govern in regard to dramatic events. Let the dramatic world find the record of the things it wants to know in other places than in the columns of the Christian daily. Yet there might be cases where dramatic criticism or even description would be in order. This is a vastly different thing, however, from theatrical gossip or the scandal of the green-room.

In a word then, the ideal Christian daily would be abreast of the foremost of its compeers as a gatherer of news worth the telling. Indeed it would lead them in this particular, for its perspective would be better. It would find many things to record which the ordinary daily ignores, or to which it gives but the most meagre space. It would have the sources of information common to all the papers, and it would have its private agents in different parts of our own and of foreign lands. It would spare no wise expense to present its readers with a clear and accurate transcript of what is occurring in all the nations of the world. It would emphasize many thingsmatters of religious interest, church doings, philanthropic effort, etc.-which the ordinary papers ignore or put into an obscure and narrow corner.

It would be mainly in its editorial department that the Christian character of this ideal daily would be manifest. Even here it would not be blazoned, but simply so inwrought into the nature that it could not be ignored. The true Christian man finds occasions when it becomes him to make confession of his faith, but in general he does not need to be constantly proclaiming the fact that he is a Christian. His actions, the tone of his conversation, his whole life, ought to indicate that fact; but he ought not to sound a trumpet before him as the hypocrites do, when he prays, or when he gives alms, or in any other transactions of his life. So there ought to be no need for this ideal daily to keep asserting its Christian character and aims. That would be simply to disgust men, and to lead them to suspect the real character of the journal.

In this ideal paper, taking its key from the editorial department, the whole tone should be Christian. Everything should be looked at from a Christian point of view. The object of the ordinary paper is to make money. That is the paramount

consideration to which everything else must yield. So much of morality as can be afforded consistently with this will be welcome. The tone will be as high as pecuniary interest will permit, but money first, is the rule. In too many cases, as a distinguished journalist lately charged upon the London papers in connection with a notorious scandal, "the counting-house has become the editorial-room." Hence even when there is no conscious perversion of truth, there must of necessity be an unconscious coloring, a subtle force at work determining the way in which a matter shall be presented, and the way in which a thing is put often makes all the difference in the world. Money blinds the eyes. It does not take a large coin, if held close enough, to shut out the sight of the sun.

In even the best of our dailies, as things are now, there is too often the sneer, more or less open, at religion. Orthodoxy is at a discount. Every point possible is made against evangelicalism. When, as sometimes happens, these things are not possible, there is a patronizing tone adopted-the journal from its lofty height condescends to speak in supercilious praise of the little that merits its approbation.

As is natural, moreover, the ordinary daily does not recognize, as they ought to be recognized, the Christian forces that are at work in the world. Its discussions are of things that too often are really of secondary importance. Presbyterian General Assembly, Congregational Council, Methodist Conference, Episcopal Convention, will receive but scant attention, unless perchance there is some unorthodox movement on foot, or something occurs against which the world's laugh can be leveled.

A Christian daily, however, would give their due prominence to movements in the religious world, and so doing, would impress upon the community their importance. Men in general need to know that Christ's church is at work in a multitude of ways. They ought to have the columns of their daily paper give them information of this character and interpret its meaning, instead of leading them to think that life is little else than a series of crimes, made more lurid by accidents or relieved a little by sports and play-house performances. The Christian tone of the ideal daily would insure a better propor