Do you Pay for a Religious Newspaper?
By Nevins
I was going to ask the question in another form. “Do you read a religious newspaper?” but then I reflected that many read a religious newspaper who do not themselves subscribe for one, they being in the habit of borrowing from their neighbors, and after sending and respectfully soliciting the loan of the paper before the family have read it, they not unfrequently keep it a length of time greater than the golden rule will exactly justify. Then I had like to have thrown the question into this shape: “Do you subscribe for a religious newspaper?” but it struck me all at once, that some subscribe for a paper, but do not pay for it. I have heard this complaint made, and I have no doubt there is foundation enough for it. I, for my part, would advise such persons to take a moral newspaper, if they can find such a thing. That is the sort of paper they require. A religious newspaper is quite too far advanced for them. I don’t know, and cannot conceive why these non-payers want to read a religious newspaper. I should suppose they would be satisfied with secular newspapers. I can imagine that they may desire, notwithstanding their delinquency, to know what is going on in the world, but why they should care to know how things go in the church, I cannot conjecture. What do those who do not give anything for value received, want to know about revivals, missions, &c.? Here are persons who would starve editors, publishers, printers, and paper-makers—the whole concern—into a premature grave!—who say, “Send me your paper,” implying of course that they will send the money in return, yet never send it; and yet they want to know all about the progress that is making in converting souls to God, and what is doing among the heathen. Is not this strange, that having never learned as yet to practice the first and easiest lesson of honesty, they should wish to read everything about godliness and vital piety? So I concluded to head the article “Do you pay for a religious newspaper?” Do you, reader? If you do, continue to take and read, and pay for it; and be slow to withdraw your subscription. Give up many things before you give up your religious newspaper. If any one that ought to take such a paper, does not, I hope that some one to whom the circumstance is known, will volunteer the loan of this to him, directing his attention particularly to this article. Who is he? A professor of religion? It cannot be. A professor of religion and not taking a religious newspaper! A member of the visible church, and voluntarily without the means of information as to what is going on in that church! A follower of Christ, praying daily, as taught by his Master, “Thy kingdom come,” and yet not knowing, nor caring to know, what progress that kingdom is making! Here is one of those to whom Christ said, “Go, teach all nations;” he bears a part of the responsibility of their conversion, and yet, so far from doing any thing himself, he does not even know what others are doing in promoting this great enterprise; Ask him about missionary stations and operations, and he can tell you nothing. He does not read about them. I am afraid this professor of religion does not love “the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.” Ah, he forgets thee, O Jerusalem! But I must not fail to ask if this person takes a secular newspaper. Oh, certainly he does. He must know what is going on in the world; and how else is he to know it? It is pretty clear then that he takes a deeper interest in the world than he does in the church; and this being the case, it is not difficult to say where his heart is. He pays perhaps eight or ten dollars for a secular paper—a paper that tells him about the world, but for one that records Zion’s conflicts and victories, he is unwilling to pay two or three! How can a professor of religion answer for this discrimination in favor of the world? how defend himself against the charge it involves? He cannot do it; and he had better not try, but go or write immediately, and subscribe for some good religious paper; and to be certain of paying for it, let him pay “in advance.” There is a satisfaction when one is reading an interesting paper, to reflect that it is paid for. But perhaps you take a paper, and are in arrears for it. Now suppose you was the publisher, and the publisher was one of your subscribers, and he was in arrears to you, what would you think he ought to do in that case? I just ask the question. I don’t care about an answer.—Nevins.