The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-11-02
I10Sp1TALITY TO CLERGYMEM.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 2, 1867.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 2, 1867.
TO me Bcfisor orGte BUsnfn0 Teie0raph;-
A clergyman whose private circumstances
,,revent him from the unpleasant necessity OF
receiving the hospitality Of strangers, asks the
use Of vour columns for . brief reply 10 your
ortiole of last Monday. have no defense to
make OF the discourtesy of which you complain.
I deny however, that It is in any respect
: lerfcaL A gentleman is such, whether his coat
he black or blue; and the reverse. But wish
to correct the mistakes Of your account OF the
letter which you can see by applying at the
ofHce, the author did not speak from his own
eIneTience He had only "neard" that "Phi-
iadeiphia hospitality is not very attractive;"
and ne asks, on that account, that his friend
sSoSse;S S nor does he say one word OF his ex.
nenses being paid by Others, which is the main
Point of your charge against him.
But i wish to remark upon your general
assault upon the Clergy for receiving hospitality
from stran gers ana raenna,maaag1 1t; The ave-
nal Church in Pennsylvania Is below $500. 10
Is Of country clergymen you speak. They are
the unfortunates Tor whom hospitality is de.
sndnded. You probably bave some idea of their
average families; and as you are living in the
usual way, you can form some faint notion of
how much money minister with $780, and a
wife and iOur children, can spare TO pay bill
for q weeks lodging at the Continental. 1t is
very well to talk OF paying our own expenses
when we have money, but how, II we
wear threadbare coats and empty pockets-if
we are educated gentlemen, set apart by the re-
speCt of the community tor holy service, to
whom to dig or to steal is i'm possi6leP But Won
say their CONGREGATIONS should pay for them.
/ need only ask If it be likely that a congre-
cation which is unable to give minister more
Than $500 ann ually, should be prepared to pay
the cost of his visit to the city, at the present
rates?
There remains then only your other sugges.
tiOn-Let him stay at heme But suppose he
cannot do so; that IL is his duty to 90 to the
city Every Church req uires its clergy TO attend
its Conventions They are not only bound TO
minister In their parishes, but of necessity to-
attend to the general conVoCaLions held for the
interests of religion at large. Therefore, with
hearts burning within them at the unkindness
with which they are often received, they are
forced to come, and submit to the unwilling
hospitality which opens its doors to them.
The clergy are an earnest, faithful, selfdeny-
ing body of men, whose lives are their own JUS
uhcation. With the talents and learning
which they possess, they might earn for them
selves abundant rewards in the fields which
are open to all other men. They willingly cut
themselves of from these opportunities; and
though they be men whom seats of learning
delight to honor, are content with pay ment less
than is given to q common handioraftsman.
They give this service IN obedience to what they
confidence that the community for whom they
spend themselves Will take care of what
they shall eat and what they shall
drink In obedience also TO Divine command,
And IT is the btterest addltiol which is laid
upon the shoulders Of these men, that after de-
prtviDg themselves of the means of support for
the good of others, they should be regarded as
The doors of those whom they have benefited
as II they asked for that for which they made
no return. Happily, the cases in which hospi-
banty is thus refused are as few as the cases q
which 1t is demanded. A kndlier spirit is
found to prevail on both sides. MASON,