The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-06
A spotIess Ministry.

Il come common topic Of thought ana couNel-
sation. certain class ia the community has
seized upon this moral garbage and deyourcd
It with an appetite singularly suggestive OF
total deprayity. II is their delight to see
others fall to their own level, and to reiterate
the stale trusm which they have mouthed
at every opportunity that our trusted leaders
/ are no better than they should be. Well it
must be confessed that these crows have
had hearty meal of late, and seem
! TO have attained TO something like safety.
/ They have scented the polluted air from
aiar, and had complete enjoyment in the
overthrow OF variety OF POPULATIONS There
i S another class, however, and not necessarily
the religious class alone, but made up OF all
rieht-minded and honest-hearted men, to
whom the lapse of reputation on the part Of
a beloved teacher is regarded as personal
calamity The moral mercury drops
few degrees with every such misfortune,
and the entire community is conscious OF
loss. II a clergyman could tumble from
his pedestal and simply break himself to
pieces that would be one thing but since H.
cannot totter from his uncertain position and
fall to infamy without dragging others with
him, and without, to certain extent, para
Lying public opinion, that is quite another
thing AS his place is one of very large in
fuence he cannot disgrace it without affecting
the general faith OF the people.
\ minister and woman are judged by the
same rules Their robes must be perfectly
white, without spot or blemish, or they are
I IL If MAJ
stumble and recover himself; his neignbors
and friends look on and simply laugh at his
awkwardness He may even fall to the ground
with IMMUNITY and soil himself from head to
foot. The kindly offices OF all are rendered,
and he is gently lifted to his feet again and
received into the best society, and encouraged
to ask for the hand and fortune Of the purest
woman Of his acquaintance. he looks back
on the season OF his folly and weakness
without any particular compunctions OF
conscience, and sometimes counts his vic
tories with the complacent pride with which
an Indian exhibits the scalps which attest his
proves and cunning. He not only sows his
wild cats in profusion in his youth, but casts
them on the wayside at a later and steadier
blame or criticism or loss Of reputation
the result. The world is very curously con-
stituted They who make public opinion
make it capable of covering the sins and
weaknesses to which they are themselves
subject.
While the man of business, however, wears
q sable suit on = hich an ordinary spot IS not
1 IL he Of yl,ta
on which the slightest stain is seen. He is
permitted to tall but not to rise again. If he
stumbes his neighbors, instead of laughing
and helping him IN the awkward predicament,
start back with horror aud hurl their exc
crations at him. There is no mercy in the
public heart Tor clergyman who leads the
\ life which some OF his parishioners would
easily excuse in themselves. And all this
I Is a. il should be. Cergymen represent
! in their own persons and lives the moral
\ purity and faith og the Christian
religion. Their sermons are appeals 70
the public to aim at truer things. The
I Church i the spiritual energy that keeps
the world IRON falling back into barbarsm.
The services at the altar constitute the electric
/ impulse Of the general progress. Amid the
/ hush Of tbs Sabbath the preachers voice is
/ heard, like the trumpet tones OF John the
| Baptist calling on men 10 repent OF their sins
and reminding them that the kingdom Of
/ heaven IS at hand Unless these truths are
exemplhed in the lives of the preachers they
are practi ally worthless. Eloquent words
must have white lie behind them in order
TO be effective. Lips may utter sounds which
/ charm the ear and are then forgotten; but lips
which speak from consecrated and self
I DENYING life are like the thunders which make
/ the earth trembIe.
/ The people are right in demanding spotless
I purity in the persons Of their clergy. While
I they are merciful when grave accusation is
made they should remember that Roman jus
/ tice is indicative Of Roman strength II it be
| excusabe or possible for q man in the ordi-
nary pursuits Of life 70 drive with loose rein,
\ it is neither possible nor eJcusable for the
clergyman to follow his example. Let the
I Church be right II everything else is wrong.
IL is q sad fact, however, that the very class
/ OF men Of whom We demand this special purity
Of character are absolutely surrounded by an
\ investing army Of temptations. Many women
are simply fools wherever a minister is con-
/ cerned They fling themselves Of the head Of
a clergyman with recklessness which is
astonishing. What there is peculiarly fasci-
mating about ministers we have never yet been
able to discover. As a class they are scholars
with refined tastes. That il something
Without doubt they are polite, kind hearted
and very useful a. recipients Of All the family
secrets, reservoirs, kept full Of oil sorts Of IN
/ pleasant stories which flow in streamlets
\ from o hundred different directions. They
have, however, no more grace Of manner than
I ordinary folk but are, on the contrary,
sometimes unaccountably awkward. They
4 are not more comely than the average