" THE BEST POSSIBLE INSTRUCTORS."
IN the Morning Herald of Wednesday, are two suicides recorded— the one of a boy, the other of a man ; the first had injured his uncle's horse, and the second his master's gig. The fear of cen- sure deprived these poor people of the power of calculation : they preferred settling the greatest and last account, before the trifling one immediately presented to them : the frown of a master or uncle, himself perhaps some poor creature trembling at a dun or at a neighbour's ill opinion, seemed more terrible to their bewildered apprehensions than the awful countenance of the Omnipotent. Newspapers are full of instruction : here is a text to preach from, both for masters and servants—undue severity and undue servility— vices each unworthy of men, and greatly injurious to society. They who would really read lessons to the world, ought to take a news- paper into the pulpit, and their instructions could not fail of a practical effect. The general fault of preachers is, that theyare, dreaming-of a world that never existed; -and, learningtheic dom_from. books, their advice is perfectly general, and the parts.; . c.ilartase*..em- inclividnal,escives the apprehension. News- !. vein "ineuld" be thought but irreverend things in a church ; and yt, if the good of society be the object of preaching, they might annod the best instances for. the appliCation of biblical texts. VIere is not a .question of morality which does not occur in the week's newspaper; and if they were to be made the subject of enlightened comment, the cases would have the advantage of being perfectly understood. The most touching of all sermons .are these special ones which arise out of parish accidents; but there is an odium in this—if the events of the week, as recorded in the SPECTATOR, were taken for the text, there would be all the advantage and none of the scandal of a particular case. In one single Morning Paper, the number of cases of society sus- ceptible of improvement is almost innumerable. In the very paper before us, there is the sad subject we have alluded to the cases embrace the whole circle of duties between master and servant. The case of ANNE HUNLEY, who, under the pressure of great distress, stole a piece of beef from Mr. ATKINS the butcher —here is a text on the subject of fortitude and resistance of temp-. tation in the moment of distress, besides the occasion for giving sound practical advice in the emergency. There is the abominable case of Mr. CARMICHAEL SMYTH, his alleged treatment of his wife, their dreadful quarrels, their miserable home, and ultimately their exhibition in public about a chaldron of coals. Domestic happiness is an art, whatever people may say about temper, good and bad ; and it ought to be taught—what better place thr teach- ing than the pulpit ? The law reports would show how disputes might be avoided, and the folly of litigation. The very advertise- ments, indicative as they are of all kinds of wants, and of endless ingenuity in supplying them, would in their turn afford ample food for inquiry and tuition. The newspaper may be thought but an odd wade-mecum for a clergyman ; but we do not see why, if the newspaper is to be read at all on Sunday, it might not be as well made the vehicle of instruction as not.
Next week, if we can find room, and we are in the humour, we will give a specimen of what we mean, by taking for our text the most uninviting part of a newspaper, the column headed " WANT PLACES," and show the improvability of the Newspaper.
The Newspaper is usually considered a profane thing, like a pack of carts : but this is the remains of an old prejudice, con- nected with the history and abuse of these journals of society : they are in themselves no more profane than the History of Eng- land. This is not to say that there are no profane newspapers.
Previous page
