Save our public journals from low standards touching morals and government. Deliver them from sensationalism, untruthfulness, malice, dishonest political measures, personal attacks and parade of details of crime and vice. Make them instruments of good and defenders of justice, mercy and truth. May they respect morality and honor religion, so that wisdom and knowledge may become stability of our times. Amen.1 Chaplain J.F. Sexton's prayer for press before Connecticut Senate in 1911 Introduction At American Congress of Churches in May 1885, an ecumenical gathering intended to promote discussion of the religious, moral, and social questions of time,2 topic of Tuesday evening session was Attitude of Secular Press in America Toward Religion. Speakers included writer, editor, and Episcopal clergyman Rev. Julius H. Ward of Boston and U.S. Senator Joseph Hawley, life-long editor.3 But most prominent was Rev. Washington Gladden, who attracted great audience to listen to him. Indeed, Christian Union observed, Gladden was renowned preacher with long and intimate association with which made him an intelligent interpreter of editorial opinion.4 The New York Times described Gladden's paper as a close, careful review of attitude of press generally, criticizing it sharply at times.5 Gladden later recalled that he joined in chorus of praise for press, citing religion's indebtedness to newspapers for their aid. But, too, his remarks diverted from those of other speakers in also being critical of press. And it was that criticism, he noted, that had sparked some editorializing that ranged from dissent and resentment to outright contempt. Only handful of papers actually admitted some truth to his criticism. This fact is itself significant. Is secular press, then, infallible, or does it think itself infallible? he asked. Gladden noted his critical remarks involved two topics. One was often ill-informed discussion in newspapers about matters of religion. But, Gladden recalled, his other topic of criticism touched much more sensitive spot. It included disapproval of the domination of counting-room over sanctum and the subjection of teaching function to business of money-making, both of which seemed to him statements of common knowledge hardly worth all editorial clamor they had engendered. In fact, Gladden observed, many of leading papers in country were owned by corporations or stock companies that did so for profit. doctrines, political or moral or religious, taught by their journal concern them less than annual balance sheet. ... That is paramount consideration. The newspaper business is, primarily, business.6 Gladden's criticisms went to core of his belief that economic issues did not originate outside ambit of organism known as society. He did not believe they had no connection to morals and that Christian principles should not be taken into account when considering issues of economics. Ln fact, condemnation of classical economics and unregulated competition was constant theme of growing social Christianity movement of era, and one of most important discussions of issue before 1880 was Gladden's Working People and Their Employers [1876), book historian of Social Gospel movement, Charles Howard Hopkins, observed became one of first mileposts set by American social Christianity.7 For pastor of any distinction to criticize detrimental influence secular press had on society was certainly not an unusual occurrence.8 But views of Gladden are especially indicative for two reasons. First, he was one of key founders of reform-minded and influential Social Gospel movement and tireless tractarian9 of movement before and after turn of last century that revamped Protestantism while confronting modernity, capitalism, and growing industrialization most explici? …