The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-13

few years ago we remember another
writer, n Massachusetts, political econo-
mist. set down the annual average
at four hundred and fifty dollars.
We are glad that such an advance has been
made. but il does not meet the case fully.
Secondly, . very considerable minority have
had their vacation expenses paid to Europe,
either by their respective churches as a corpo-
rate body or by individual members of the
same. This Is good omen II shows a bet
ter appreciation Of ministerial talent than,
from the general hecdlessness and lack of
respect for the pulpit manifested by Ameri-
cans. We could have expected
Culled from our religious exchanges OF the
last few weeks we find that between fifty and
seventy-6ve Of the leading clergymen of the
land have LETT our shores 10 spend their vaca-
ton in Europe. OF course. none of them arc
seven hundred dollar men. They include
from our own city such ministers as DIR. John
Hall. Of the Fifth avenue Presbyterian church;
DR. John Thompson. Of the Thirty fourth
street Presbyterian church DIR. Philip
Schaf. Of the Union Theological Seminary
Rev. DR. Chaplin and Rev. t. c. Sweetzer
Universalist pastors Rev. w. r. Abbott
pastor Of Washington square Methodist Epis-
ccpal church Rev. Deloss Lull and DIR. M.
DC. Crawford. both lately of this cty--the
latter is now. however, Presiding Elder Of the
Poughkecpsie district New York Conference
Methodist Episcopal Church; Rev. Fathers
Hocker and Deshon. of the Paulist church,
and others. From Brooklyn have gone Rev
T. =. ingersoll. d. d., Of the Reformed
church, and Rev. Mr. Gunnison, of the Uni
versalst church and few Others. From
Jersey City Revs. II. b. Yard and A. ii.
Tuttle, Methodists and l.. ID. Senez
have gone. Staten Island has sent
out Father Conron, of New Brighton.
Albany has sent out its quota, with
Bishop Doane. West Troy has sent Rev.
Father Sheehan: Providence, r. l., Bishop
Hendrickson and Father Sullivan. The
Presbytcrians of Philadelphia have enabled
few of their leading divines, such as
Drs. William Speer, L. X. Beadle, q. L. Wis
we'll, Thomas Murphy and others to spend
the Summer in the Old World. And some of
the Methodists there and in Baltimore, though
not many have followed their example. The
Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal church, of
Washington, has let DR.. Tiffany go, and
one of the Methodist Bishops (Foster)
is visiting the missions in Europe, while an
other (Harris), in company with DR.. Newman,
of Washington, h making tour of the world
and calling at the Indian, Chinese and Japan
ese missions on the way. Boston. Pough-
keepsie, Chester, Pa, Milwaukee, Chicago,
Newburg, Bangor Me-, and several other
cities East and West and South, have sent
ministerial representatives this Summer to
Europe and the Holy Land. And besides
these hundreds of clergymen are travelling
through our own country and cleaning some
idea of its grandeur and vastness.
But what of the thousands like the Rev. Mr..
Eliseus Pallidman, who cannot afford to
travel either at home or abroad, whose faces
must be kept at the ministerial grindstone
perpetually if they would save themselves and
their families from utter starvation. Can not
some of their wealthier brethren create q fund
something akin to the poor children's fund,
or 'the fresh air fund.-" by which so many
of the lowly of this city are furnished with
pleasure excursions during the Summer? 1t
would not require great many thousands,
and the five or ten thousand dollar preachers
of our principal cities would hardly miss q
donation from year to year in this direction.
Let the suggestion be tried and let the thou
sands of our poorly paid, half-starved country
ministers realize that they are not entirely for
gotten by their better-cared-for brethren.
Many of the congregations of these country
parsons are too poor even to pay them the
stipulated three or four hundred dollars year
for which they labor, and kindness of this
sort shown to their ministers would, no doubt,
have great influence over them.
| But other and more serious questions are
suggested by this extensive desertion by the
clergy of their pulpits. Do not the congrega-
tons need ministering to in Summer as well
Us in Winter? Are not vice and crime as ram
pant in warm weather as in cold? And,
admitting that church trustees and official
boards grant leave of absence to their pastors,
and perhaps pay for their tours in Europe,
are not their humber church members, who
cannot go either to Europe or to
the country, at home entitled TO as
good talent in one season as another?
The entire system of Summer vacations, which
has become Of late an important part of the
contract between ministers and churches in
our large cities, is based upon the principle
that the rich who pay for the Gospel should
have it, while the poor may take their chances.
This was the very principle which Jesus of
Nazareth in His ministry struggled TO
confound and overthrow; and it has
been the glory of the Church ever since.
with, however, some periods of laxity in this
regard, to preach the Gospel to the poor in
imitation of her Divine Lord and Master.
| We believe that the most profitable ynca-