The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1872-04-27
MENDICANr FRIARs.
BY GAIL HAMILTON.

By GALL HAMILTON.
In the Protestant Church we have
priesthood; but mendicancy.
prevented from concentrating itself in
single order, has become diffnsed through
oil orders II is not strange that the lay
mind becomes confused when clerical
views are vague. II golde ruste what |
shulde iron do ? The laborer, whether |
clergyman or farmer, is worthy o: his
hire; but the clergyman and the sfaYmer
stand on entirely different grounds. The
farmer sells bushel Of potatoes, . ton o.
hay, and receives the price agreed on; and
that is the end Of the matter. The clergy>
man receives his stipulated one. two. five
thousand dollars a year but is never let
alone. Somebody. generally woman.
10 svsrueEs persmbulating tho parish,
gathering dimes and dollars, to buy the
minister's wife q set Of furs, or himself .
silk gown, or . carpet for their parlor, or
ma general way to make them present,
ior get upa surprise-donation-party, till
ministers have lost somewhat of manhood
Something sturdy, self-reliant, independ~
ent, upright, and downright has gone out
Of the profession. Ministers will permit.
will even invi to, what other men would
resent. The merchant in . city, the
,, shoemaker in . country village. would
feel disgraced By contribution paper
going about town to collect money to buy
+, himself coat. The lawyers wife would
/ rather wear calico all her life than levy
tribute on the parish for silk. But the
minister and the minister's wife will
wear the contributed clothes, and make
. note Of it for the religious newspaper.
The schcol-teacher surveys his district,
builds or buys such house as he can
and, if not able to do either. rents tene.
ment or boards, and betters himself %
soo3 as possible. Ministers are willing
to be accounted . feeble folk, for whom
houses should be provided, without
responsibility Of their own; and this
unmanly self-surre nder loses its sting
by christening the house a parsonage
The carpenter who wants to take his
wife on q summer trip to the White
Mountains waits till he has earned
enough to do SO At his own expense, but
some rich deacon or "active brother" i.
expected to take the minister and pay
the bills.
And the minister not only suffer,
these shings, but takes pleasure in then
that do them, and sometimes feels ag-
grieved il they are not done. and sendI
a note to the religious newspapers sug.
gesting or affirming that they should b
done. A minister Of aesthetic tendencie
has his rooms frescoed by painter VIII
has recently Joined his congregation. Az
ter waiting q reasonable time, the paint
ter sends in his bill. The clergyman
returns an injured>innocenc sort of not
saying that he had not expected to b
called upon to pay but he will settl
the bill IS soon as he can, though no
Immediately, as he shall have to say
: the money out of his salary The pain
: ter, being gentleman, immediatel
sends him reccipted bill ;and the min
lister, being administer, accepts it. Bu
, upon what ground should he expect I
t'e trescoed for nothing Why is it
grievance for minister to pay his bill
, out Of his salary? What else is h
I salary for : The blacksmith never ash
!: his nelghbor, the mason, to give hi,
8 money to buy his wife trinkets, or
3 treat him to pleasure excursion. VIII
n is it better manners for the mn: stel
. The little boy is taught that it is We,
!, impolite to 60 to . companions hou
!, and ask. or even hint. for plumcak
, Why is it polite for his father to ask
!. the religious newspaper. or hint in al
I way, that his companions should 10
I, hand in hand to give him the plumcal
i that bis soul longs for But the reli,
=, ious newspapers blossom with hints al
e downright exhortations to parishers
q make presents to their ministers,
!. take tn, m on journeys, to pay their e,
= penses to national councils. There
- often certain space devoted to . reco
D. Of the presents thus made. for indelic
'r cy has core to such pass that done
q, do lot sometimes neglect to stipuls
Q with the donee that their donations sh
8 bs given the publicity OF print, and
1: the side Of the clergy the Argument
r. unblushingly used chat the facts .
: bruited for the sake Of stirring up otf
:, parishes to make similar presents
- their pastors sometimes. The resours
a of ingenuity are exhausted in devisi
= pleasant ard playful metaphors to d
scribe the presentation. and sometin
- the statement is IS formal and crisp
e an advertisement. Donation parties
II occasionally made ehe object Of lit
70 gentle satire but it Is not because th
- are donation parties, but because {
" donations are not big enough "a
cording to the ecclesiastical almana
says a religious psper. "now ia the ii
in fer ministers to look out for donat
~ parties which, in the words of one
their puynhop .ara choorf,,l