THE PRESS AND POLITICS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 218, 14 September 1880, Page 4

THE PRESS AND POLITICS.

Tnsßev. Mr Waters, Minister of Burghead, Moray ßhire, now in the 88 th jear of bis age and the 54th of his mm. istry, is reported iv the " Mpray "\|Ve v kly Xtfews" to have said to the compiler of his biography, as follows : — , " If scepticism be on the increase, the blame, I do not think, rests on the teaching from the Church pulpils, but on what is transmitted from the colleges, and especially on what comes through the press, to be public. It is just the like of you gentleman of the press that do the evil. The British press in its present state is not to be trusted. The press is a great influence for good and for evil, but after all the platform and the pulpit will carry the day ( in spite of the press* Those woeful politics ! My politics are different from you all. I just think aB little of the Tories as of the "Whigs, and as little of Whigs as of the Tories. I have no confidence in Lord Beaconsfield, and 1 have just as little in Mr. Gladstone, but I have a great regard, I hope, for the truth, and for the Bible. Get godly men into Parliament. There is no rule laid down in electing memberß to Parliament, but there was given, as far, back as the days of Moses, th© command to chose men fearing God and hating covetousness. When Moses elected 70 men by the advice of his father-iu'-law, he did not say one word about Whigs or Tories, but got the most godly men that could be foundmen fearing God and hating covetousneep. And so if Mr Gladstone goesin I will just pray for him as I prayed for Lord Beaconsfield— -that God would guide him and keep him, and if he is not enabled to do much good.he "will be kept from doing, evil The evil of the Tories, was, I think that they were doing nothing at all, and the evil of the Whigs is that there is a great difficulty m keeping them from doing eyil. 1 may also say that Mr- Gladstone has sown a great deal of tares among it. ; I hope the Lord will guide both. '''■ Poll tics eat np men as locusts do crops. When men give way to politics it so devours them that not one godly sentiment is left in their hearts."