The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-05-11

speecnes, OF does ne mean 10 say that when
he supported this bill he did not understand
it and did not know how it would operatep
Church Quarrels.
From a merely worldly point of view it
seems to be impossible to administer the Of
fairs Of a church for any length OF time without
quarrel. There are at present something like
half dozen first class rows about nothing
in our immediate neighborhood. To listen
to the CHATTER and clangor of tongues one
would think that at least an earthquake or
two had intimated their intention of swal-
lowing the ediices in which public worship is
wont to be held, mortgage, deacons and all
or that score or so of popular epidemics
were getting ready to carry off all the chill
dren and all the old gossips. On examination
you find that the real difficulty is that the
minister positively refuses, he being single
man, to be doubled or tripled or quadrupled,
by marrying every girl in the parish who has
used the ordinary means and failed in the
matrimonial speculation, and is determined
:as q last resort to honor the minister with her
presence for the next twenty years, It 10
little curious that an unmarried minister
should always be the subject of matrimonial
plot. So long as he fights shy of the altar he
Is the recipient of innumerable bouquets of
endless gifts of fruit and sweatmeats of invi-
tations to ride, always on the back seat
with Hannah or Jane, while the teachers and
prayer meetings are filed with aspirants for
the honor of the position of minister's wife,
The poor fellow who thus begins his career
is pulled this way and that by ambitious
mamas, is cajoled by papas who want to see
their first born well settled in life, and is
battered by all the permanently unmarried
women of the flock, who renew their youth
? for the occasion by modern appliances and
patent cosmetics until life becomes burden
and the mad house the only refuge.
The consequence is that minister's SO sur
sounded by compliment and fattery, beco me
over-conceited, and sometimes uncomfortable.
Their human nature is very like that of
other folk, and gets spoiled by over-indulg-
enca When any great crisis comes to the
society. and when a little tact and good nature
would make everything smooth again, they
petulantly assume an authority that does not
belong to them, and presume on their ability
to carry matters with high hand. At once
q row of the first magnitude is inaugurated,
bitter things are said and bitter things done,
and the society is split into two
factions, which stops all religious work at
noe and possibly breaks up the whole move
ment A religious quarrel has more spice in
it. and more really bad blood, than any other
kind Of wrangle. The hottest passions are
enlisted on both sides and in the crusade no
quarter is given to either party. Language
not exactly profane but intimating profanity,
is used with reckless prodigalty, and the feud
ends in the minister's doing what little
common sense would have suggested in the
beginning-that u.s. packing up his trunks and
entering the white robed field of the can
-lidates.
We have looked on while these conflicts
have been progressing in our neighborhood
with something like impatience and disgust.
The relation between minister and people, in
many instances, seems to be kind of nom
descript, made up of sentimentalism and
white necktie. There is neither business
enough nor earnestness enough in it, In
worldly affairs this matter of copartner-
ship is very easily settled. Things must
either go right or not go at all.
IF either party is dissatisfied the sign Of
the firm is taken down and its bank &C
count brought to close. Such petty bicker-
ings as those which disgrace the religious
world would cost man his business reputa-
ton, and a pitched quarrel like any one of
half dozen in the churches near us would SO
-demoralize merchants prospects that he
could not keep an orange and peanut stand on
the street corner.
As healthful impulse in the community
the Church, when consistent with itself, is in
valuable It enforces truths not much talked
of on secular occasions and tugs with COM
mendable perseverance at the moral con-
seriousness of society, to pull our business
methods, our charities, and our philanthro-
pies up to higher plane. But when it in
dulges in kind of intercolonial fight the
flushed and angry faces of the disputants are
like thunder cloud that sours all the milk
in the dairy. A council ought to be called for
the formation of a Society for the Prevention
OF Petty Rows in Churches It were far better
TO engage in some active service of this kind
than to convene for the purpose Of housing
around among old gossips' tales or of keeping
. woman out of the pulpit who can preach
better than half the men.
A N