, 1876-01-02

third being left to tae option Of the elccbrs whca
add that al these arrangements far to tho SIX east
provinces Of the monarchy u1cusircIy zn1 that
soma Of The other provinces hare received siuar iu
st.tutions, with slight local differences, wils others
forra IN idea OF waat has been duno.
In tie winter Of 1879 the prussian Parliament were
ase to sanction those clauses Of the draft confeEFig
the riga. Of taxation and other cooperative privileges
Iie with the Ministerial reueet as fur tie parish
meetings coEcern= but, o5jccting to the comp,-
etIon Of tie other nsseblies in which they thought
the Clergy too strongly represeuted. put OF regulating
this iniTortart r2for11 to convenient season-
sinse then the rsrs! meetings have been g'nizo1,
aud thu District and frosincal Assemblies proytsnn-
ally conyenei to elacr members to the General Syuoa
The District and Provincial s5nods we'll the Gen.
ernI ynod merely tentative, not being as ye ap
proved by the Legislative power. 1ldced, the GeEerxt
Synod, which wAs opened few days $50, has been
brought together. not to exercise tho functions rs
signed to it iu tho original draft but only to udr1Ae
the King upon the merits OF the contemplated enact
lnents. ... .......
Tha working Of thc institutions is Just what
to he expected Nrn the vestrv meetings we're about
to be orr. anti 81. the orthodox element small hut
uctye a:,I highly respectable mnority-was not lit
te afraid OF ati.udinarian rnajoritics. To preTeat
this rAinful result the Clergy admonishe1 to in
sEt upon the Etrctest Interpretation of the, clause
excluding skcptfcs. Not few p.rvne were Inclined
1nenacny attitude assumed By tts Liberals, who defed
the clergy to do anything Of the kind, that the Con
4erytivo programme WAS not carrioi ont. But whsa
the result Of the election was knoT.s it hctame clear
that thare had been occlaon for Conservative pre-
CAUTIONS Excepting tho larger towne, the Conse.sn
tvsor at aay Fars The nn5s Ter. Of
breadth Of the land. That this possible In nskerttcs1
country simply acsouuied foc by the fact that the
Liberals arc too far goas to the ecclesilsi
c4l franchise conferred upon them. 1t is not utstla
curious 10 motto. That mona wero noTs foretby sruA
with this accidental origin Q! 1aar existence than The
ycstry assemblies themselves. Although more or
less Conservative these assemblies omitted to take thu
in their power sure to Eeucht tic Church.
They did not increuss tho aaariea OF tits clergy. Now
IL 10 p.tuhr tiia1Iu1c1l
Stuoents in the German Cnycraitss has within tho
laat forty fallen OF by two-thirls, though thn
number or clergymen has Increased with the growth
Of the population 1t il Obvious that orthodox yescy-
meetings should consider II M portion OF their
allotted work to make the clerical Calling attractive in
the QUO item st their command. Iuey may not now
BIC abls to render theological studies paat4bIe 10 t"
general run Of young meu at college, hut they
igat at auy rate try and do away vita ths cleo iis-
ings upon which c.ir4tas nre cn1id3mod to st1rEe In
not few villages Of tho old rrovn ~. They have at
tempted nothing o. the kind and ths consequence ii
cend the pulpit Already many parsoaases arc empty
and more becoming SO every dry. To illustrate
this astonishing fact By few figures. the eight Erus-
drn.a by tho winter os 1919 this figure had iwiuded
down to BiaI Nor doss 1t look more promising IN
Western md Southern Gera,any~ OF the two Aessssa
Unirersties of Mar5urg aud Gt.sscn, tho tonsr had
III theological students in Is n agalns Is II 1885 tue
latter having W In 1852 rgasn:: 10 in III Even in
1s!on q tae tSs supply of
Souns 70 ;sS''H Candidates s for elertc1i honors
las steadily diminished hit. whereas forty-efga:
went up eaa:n 1tion in 1879, only thrty-two did
40 in 1913. But what il noro significant tian any
thing els. Is th., Of the Prus"ian sua-n:s OF theology
who aatt3:u -. n t1e Penssian Cnyersi 5 between
1851 aud 1919, third abandoned theology befors
ordination; tha. pazHons' sona are nowadays 3e'st
LIKELY become parsons, and that the clergy G3s few
do- taat With these figures before them. tho suur:mo
governing bo1y OF the Evangelical cnMrch Of tfuss.a
SHOULD have dsclar!d year ago th1t in year o. 30
OF six:a Of all ben:ces becoming vacant w,uld hars
to remain vacant Things beig vacant would hre to
remain yaclut Tnsngs 4cin III this pliga, il 1t pec.
Synod