THE PRESS AS A RELIGIOUS AGENCY 353 



or no interest in any part of the Christian world or of any religious 

 communion excepting their own. With the exception of a little 

 general news clipped from secular papers, without comparison 

 or authentication, and information about their own body, and 

 feeble editorials upon general topics, and more hysterical than 

 vigorous discussion in controversial issues, they cater to the tastes 

 of the most near-sighted of their constituents. Many of this 

 class of papers are unknown to the general public. Only a classi- 

 fied list of the newspapers of the United States will reveal the 

 number of them, and when specimen copies are secured it would 

 seem that the dates might safely be changed and the year 1804 

 substituted for 1904. The second class, the largest and best 

 supported, are denominational papers that regard themselves as 

 peculiarly representative of the communion to which the editors 

 and publishers belong, but at the same time display a deep interest 

 in Christianity and its progress. They are generally edited in the 

 spirit of amity and comity. Only an attack upon their distinctive 

 denominational beliefs or usages will arouse them to controversy. 

 The total of the circulation of these papers is vast. Some of them 

 are edited with ability which commands respect, with a versa- 

 tility which perpetuates interest, and with a spirit which supports 

 the work of every priest, parson, or minister and of every interested 

 layman in the circle of their readers. While they have to compete 

 with the daily press and with small sheets whose limited subscrip- 

 tion price is perhaps an exaggerated equivalent for their value, they 

 are well supported, and in some cases all their profits are devoted to 

 the direct promotion of religion and philanthropy. 



By their means the philanthropic enterprises of Christian 

 churches are placed before those who are able to contribute to 

 their support; by their means philanthropic institutions have been 

 established; and especially do they aid in the initiation and pro- 

 motion of great educational enterprises. Also they stimulate 

 special religious awakenings. One of their most useful functions 

 is the maintaining of denominational traditions in families. 



They furnish a forum for discussion, and unless in sympathy 

 with them they counter- work the machinations of ambitious 

 hierarchs and false teachers. 



The third class consists of undenominational religious papers, 

 and this class also must be subdivided into those really devoted 

 to the promotion of Christian primarily, and incidentally general 

 purveyors of news and literary criticism; those which have only 

 a flavor of religion and in other respects resemble literary maga- 

 zines; and those which have rather less Christian aroma and savor 

 than ordinary magazines. Some of the last named have undergone 

 a change. Formerly they were intended for religious papers; but 



