recent complications in my business affairs outside of my paper I have been obliged to lose a large part of my fortune.  I had to apply the same rule of Jesus’ probable conduct to certain transactions with other men who did not apply it to their conduct, and the result has been the loss of a great deal of money.  As I understand the promise we made, we were not to ask any question about ‘Will it pay?’ but all our action was to be based on the one question, ’What would Jesus do?’ Acting on that rule of conduct, I have been obliged to lose nearly all the money I have accumulated in my paper.  It is not necessary for me to go into details.  There is no question with me now, after the three weeks’ experience I have had, that a great many men would lose vast sums of money under the present system of business if this rule of Jesus was honestly applied.  I mention my loss here because I have the fullest faith in the final success of a daily paper conducted on the lines I have recently laid down, and I had planned to put into it my entire fortune in order to win final success.  As it is now, unless, as I said, the Christian people of Raymond, the church members and professing disciples, will support the paper with subscriptions and advertisements, I cannot continue its publication on the present basis.”

Virginia asked a question.  She had followed Mr. Norman’s confession with the most intense eagerness.

“Do you mean that a Christian daily ought to be endowed with a large sum like a Christian college in order to make it pay?”

“That is exactly what I mean.  I had laid out plans for putting into the news such a variety of material in such a strong and truly interesting way that it would more than make up for whatever was absent from its columns in the way of un-Christian matter.  But my plans called for a very large output of money.  I am very confident that a Christian daily such as Jesus would approve, containing only what He would print, can be made to succeed financially if it is planned on the right lines.  But it will take a large sum of money to work out the plans.”

“How much, do you think?” asked Virginia quietly.

Edward Norman looked at her keenly, and his face flushed a moment as an idea of her purpose crossed his mind.  He had known her when she was a little girl in the Sunday-school, and he had been on intimate business relations with her father.

“I should say half a million dollars in a town like Raymond could be well spent in the establishment of a paper such as we have in mind,” he answered.  His voice trembled a little.  The keen look on his grizzled face flashed out with a stern but thoroughly Christian anticipation of great achievements in the world of newspaper life, as it had opened up to him within the last few seconds.

“Then,” said Virginia, speaking as if the thought was fully considered, “I am ready to put that amount of money into the paper on the one condition, of course, that it be carried on as it has been begun.”