Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-06-16
ables, and will occupy back seats where they
can advertise their poverty to all corners.

I'll
can advertise their poverty to all comers.
It makes little difference to the modern
minister whether his church is encountered
with heavy debt or not, or whether his
people are able to pay him or not; his salary
must be paid promptly so that he may keep
up degree of style which shall comport
with his social dignity. If there is any
dereliction in this respect his congregation
is informed some Sabbath morning that he
has received call from God-at a higher
salary, or to more fashionable church-in
some other field of usefulness, and after
prayerful consideration, he has determined
that "the good of the cause" requires his
acceptance. It is a little singular, however,
that the modern minister never hears ga
call from God - to remove to place where
less salary is paid or the social attractions
are less. Such minister in these days
would be qoqa 0uSs, and would attract as
much attention as live specimen of the
dodo, if placed in glass case. The species.
we much regret to say, is long ago extinct.
The modern minister is paid too much.
The GLOBE must not be understood as OBJ
jecting to salaried ministers. It recognizes
the fact that society has changed within the
past eighteen hundred years, and the neces-
sity for local preachers who have right to
expect comfortable support for their ser
vices. But it seriously objects to the high
salaries paid as being not only unnecessary
and burdensome to the churches, but calcu-
lated to bring the cause of Christianity into
disrepute. The truth of the matter is that
the ministers in our cities are largely over
paid for the service they perform. The
preparation of two sermons week of the
quality usually preached in our churches is
perhaps one good days work for profession
al men of ordinary ability. In addition to
this there is an implied responsibility attach
ing to pastoral visitation. This, however,
instead of being labor, ought to be regard
ed as pleasure. It is the more so as the
modern minister religiously avoids the hab-
itations of the poor, and seeks only homes
where the society is congenial, the converse,
ton agreeable, and the surroundings com
Portable. Why a minister should receive
all the way from $4,000 t.
$4,000 for such services it il
d ficult to understand. Ministers arr
not expected to have, nor do they possess al
rule, exceptional intellectual ability. II
this respect they rank among the lowest O
the learned professions. Nor is their cours'
of education expensive, for the majority ar
fitted for the ministry at institutions main
| tanned by the munifcence of few wealth,
gentlemen at a cost comparatively trifing Il
the students. They do not require, and few
of them have, costly libraries. They inves
absolutely nothing in education or il
"business.' And yet they are paid bette
proportionally than any other class of pre-
fessional men-much more than their hire
The modern minister is directly re
sponsible for majority of the dificultie
the churches of to-day find themselves in
Instead of encouraging humility he foster
pride. He stimulates the vanity of his cor
gregation to rush into useless and FOOLS
expenditures to build costly and ornat
churches and load themselves with debt. n
himself demands an exorbitant salar,
double or treble what his abilities woul
command in any other walk of life, o.
courages the rich to display in dress, thu
practically excluding the poor from tt
benefits of the church, and panders in h
sermons to the weaknesses of the wealth
members of his flock. And yet he con
plains of the GOODNESS of his congregatic
and the slow progress of Christianity anon
its members. Could it in reason be othe
, wise? nE