The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-08-06
Presbyterian Deacons.

ANCW OIAo&Suo Il SSoOysOs sss''t Ss'e'~
men of that fraternity are ooncocting o
scheme which is essentially unfair. They
propose dividing the duties of the preacher
into two portions, defamation and work,
of which the former is to be retained by
the parson and the latter handed over to q
reconstructed deacon. The preacher is to
have all the glory and salary, the deacon
all the work and no pay. He is to be COM
pensated by the dignity of his Office. 1t is
in fact a sly dodge for getting good col
lector without the expense of his percent
age.
Saysthe Presbyterian of the deacon:
At present it seems hard to say what, in dis
tinction from the Elder, his duties are. The
general idea is that the Office il calculated to
fence Of the Church, In the collection and dis
tfibution of aims. This was probably the
original use aad object Of tho office: In the
iaSorions ose bas times have CHANGED. L is
no longer true that the poor of the Church
constitute class SO needy and SO large as to
require special class of officers to provide for
them.
In addition, however, to the care of the poor,
it can scarcely be doubted that in the Apostle
the care of all the financial interests of the
| church,. This latter was then the lesser work
of the two; it is in many instances at present
uGs
branch Of their work is just as truly Chris
tian mans work as any other part OF our
Church duties.
SO the times have changed. The poor no
longer "require a special class of officers
to provide for them" And yet our Saviour
said to His Church, q the poor We shall al
ways have with you." But the times have
changed and all that has changed. Now
the church is for the rich and the great
Learned men and fashionable women now
constitute the its fold; silks and satins
rustic along it's aisles, and the poor stay
outside with their rags. The house of God
itself is kept poor enough, bare and plain,
Invested of every ornament and every
splendor, but all other poverty except His is
banished from the place, and the congrega-
ton revel in that sumptious display person
ally which would be idolatrous if wasted on
the altar, the sanctuary or the walls. The
poor emo longer require special class OF
officers" it is true, but, after all, we do not
see that the " times have changed much
in that respect since the days of our Sa-
viour. Even then the Pharisee knelt in
costly state, paid court to princes and
grandees, and frowned upon the poor pub
lican, who struck his breast from afar oil.
The Presbyterian goes on:
Make the financeering of the church to be
| the duty of members and officers Of the church;
consider it religious duty, as ,ndeed Il fd really ny
| support of the pastor 40 we'll as the sustenance
| Of the poor.
No objection to this, if you pay for it.
Let the parson divide his salary with the
deacon, and we have nothing more to say.
But if the one is to work hard for pure
zeal, let the other do so too. There are
plenty of lawyers, doctors, farmers aud
mechanics who, after attending to their
business all the week, could get up and
make first-rate sermon on Sunday, and
they would be glad to do 30 without any
pay, for the mere sake of hearing them
selves talk. If, therefore, the deacons are
to be reconstructed, we insist on extending
the programme to the preaching depart
ment.
But our neighbor goes on:
We believe that good trustees would be bet
| ter to many churches than sustentation tund
Want of good fnanciering is the great Tan
languish and die because no man cares 40
their temporal affairs or for his own business
business of the church, to stir up the trustees
;. quarterly, to almost beg their salary of them
q sometimes to threaten and even resign oefor
;. they will act efficiently. Now, why canno
9 church business be done with as much prompt
3 ness and order as any otherf + must be I! 3
before the Church will do its work as q splilt
'' ual organization. The Spirit cannot work in
dead body Hence Hence aggis Be
~ garded as the special duty of the Deacon, t
after the aFs Of sss
i full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom" put Il
70 the wisdom be the chief qualification, world
.S and business sagacity and with fathiT
:; charged with these duties, as duties done
the Lord. Magnify his office, and put resp "n
n. make him a trustee and make him the repr
sentative as we'll as the servant of the churc
10 in temporal things.
b. Now, here we must admit that there III
been a great change since the days
j, Christ. In those times the Church had
t.a need of trustees" the churches new