The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1873-05-28

JiOnS.
An attentive examination of the Treasu-
rer's report with reference to the amounts
contributed to our various causes of benevo-
lence by the churches, will show that IN
very many cases the collections must have
been of the most perfunctOry character.
They do not appear at all to represent the
abihty Of the people to give. Of course
there are many noble exceptions, but when
a church of sixty members sends to your
treasury $40; Of twenty-five members, y
of 200 members, S25-however poor many
Of them may be in such country as this
and one of 500 members, large proportion
Of whom have every comfort in life which
reasonable Christian may ask, send SlOO for
the great cause of SnstentatiOn-and when
these are in fact fair representatives OF very
many of the contributing churches. and this
kind of benevolence is continued from year
TO year, we cannot feel ourselves guiltless, II
we fail to bring the facts prominently to the
attention Of your venerable body in order
that its warning voice may reach these
Christians, and, BY the grace Of God, awaken
them 70 more liberal distribution of the
Lords money.
In order that the members of the Assem-
bly, may have this matter distinctly before
them, let it be stated in this way: The whole
amount received for SusteDtatiOn, as stated
above. is S23,52454. Deduct from this
S2,474.S3 contributed or nearly all of it, by
persons outside of our bounds, and you have
So, 049.71 as the support rendered to this
cause by churches and individuals IN our
connection, or an average of about % cents
per member, counting the Synod Of Ken
lucky; and of about % cents, not counting
that Synod By the same kind of ealcula-
ton, we find about 3 cents to be the average
for Evangelistie work, and about cents for
the Invalid Fund
Now in order that the full force of these
figures may be understood, it must be noted
that considerable number of our churches
give as much as 81 per member to the cause
Of Sustentation-in few cases some noble
little churches have given over 81 5O per
member. Take these facts into considera-
ton, in connection with the average above
given for the whole'Chureh, and remember
ing that the same proportional difference
holds in regard to the Invalid and Evangel-
istic Funds, and it is easy to understand
how meagre are most of the contributions
which reach our treasury.
In the prosecution of the SustentstiOn work,
appropriations have been made during the
year to IA pastors and supplies of churches,
70 eighteen evangehsts and twenty-six church
buildings to the amount of So, 300 These
appropriations have reached forty six of our
Presbyteries; two of them only, the Presby-
teries of Charleston and New Orleans, while
contributing to our treasury, have received
nothing from it. As may well be surmised,
and as will still more clearly appear in the
progress Of the report the funds at our dis
posal have been utterly inadequate to the
work before US.
We have very full and accurately pre-
pared statistics from forty-eight Of our Pres
byteries Including the Presbytery Of Tus-
cumbia recently organized; 4. e., from all
of them excluding the Synod of Kentucky
and the Presbyteries of Sac Paulo and In
dian.
The following carefully prepared statistics
are, We believe, in the main correct. In
some cases the Chairmen Of Presbyterial
Committees inform US that their estimates
are only approximate, but in every case
their reports appear to have been made with
unusual care and painstsking. We may
thus suppose that the facts elected are trust
worthy, and demand the serious attention Of
the whole Church. From these reports it
appears that in forty eight Presbyteries there
are Gas ministers engaged in preaching the
Gospel, of whom 154 are engaged in secular
emplOyments in part as the means of sup
port, thus leaving 491 as the number who
give themselves wholly to the service of the
Church. OF the 154 secularly employed,
seventy-nine express a willingness to give
their whole time to the ministry if they can
receive a support of $500 per annum. The
remaining seyenty-6ve it is presumed, are so
secularized as to have lost interest in their
covenant work, or perhaps, in the majority
Of cases, are so hampered by domestic obi
cations that they are necessarily hindered
from assuming the full work of the ministry
on so meagre support as S0OO.
In forty-six Presbyteries there are 366
churches and unions of churches which are
unable to give support of $500 year.
In forty-two Presbyteries it would take an
aggregate of S95, l40 to supplement the
salaries Of pastors and supplies, (leaving
out Of view altogether evangelistic effort In
destitute and unOccupied 6elds) so that all
our churches and unions of churches may
have ministers who receive a salary of at
least $500 per annum. To accomplish the
same end for forty-eight Presbyteries out
side of Kentucky, would require an amount
not far from $11O, 900, taking no account of
the eyangelistic work proper, or of building
and repairing churches.
In forty-fge Presbyteries there are IA
ministers wholly engaged in ministerial work
who receive a salary apart from the Susten-
tatiOn Fund of less than 5000. and eighty
TWO whose salary is between $500 and $500,
so that 226 Of our ministry, who give them
selves wholly to the work, receive a salary
apart from the Sustentation Fund of less
than $500.
In forty-fve Presbyteries the average of
salaries outside of cities and large towns,
apart from the SustentatiOn Fund, is re-
ported at S572, but these figures are unreli-
able, as the Presbyseries vary so much in
numbers that it is impossible to make cor
rect average without very extended and in
volved calculations. A survey of the list,
however, assures us that the average salary
received by our ministers outside of cities
and the larger towns, directly from their
churches, is considerably less than $572.
In regard to the second point, to wit the
need Of very much enlarged and more widely
difused contributions TO the cause of Susten-