The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-03-28
"Our Minister don't Draw"

Joined the church when was sixteen years
old, and 1 am now forty-six. And all that time
we have been getting, every few years, "a min
lister to draw we'll" We had Rev. Mr.. Jones.
He was plain-looking, earnest man. lie
'drew" all the changeable population of our
town. Nothing was more certain than that
new family coming 70 town, took pew i'll our
church. But then-ah that "but then"-the
old members fell of, and the salary and ex-
penses fell behind, and at last we had to tell
him he "did not draw" and let him 60.
Then we had others, and at last Rev. Mr..
Dixwell. He drew everybody for while
But he never explained repentance to mean SO
little that anybody could get into heaven-and
so Lawyer Snub did not take his pew; and he
actually was so unwise as to say "hell fire" with
out explaining that all the hell was in a mans
thoughts before and after death-and DR.. snap
fire, Mr.. Corntoe and MIR. Flathead left the
congregation. To cap all, he preached on re-
generation, and forgot to say that the beautiful
thoughts man has walking in the cemetery
Sunday afternoon, especially sunshiny after
noon was the best proof of a regenerate heart;
and that Plato, Shakespeare and Milton were all
full of regenerate ideas-so Mr.. Bigman and
Mr. Self-conceit left the congregation. 1t IS
true those men were never good for much but
to help pay the salary, and even that they did
with grumbling So. at the end of the year,
when the balance of the salary and church ex-
penscs came Just few hundred dollars short,
it did seem to Mr.. Cash-fint and MIR. Granite
slab that if we only had a minister that would
draw everybody, it would be so easy to raise
money for the church. :,
Now. Mr.. Editor, what shall we do? Shall
we send him of, as we have thirteen others in
the last thirty years, and try and get "the right
kind of man." We want one who will preach
faithful, plain gospel, and yet offend no one.
We want mild, patient gentleman; an orator,
quiet man, yet man of character who Will
not endure sin; who is wide awake, and, yes
may as we'll say it-a minister every way, and
one who draws the salary and expenses, and the
piety too 1t is true we never yet had such
man. and don't know of one anywhere.
But Mr. Editor, you know there ought to be
lots of such men. Have we not endowed the
theological seminaries, and don't we educate
poor students for this very thing? What's the
matter, that the seminaries don't turn out each
wear three hundred such noble young minis
tersY "Can't get thems' do you say7 I'VE
cxpcct too much" That's great comfort to us.
| should be pretty man to tell our church so.
Perhaps after all we had better have common
sense and raise our own expenses, and go on
independently with the sound man we have.
If in thirty years God has not given lis draw
inc man. and the seminarics don't give them,
then perhaps He did not mean that the chief
end of preaching the gospel should be to draw
cash and paw expenses. This puts the matter
in a new light, and l will think of it before
trying to stir up our people to turn Oft our
faithful old pastor in order to get some smart
Young man who will "draw."-N Y. Observer.