Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-03-24
The Dragon of the PeWs.

The Dragon of the Pews.
\ little direction to the pop,rllr inarin-
alton i, only necessary to point ont to it !;
dragon that, ever; Sunday, cLt-ls every
church. 1t is handed like B.lrcuS head
cl like lIv'lra,ani f'otcd like the ccn;ilcdc
1t is beautiful TO look at. with is >ilkrn
scales of many colors flushing in the sun.
bat lis stomach, ike that of All respectable
dragon, is the seat of an in-Ilirblc greed
Its huge bulk fills the church, ana the mo
nrnt it is III rest it opens il mouth Ii
gorgc, prayers, hymns. cAhort.ttion> and
sermons, as the pale man in the dish
t">scs them ont, AMI opens it. molth for
more and better. Bat for this plle m n.
who is under Il contract To feed it. and i
II hi, wits and strengths end To accom-
p.l,h his work. it could not live. When
n the morning, he has dome all he can t,r
IL. II rrawi> out again. to come buck in ;h,-
afternoon, with lis matW u>t cmpv. ii>
trvcll>h eyes JUS ~ rNle, ttHt, il mouth
Iust Il VIDE open, IL II WAS in Tie morning
Ii swallows murc pir'ycr-. more hNmn>.
tnothcr sermon. other celebrations. 1t
crawI> out az TiIn. 10 90 somewhere. in the
evening, to @lnt. or Try 10 yut. il horrible
greed. Like those vounr women of vclt--
rinarv parcntagc 1t crir-, give Civ "
Bat the sermon is the special object of it
awful appetite. Prayer i, bu; Il prclld,,
To- the solid dish Of the f.t>, Singing i
only the Iork>h.rc-puidiny tan goc> with
he beef, and tllr plum-pu ding hi comes
tttcr it. Sermons. sermons, sermon 1T
swallows them whole. They are t,hcn at
4 gulp. without ml>ticatium ur dwc>i ion.
and wil,' open spring the mouths again. IN
marve.ou> multiplication.
To drop the dragon. for he i Il clumsy
fellow, and Il somewhat bulky ti-ur to
irag on through 4 whole article. let u
have plain " I'd about the greed for ser
mons, 80 prevalent in these. latter Il ~
We doubt whether there ever wa- Il TIM
in the history OF The Christian church when
il minister, were placed in % awkward.
difficult, and unjust position a. they are
today. Great. expensive editirr~ of Woy-
ship ale built, for which the builder~ run
heavily in debt. That debt can only b..
handled. the interest on il paid. and th-
principal reduced. by filling it with 4 large
and Interested congregation. That con-
gregltion cannot be collected and held
without brilliant preaching Brilliant
preaching Is scarce. because. and only be
cause. brilliant men are scar. and >,-lrccr
sill the brilliant men who have the gift Of
clOIucncr. - soon. therefore, rs Il mal!
shows that he cannot attract Il crowd.
" down goes his house. He mIv b. a
scholar. :: saint, Il man whose example j.
the sweetest sermon that life ever uttered.
4 lovely friend, 4 faithful pastor. a wi>t
spiritual adviser, and even 4 Sermonizcr OF
rare attainmcntS and skill. but if he can
not draw 4 crowd by the attractive gift
Of popular eloquence, he must be >aci'i-
feed to the eNigencics of finance. Tnc
church must be filled. the int, Fest on Tn,
debt must be paid. AMI no; ;.iinr can DO
this but 4 man who will draw. The
Whole thing is managed like a theatre. Ii
an actor cannot draw full! houses the rem
cannot be paid. SO the actor is dismissed,
and IA new one is called TO take his place
There is an old-faShioned idea that Il
church is built for the purposes of public
Worship 1t is not a bad idea; and that
exhibition of Christianity which presents
Il thousand lazy people sitting bolt upright
in their best clothes. gor9inT sugar-plum~.
is not Il particularly brilliant one 1t was
once supposed that Il Christian had some
llIllC W tt, even ~ Illftl, ana Il fttS-
tor was Il leader and director in Christian
work There certainly was time when
the burden of II church was not laid crush
ingly on the shoulders of its minister. and
when Christian men and women STOOD by
the man who wis true to his office am
true to them. We seem to have outlivc,I
it, and Il thousand American chur, hes
particularly among the great ccntcrs u
population, are TrOanlnw over discontinue
in the sad results. Instead of paving .hril
own debts like men. they lay them on tn,
backs of their ilounderiny ministers. am
if they cannot lift them. they 90 huntin.
for spinal columns that Will, or tongue
that holds a charm for their dls>i patton |
is Il wrong and 4 shame which ought to h,
abolished Just rs soon :iS sensible men hay,
read this article.
Who was primarily in the blame fnr ,hi
condition of things, we do not know; hu
we suspect that the ministers thcmsclvv
ought TO bear IA portion of it. Brginnin-
in New England years ago, the sermon il
America has always been made too nIcl
Of The great preachers. by going int,
their pulpils Sunday after Sunday. will
their supreme intellectual efforts, h,v
created the demand tor such efforts Met
aphy,ic~, ddactic>. apolo.rtic<. arravrd il
robes of rhetoric. have held high convcrs
with them. Tie great Theological wres,
lerS have made the pulpit their arcn;. ,
conflict. Ilomiies have crown into s.l
mons, and sermons into orationS Preach
ers have set aside Tie teacher, simpI
task for that of the orator. Even TODAY
they cannot see, or they will not admi
thai they have been in the wrong. Wi
Il knowledge of the human mind whic
cannot but make them aware that no Nor
than Il single good sermon can be digcstc
by Il congregation in Il day, and that ever
added word goes to the glut of intclle,
, and feeling. and the confusion Of imprc.
sons. they still 90 on preaching twice an
. thrice, and seem more avcrsc than AN
others to Il change Of policy. 1t IS all il
| tcllectual gOrmandiZin~. and no activit,
! and no rest and reflection il i all crai
, and no conillrt.and they seem ju-t as aver.
+ to stop crammlng as they did before the
apprehcnded and bemoaned the poverty
, its results.
. Bat we are consuming too much Of the
: time. The great dragon, with its mult
. tudlnous heads and arms. and feet, i,
meet them next Sunday with its moutI
+ all open. 1t has done nothing at all Il
t week but sleep, and it is getting hungr
i, Woe to HIM who has not his two bio s..
i mons ready ln-a;iate monster, Will n
- one suffice?
+ No, says the dragon; "Eo," saws h
y keeper and feeder. Brains. paper. in
4 lungs-he wants all You can give, and V,
r must give him all YOU can. The hou
n must be filled, the debt must be paid, al