Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1871-02-11

THE "LOOAL."
SAN Francisco, Feb. 10, 1871.
Why the people of San Francisco
should take such q sudden interest In
the temporal affairs of the Rev. DR..
Scudder Is not exactly evident, but
certain it Is that since the announce
ment of his intention to relinquish the
pastorate Of the Howard street Pres
byterian Church, an unusual curiosity
has been manifested respecting the
reverend gentleman's future move
ments, and the reasons he would give
for severIng his connection from a six
thousand dollars salary to accept a
charge of no higher value. Evil-mind-
ed persons, amongst whom may be
classed your correspondent, asserted,
when the Doctors departure was first
mooted, that the call to a wider sphere
Of usefulness meant the offer of a larger
salary, for the terms have so long been
synonymous that the former express
sion has lost its original significance ;
but In this particular case the said evil
minded individuals proved to be ut
terly at fault, as, according to the Doc
tors statement last night, his only
reasons for leaving the city are o.
A Lack Of Sermons and Nasal Ca
tarrh. r..y
Instead of'iaving n stock of from
seven to fifteen hundred religious dis
courses on hand, which 1t seems is the
average stock In trade of a working
clergyman, DIR. Scudder says he ar
rived In California with only forty
five, and the task of preparing two
fresh doses Of theology every week for
his congregation during the past five
years has nearly broken him down.
Therefore lie goes to Brooklyn in order
that he may have the opportunity OF
preaching his old sermons over again,
and thus obtain q much needed mental
rest. Now here Is a hint for the unem-
ployed literary talent of the coast.
In London sermons are regularly writ
ten to order for about five dollars each,
or they can be procured, Autographed
| to resemble manuscript, for much less.
Why should not the same thing be
done here? It can require no moro
| ability to compound a theological OPT
ate than a dose of editorial or an Aitaic
continued story, or a soporlfio poem of
Golden Guy oaliher. Let the ambitious
genius of the coast cease sending its
6nin-work to the literary weeklies
and turn Its attention to sermon max
Ing. How often, ladies and gentle
men, have your initials appeared
among the rejected contributors, and
when accepted, how much have you
received for your labors? If You had
only devoted the same time and earn
estness to the composition of a good,
solid, orthodox discourse on "Regen-
Grafton" or "Infant Damnation,"
on some other equally profound and
charitable tenet of the Presbyterian
faith, the overworked DIR. Scudder,
Frustrated by too much sermon writ
Ing, would undoubtedly have paid you
we'll for 1t, and you would have had
the treble satisfaction Of making coin,
saving sinners, and easing the strain
on the reverend gentleman's mental
faculties. This revelation Of DR.. Scud-
der's ought not to be lightly passed
over. All exhaustive inquiry should
ut once be held into the condition Of
Our Ovorwsrked Clergy.
It Is sud to think that while the sec
ular preacher, who delivers his SER
mons from the editors room through
the daily newspaper, is leading a kind
Of butterfly existence, working only
ten or twelve hours n day for six or
seven days in a week, with a certain
holiday OH the Fourth Of July and
Christmas Day, the religious preacher
Is wearing himself out body and mind
by the terrible task of having to put
together q collection Of extracts on the
divine doctrines from the works Of Jer-
envy Taylor, Bishop Berkeley, and other
deceased lights of the Church, once or
twice each week for ten months In the
year. 1t Is deplorable to reflect that
while the dramatic preacher learns and
repeats his sermons from the stage ev-
cry night for months together, and has
nothing to do all day except to attend
rehearsal and pass bis time just as he
lists, his brother Of the pulpit should
be falling down on the roadside from
too much labor. Think Of the Rev.
DR.. Stone so wearing himself away by
the attrition of one discourse every
Sunday. night that he had to take a trip
East to recuperats of DR.. Cox, re-
Gently obliged to take a four months
vacation from the same cause; and of
Bishop Kip, so Frustrated that he had
to stop the evening service at Grace
Church last December and content his
parishioners with morning service
only. The subject Is n that ought
to receive Immediate consideration.
Only when they drop on the way, like
the Rev. DR.. Scudder, does the world
ever hear of the noble sacrifices
our pastors are making. The rest of
the time they 60 about their duties
with calm countenances and draw their
salaries with sublime resignation and
regularity, and though exhausted with
hard work and the onerous nature Of
their duties, not a word Of complaint
ever escapes their lips, nor q look of
reproach ever testifies that their noble
intellects are strained almost to break
ing.
if not the most popular, Is certainly
the most talked-about of all our clergy.
He is essentially a sensational preach
err, and until his announcement last
night, l was always under the impress
sion that his discoursss were i'm
promptu. l have never e him use
a manuscript sermon, and from his
ready delivery, should not have
thought he would have found 1t requi-
site. He Is a remarkable iman't look
at-a man that once seen is not easily
forgotten. Tall and thin, with an an
gular yet supple frame, an open, earn
est face, bronzed to the color Of maho-
gony, large penetrating eyes, generally
spectacled, thin gray hair, and head
always covered with a kind Of skull