The Messenger's Policy

It shall be our earnest endeavors to make this paper clean, cultured and Christian. We hope to keep from our columns all uncalled-for thrusts at other people, all slang phrases and every manner of production that is untrue to the spirit of Christ and to the standards of pure speech.

The MESSENGER shall essay to represent, not a partial, but the whole truth. It shall ride no hobbies. Its columns shall be free from personal attacks. The day for constant, nagging and personal pugilism in the religious paper, did it ever properly exist, has happily passed away. Papers that keep up this style of journalism are a stench in the land, a source of strife and bitterness and promoters of far more evil than of good.

The MESSENGER shall be a staunch and uncompromising advocate of our co-operative work, by which our forces are united to preach the gospel to the state, the nation and the whole earth. We have no time to quarrel with a few who oppose a rational and systematic concert of action among disciples of Christ. Ours is to do and leave results with Him who alone is judge and who holds us responsible for the evangelization of all the world. “To the work, to the work, we are servants of God.” W.

--“The Messenger’s Policy”, The Gospel Messenger, December 3, 1897, p. 5.

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It seems ‘W.’ is J. M. Watson, the new editor. Harmon and Spiegel are now Associate Editors. The paper is still published in Nashville though the editorial control has shifted.