“I called you in here to let you know my further plans for the news.  I propose certain changes which I believe are necessary.  I understand very well that some things I have already done are regarded by the men as very strange.  I wish to state my motive in doing what I have done.”

Here he told the men what he had already told Clark, and they stared as Clark had done, and looked as painfully conscious.

“Now, in acting on this standard of conduct I have reached a conclusion which will, no doubt, cause some surprise.

“I have decided that the Sunday morning edition of the news shall be discontinued after next Sunday’s issue.  I shall state in that issue my reasons for discontinuing.  In order to make up to the subscribers the amount of reading matter they may suppose themselves entitled to, we can issue a double number on Saturday, as is done by many evening papers that make no attempt at a Sunday edition.  I am convinced that from a Christian point of view more harm than good has been done by our Sunday morning paper.  I do not believe that Jesus would be responsible for it if He were in my place today.  It will occasion some trouble to arrange the details caused by this change with the advertisers and subscribers.  That is for me to look after.  The change itself is one that will take place.  So far as I can see, the loss will fall on myself.  Neither the reporters nor the pressmen need make any particular changes in their plans.”

He looked around the room and no one spoke.  He was struck for the first time in his life with the fact that in all the years of his newspaper life he had never had the force of the paper together in this way.  Would Jesus do that?  That is, would He probably run a newspaper on some loving family plan, where editors, reporters, pressmen and all meet to discuss and devise and plan for the making of a paper that should have in view—­

He caught himself drawing almost away from the facts of typographical unions and office rules and reporters’ enterprise and all the cold, businesslike methods that make a great daily successful.  But still the vague picture that came up in the mailing room would not fade away when he had gone into his office and the men had gone back to their places with wonder in their looks and questions of all sorts on their tongues as they talked over the editor’s remarkable actions.

Clark came in and had a long, serious talk with his chief.  He was thoroughly roused, and his protest almost reached the point of resigning his place.  Norman guarded himself carefully.  Every minute of the interview was painful to him, but he felt more than ever the necessity of doing the Christ-like thing.  Clark was a very valuable man.  It would be difficult to fill his place.  But he was not able to give any reasons for continuing the Sunday paper that answered the question, “What would Jesus do?” by letting Jesus print that edition.