St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-02-07
Minister'S York.
BY REV. w. L. GAGE.

tiers into the work oil Clergy inan. Anu
inasmuch as great error prevails in this
matter, and out of this error great prac-
teal evils and Misunderstanding arise
it is perhaps worth while that one who j.
50 situated as to know the facts, and YET
to tell them without mourning the charge
Of clarifying his own profession, should
let a little light into ths public mind
touching Ministers Work. We can
speak personally in this matter from ex
pcrience, vel for mora than four years
the hand of sickness has made the pulp
less than the pew our home.
The minister writes during the year
an amount of matter, which, were il
printed would make u goodly row of vol
which he puts into what lie writes, l.
quite equal, and in fact superior, to thai
BESTOWED on the larger portion of the
books and magazines which are printed,
while in nervous force, sermons cost
much more than do published works.
But not TO press this point, which it were
difficult to prove, it is an easy matter
tor person to verify the fact, that the
number Of pages written yearly for the
pulpit, by every hard working minister,
who is pouring out fresh sermons, is
equal TO the work done by the most pro-
Life authors of our time. Eight sermons
it printed, would make an ordinary sized
luodccimC dollar and half volume, and
vacation 10y preparatory lecture,) would
make almost thirteen volumes. Now
make any reasonable allowance for ex-
changes and the repetition of sermons,
and there still remains goodly row of
books, longer than is published by the
most prolific authors, excepting our pop
ular novcli>ts, and hardly excepting any
Of these save Miss Braddun and her
-chool. No editor writes more than
this few so much. No Magazinist
writes more that this almost none So
much. As an author, the active clergy
man take place among the most prolific
of his time. A. an author he does on
mans hard work.
Bat this is only part. The number
Of calls made by an active pastor yearly,
Ranges from five TO fifteen hundred. These
cost about as much time, and sympathy,
and thought as the average call of ply
stefan. Were they charged for, as are
the calls of Il physician, they would yield
Il good living. While they do not equal
in number the Wits of - physician in 4
first class practice, and while they do
not often take the minister at Indictment
seasons and at late hours, they yet pur-
sue him with Il haunting sense of incom
''Citti WI anu III many NslSCN hi''
amount to a list equal to 4 fair medical
practice. There arc scores of physicians
who would count themselves happy, it
charging fifteen hundred visits during u
year. Many do much more than this :;
out what want TO make out is this, that
In addition to the work of Il volumn"u>
author, the minister does the work of :,
ply sician in fair practice. There are two
Lens work.
Next is the advice which a clergyman
has to give. If there is anything TO be
,sk cd and answered about schools and IL
braries, about lectures and newspapers,
bout books and pictures, if widow
wants counsel. or father to know where
to send his son to college, or young
man 10 ask about going to the city, il
there is any town work to be done, or
general reform to be attended to, OF
>pcechmaking to be effected, if anybody
else is going to put down anything bad
if there is 10 be any advising, counsellng,
planning, maxi: 9 or unmakinG, III,
minister is called in. Everybody feel
the right to 90 to him, and everybody
avaiis himself freely of the right. No
body out of the secret has any concep-
ton of this part of a ministers work.
1t not unfrcquenily involves the writing
If more than Il thousand letters 4 year.
5 id one of our most prominent clergy
men TO me, ii i not sermons that Il real
10 kill Inc, il is the answering of letters
The amount of this general advice, ant
general outSiHe ,r0r& which is done by al
efficient, live, Woodworking minister, i:
nearly or quite equal TO that done by a
lawyer with fair practice. This i
-aid knowingly. coollv, and with Il srnst
of perfect certainty. That makes IL third
mans work.
Now if 10 this he added the funeral,
to be attended, the marriages TO be cele-
brated, the reports TO be written, the
newspapers to be read, and the books t,
he studied, the associations to be partici
pated in, the newspaper articles to bt
prepared, not to speak of the hotel to b,
kept, (for most ministers keep a hotel,
and you have the work of a lazy man
IN addition to that of the three able bod
led cncs mentioned To sum it up then
Il minister who does the full work tina