Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-01-11


Y, MINNESOTA, THU
uEANNESS.
How Ministers arc Sometimes Served
by Their Congregations.
IrenBus Prime, in one Of his recent
letters to the New York Observer, thus
writes:
"a few weeks ago I mentioned some
cases of great injustice to ministers
and their families, and offered b reward
of $50, to be paid to the Society for
the Relief of tho Distressed Widows
of Pastors, if any one would furnish q
we'll authenticated case OF meanness
meaner than the one where minister's
wife was invited to visit one
week among the people, and then her
weeks board was deducted from his
salary! The number of claimants for
that reward is great and greatly in
creasing. Almost every mail brings
me new and mortifying exhibition of
sharp practice. The reading of them
AtA0 u uOAlOAN4AA1uSS OACCv uVOu W0s
is a matter of doubt whether I should
let you see them. I viii mention few.
But first hear from the other side.
WHAT A BAKER SAYS,
"You say that ministers are charged
more for what they buy than other peo-
pie are. I deny it. I am q baker, and
have pursued the business till am old
and gray headed. I buy my flour at
Wholesale prices and supply the min
lister with -four at cost price, and sell it
at an advance to all others. I give awav
great deal of bread to the poor, and
never refused but once. Then I had
been giving and giving all the evening,
till I had given three or four dollars
worth in single loaves, and turned a
poor man away. Although that was
many years ago, his imagehas haunted
me ever since, and I am grieved to this
day, that I let him go without q loaf"
So writes a baker, and I say, "Well
done, good and faithful servant the
blessing of many ready to perish shall
come upon you." You are the best
bred man that has written me q letter
this long time. L would like to eat
bread With you, and hope to, one day,
in our Fathers house.
THE MEANEsT CASE.
And this is not meanness on the part
of the people; it is minister's mean
ness to O minister, and it is thus re-
ported to me, with names and dates:
"a hard-working faithful missionary
was employed by one of our benevolent
societies, on salary of 800, out of
which he had to pay house rent and
support family. He hired little
cottage, with garden twenty five feet
square, and by close economy, kept
starvation away. The Rev. Secretary
of the society called to see him, and
noticing the vegetables growing asked
the missionary if the garden was worth
to him $252 He said No. Well, $40? He
thought not; and finally the Secretary
said it must be worth $18, and the mis-
sionary, never imagining that he was at
anything but to get an idea of the value
of "garden sauce" assented. The
Secretary went away, and the next
quarters salary came with the deduc.
tion of $751;! refrain from any com.
ment on that, as I cannot do justice to
the subject. Justice ought to be done
to the Secretary, and then he would be
pnt on bread and water diet for at least
one quarter.
DEDUCTINa TWO CENTS.
"We had," writes lady friend, ga
donation party for the minister-Pres
byterian; the donations were marked
at such prices as the givers chose to
put upon them! and tie sum thus
made up was deducted from the PASTORS
salary. In case donation was not
marked by the giver, committee, of
which the pastor was not one, valued
the article at their own pleasure; and
in one instance little packet of pep
per was estimated at two cents and
taken out of the annual salary! Please
to pay over that fifty dollars reward"
That is mean enough surely, and dis
honest too.
FANS AT FIVE CENTS.
Another reports just such a donation
party, where two fans were sent in and
were estimated at five cents each, and
deducted from the salary. Can you
fancy anything smaller than that9
And in what sense are such parties
donation parties9 They are simply
meetings to impose on the ministers
produce, &C., ct an exorbitant price,
allowing him no option in the matter,
compelling him to take what he does
not want, at prices nobody else would
pay. And this is called donation
party! Often, too, the minister's wife
is expected to provide supper for the
whole congregation, and The poor pas
tor finds himself grievously out of
pocket by the visitation. Locusts
would not waste him more than those
loving parishioners.
A sTRANaERsv.
In Maryland a stranger attending
the Episcopal church was greatly in
terested and benefited by the service,
and on going out handed five dollar
bill to one of the officers requesting
hlm to hand it to the rector in token of
his gratitude. The vestryman paid it
over, (but shame on him and the
vestry) the mighty sum was deducted
tromShis salary. This reminds me of
an incident in my own experience.
DID NOT PAY II.
A pastor (Reformed Dutch) was in
great affection; two children were
dead with scarlet fever and two were
sick, when I was asked to preach for
him. did so, and after service one
of the consistory offered me bill, do
not know of what amount. declined,
but said, "Your pastor is in great af-
Fiction, give it to him with my love. I"
do not know that he gave him my
love, but do know he never gave him
the money!
THE EXTRA SERVICE.
At one Of our watering places last
summer one of the pastors of the neigh
borhood occasionally held service in
the parlor of the hotel. The boarders
testified their greatful sense by making
up little purse for him. The people
found it out aud deducted the amount
from his salary.
might go on with these examples to
any extent required. But I have
doubts as to the propriety of telling
you even these. And what should be
done about it2 We must have in this
country system by which the ministry
shall be decently supported, without
being subjected to these contemplate
humiliations and impositions. The
Presbyterian Church is inaugurating a
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