Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-03-03
The Dragon Of the peWs.

AG DFsafsSli Oh tNt GNSWS'
In an article with the above title il
ScRlBNER for March, DR.. Holland
writes as follows:
Let us have plain word about the
greed for sermons, so prevalent. in
these latter days. We doubt whether
there ever was time in the history OF
the Christian Church when its minis
tiers were placed in so awkward, diff.
cult, and unjust position as they are
to-day. Great, expensive edifces Of
worship are built, for which the build
ers run heavily in debt. That debt
can only be handled, the interest Oh it
paid, and the principal reduced, by
filling it with a large aud interested
congregation. That congregation
cannot be collected and held without
brilliant preaching. Brilliant preach
ing is scarce, because, and only be-
cause, brilliant men are scarce, and
scarcer still are the brilliant men who
have the gift Of eloquence. So soon,
therefore, as man shows that lie can.
not attract the crowd, ':down goes his
house" lie may be q scholar, q saint,
man whose example is the sweetest
sermon that a human life ever uttered,
alovely friend, a faithful pastor, a
wise spiritual adviser, and even Il ser.
monizer of rare attainments and skill,
but if he cannot draw crowd by the
attractive gifts of popular eloquance,
he must be sacrificed to the exigencies
Of finance. The church must be filled,
the interest on the debt must be paid,
and nothing can do this but q man
who will "draw.' The whole thing
is managed like theater. fan &C
tor cannot draw full houses, the rent
cannot be paid. So the actor is dis
missed and new one is called to take
his place
There is an old fashioned idea that
a church is built for the purposes of
public worship. 1t is not bad idea ;
and that exhibition of Christianity
which presents a thousand lazy people
sitting bolt upright in their best
clothes, gorging sugar-plums, is not a
particularly brilliant one. 1t was
once supposed that a Christian had
something to do, even as a layman,
and that pastor was leader and di-
rector in Christian work. There Ger,
tainly was time when the burden of
church was not laid crushingly upon
the shoulders of its minister, and when
Christian men and women stood by
the man who was true to his Office
and true to them. We seem to have
outlived it, and a thousand American
churches, particularly among the great
centers of population, are groaning
over discontinue in the sad results.
Instead of paying their own debts like
men, they lay them on the backs OF
their floundering ministers, and if they
cannot lift them, they go hunting fol-
spinal columns that will, or tongues
that hold q charm for their dissipa-
ton. 1t is wrong and shame
which ought to be abolished, just as
soon as sensible men have read this
article.
Who was primarily in the blame tol
this condition of things, we do not
know ; but we suspect the ministers
themselves ought to bear portion of
it. Beginning in New England year:
ago, the sermon in America has al
ways been made too much of. The
great preachers, by going into theiI
pulpits Sunday after Sunday with theil
supreme intellectual efforts, have Great
ed the demand of such efforts, Meta
physics, didactics, APOLOGIZE array
ed il robes of rhetoric, have held higf
converse with them. The grea
theological wrestlers have made the
pulpit their arena of conflict. Homil
les have grown into sermons and ser
mons into orations. Preachers have
set aside the teachers simply task fol
that of the orator. Even to-day, they
cannot see, or they will not admit
that they have been in the wrong
With knowledge Of the human mine
which cannot but make them aware