The Outlook by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Dec 2, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 47.

The Outlook

By Editor

“I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look forth to see what He will speak with me.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

It would naturally be supposed that ministers of the Gospel would be most interested in that which would directly help them in their legitimate work, that of preaching the Gospel. It would be also a natural supposition that a popular publishing company would know what would interest ministers most.

With these two suppositions in mind we may be interested to consider what inducements the publishers of a popular magazine lay before ministers to induce them to become subscribers, or at the least purchase the November issue of the magazine in question. Here are the inducements quoted from an advance circular:—

“This November number contains an article on Hallam Tennyson's biography of the great poet, his father, clearly the book of the month—a book whose high price places it out of the reach of most clergymen. But every reading man will wish to have a clear presentation of the content of such a notable biography. An account also appears of the free organ recitals that have been given with such marked success in Boston—a very suggestive article for yourself; and another musical feature is an excellently illustrated account of the Bayreuth plays, by a visitor who carefully studied them during the last season, with pictures showing the scenery characteristic of these Bayreuth performances. More important contributions appear in a well-illustrated series of notes on the late premier of Spain, Canovas, together with a further essay by Mr. Stephen Bonsal on Sagasta and the general political situation in that country; in a long, thoroughly-illustrated article by Carl Snyder on the great ship canal about to be opened from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic, and in a character sketch of Henry George by Arthur McEwen.”

We do not note this to criticise the publishers of the magazine in question. They doubtless believe that this is a good business proposition, and that it will take well with clergymen, and therefore it is put forth in all seriousness. Yet it would seem like satire, especially in view of the fact that the magazine in question contains so much other matter of interest

and profit, in fact, a fairly good review of the political world. But, turning aside from these, the publishers present the review of a life of a popular, but by no means evangelical poet, some organ recitals, certain plays, notes on Canovas and Sagasta, article on a ship canal, and a sketch of Henry George, most of which are matters of ordinary interest, and which have been sufficiently treated in newspapers. Of what earthly value can a special study of these things be to a minister in his work of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation of souls.

What does such an offer mean?—It means that, in the view of these shrewd, observing business men, the professed ministers of Christ are especially interested in “current topics,” in poetry, politics, art, and the drama. And does not much of the preaching of the day reveal that the Gospel of God, the words of Jesus Christ, in which is the wisdom of the ages, is, on the part of many, a secondary matter of study, an incidental consideration? If the Word, the Gospel, Christ Jesus, alone was generally preached, it is safe to say that no magazine publishers would ever present such inducements to beguile the clergy to subscribe for their publication.