Smyrna times., 1877-01-17
What Churches Cost,

A writer in Scribner'S Monthly contributes
very interesting and suggestive paper.
The facts and figures are designed to show
that the support of public worship is not
the very costly matter that some persons
hastily conclude it must be. This position
is fully proved, and it is shown besides,
that, among public servants, the average Of
clergymen or ministers Of all denomina-
tions receive the least for their labor. And
not only so, but the clergyman in many
instances actually bears, not only large
proportion of his own personal support,
but aids in the other expenses Of his
charge. The Rev. DR.. William Adams,
who retired from pastOratc Of leading
Presbyterian congregation in New York
city, after residence Of about forty years,
said to his congregation at parting:
"Doubtless | have paid more, during my
ministry with you, for the privilege of
preaching the Gospel than any one Of you
have paid for the privilege OF hearing it."
TO this statement copied from ScriGaer,
many of the Ltdger readers can add
instances within their own knowledge.
Given the sum which is required for the
support of a family, and then, whatever
amount the salary paid falls below the
necessity, must be found somewhere by the
clergyman. And the cases in which the
preacher actually pays more for the
privilege of preaching, than any one Of his
congregation does for that Of hearing, are,
it not Il majority of the whole, very near it.
Yet severe comment is made on the fact
that clergymen so often change their
residences. Some idea of the motive for
change may be gathered from the remark
OF Il parsons practical wife to her husband.
as the family moved into Il new, and rather
better parish: Now. my dear, you will
have some chance of partial pay for preao h.
ing the sermons you have written for
nothing"
1t is not, however, to he supposed that
the sincere clergyman looks only or chiefly
to the money returns of his vocation, even
If he considers his profession in the light OF
| Il lucrative one, at all. In common with
all true scholars, and with scientists and
| phllosOp pliers, he finds IA reward in his work
In common with phllanthropists, it is Il
delight To him to benefit others. And in
| his special vocation he feels call Of duty
and Of conscience; the answer to winch
>u>tains him: the denial of which would
crush him. With all the admitted unat-
tractiveness of the calling of II clergyman
in a pecuniary point Of view, there are
always men ready to enter upon it,
Besides those who fail Of due support in the
care of their charges, there are not II few
who can find no society ready to call them
! There Is grim satire in recent fact here
Just published. A scholarly clergyman
who has long waited in vain for an opening
as pastor, has just accepted an office OF
agency, in a "Soclety for the increase o
the Ministry"
And now for a few of the statistics from
| 4
Boston, they will answer. with some qualifi
cation for other places. The value 0
church buildings in Suffolk county, Mas
sachusetts, of which Boston constitutes tn,
largest part, Is estimated at eleven and
quarter millions--the number Of tn,
churches being one L,ndrfd and eghh. !
large sum; yet Mirty buildings in the cit,
of Boston, used tor business purposes, foo
up to "a larger aggregate. The average COS
OF those city churches is $G2,500. Al
average mile Of equipped railroad in Mas
sachusetts costs SOL 4,5S4. The total valu
Of railway property III that State is Sl6j
624, l36; OF church property $24,4SS.2S5
a train OF cars, five common and on
palace, with locomotive, costs $4,000.
comfortable and attractive country churc
costs about the same as q palace car, $40
600. The support OF the business house,
and that OF the railroad, like that of til
churches, is drawn from the public.
In town in Massachusetts the Lyceur
> course OF t0eiUc lectures cost, in 1874, $1,000
the church III the same town cost for a yea
$2700. And when we come to the "gettin
: up OF "spectacuar play at the theatr,
; the cost of about $4,000 is sometime
reached. The average price of seat i
+ church is set down lay the writer in Scrbnt
: from five cents to fourteen for every publ
b. sunday service. The price Of conctr
, theatre or opera ticket ranges from fit
I cents up To two, three, and even iou
J dollars-the last named price being eXccI
+ tional, of course. The churches in til
] whole country are presumed to cost, {
= nearly as may be estimated, twenty million
S per annum, or an average of about half
j dollar year to each inhabitant of til
e United States. There is one other con
!. parison which should not be omitted. Th
I support of heather worship in the EL
- costs about enc hundred times as much
: the support OF religion in America. I'll
o average cost 20 each individual in Siam
:, three dollars, winch, taking into accoul
= the difference of wages and person
: income, would be equal to sixty dollars
II the United States.
y A main point exhibited 10y these appro
II innate figures is, that in the United State
= us the writer in Scrijner tersely puts it, "t
u the poor the Gospel is preached p Lar:
Z numbers of hearers, especially when
f; popular preacher gathers throngs, contrilu
q nothing. IL is not that they cannot, f
u they expPnd IN unessrntal things mo
!. than tOouM double or treble the insuificiel
n amount now given. There are too maj
=, people who feel poor only when the plea
u proverty will excuse them for withholdiI
., payment which does not minister to the
'r own personal qualification. Although I
d trenchment is the order of the day-as
: all unnecessary public expenditures
!" should bet is evident enough from Il
= ScriJner figures that there is not much roo
for it in the cost of public worship.-Ledg
of MARRYING New YORK ACTRESs.-The
w is an actress in New York, not now up
III the stage. but living in comparative reti
ne ment, whose marriage with the scion of