The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-09-07
been trained in the processes Of Independent,
brave and original thought


The city schools have opened to the holiday
ruddied children and the city pulpits have
opened to their rusticating pastors. So comes
once more the toll season for those whose call
ing is the cure of souls and who were fortu-
nate enough to get breathing spell in
the pure, fresh air of our mountains,
or in the bracing salt breezes from
the sea- They come back refreshed
in body, Drowned on the face and hands, freer
of motion and lnstier of thew and it will
take them a full month to get back to the
strait-laced, white-faced and angularized
figure which false conventionalism has
identified with the profession of saintliness.
Any other man may be religious and upright
without being compelled to wear his
sanctity on his sleeve, his immaculate
ness on his shirt collar and without making
his gait symbolical Of the Pilgrims Progress.
The Rev. Elijah Pallidman, who has filled the
pulpit of the pet pastor during his holiday
making, retires with a sigh to obscurity again.
He signs, and his regrets may be easily COM
pretended, if we note, as he does, how the con-
gregation rejoices to see their beloved once
more, how the old members hang
upon his words, and, above all, how
rosy and healthy and happy the pet pastor
looks as he warns in his words of grace.
Surely these are things to make Mr. Pallid-
man think that green fields, waving trees and
pleasant waters are goodly, though he cannot
feel the inspiration from them except at second
hand. But has the pet pastor come back
to town fortified in spirit for his captaincy
in the battle with sin? Have the spiritual
muscles been rendered more elastic?
Has the air from heaven infused its fine soul
ozone into the ife-blood of the moral being
until it throbs in unison with the great pulsa-
tons of the All-Good? We hope so. There
is high need in our cities for all the moral
strength that q bold-tongued, lofty-pur-
posed ministry can bring to bear. In
high places as well as low crime
has asserted itself while the ministers
were gathering posies of pretty SMILES by
ocean shore or mountain top for future SER
mons, or, mayhap, Lord help us while they
were idling days and nights away where in
anity and fashion and sham go godlessly hand
finland in the dear name of making summer
holiday. There are bold words to be uttered,
stern truths to be told, and hollow,
silken-clad hypocrisies to be merclessly
dashed, which the dainty SMILES of the sum-
mering will never convey, which the time lost
in dallying with fashionable folly will render
more difficult to the tongue. We welcome
them oil back to their pulpits, and often could
wish they had not been so long away. The
powers of evil are not like the
currents Of trade, that leave dull
times at certain seasons of the year
It would never have been more unsafe to give
the police force long holiday than during
the past summer. All the strong, faith-filled
purpose, and the gentler art that failures to
brighter worlds and leads the way" are needed
here on the part of the ministry to check the
inroads Of crime in places where it should
never obtain foothold. Let their words,
then, tell us that their holiday-making has
STRENGTHENED their pulpit powers.