Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-15
of trouble. But if war comes now England
and France must of necessity participate
and none can foretell the consequences.
FALsESHEPHERDS.

FALSE SHEPHERDS.
But he that is a hireling, and not the shep-
herd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the
wolf coming. and leaveth the sheep, and heeth;
and the wolf catcheth them, and gcattereth the
sheep-JoHN x:l2.
The prevailing hard times affect churches
as well as individuals. People find them
selves unable to contribute as was their wont
to the support of the ministry of the gospel,
and church organizations have been obliged
to curtail their expenses in every possible
way. Expensive choirs have in many in
stances been dispensed with, and the salaries
of the occupants of the pulpits have been
reduced to slight degree commensurate
with the income of the church. While
great majority of the clergy have
submitted gracefully to a reduc-
ton of their emoluments in the ex-
pectation that a return of greater prosperity
will enable their congregations eventually to
pay the old salaries. we regret to observe
that quite number of the ministers all over
the country have, to use trades union
phrase, ''struck against the reductions
The religious newspapers of the country
TEEN with paragraphs like these:
The Rev. Mr.. Smith has resigned his charge,
owing to the inability of his congregation to
pay the salary he has heretofore received.
Owing to the resignation of the pastor ON &C.
count of q reduction of his salary, services in
the - church will be suspended for the
present.
1t is noticeable that the pastors who
most frequently throw up their
charges are not those who have
been poorly paid, but those who have re-
ceived munifcent salaries, far more than is
commensurate with the value of their SER
vices, and far more than their abilities would
command in any other field of labor. Like
the false shepherd spoken of in the text
quoted, they flee at sight of the wolf of
hard times, desert their sheep to be deyoured
OR scattered to the four winds of heaven.
Within the past Blk months no less than
sixty-four churches in our largest cities have
been either wholly or practically disbanded
from the desertion of their pastors. This is
not due to the lack of clergymen, for reports
show that there are now idle little over
three thousand ministers of various
denominations, who are for the most
part O. tax upon their friends
and relatives for support. Very many of
them have recently left churches which are,
considering the times, in prosperous circum-
stances, simply for the reason that the con-
gregations could not pay as large salaries as
| when times were good and money was plen-
ty. And the churches they have left are
either disbanded wholly or are struggling
along as best they may with an occasional
supply for the pulpit. But without leader
they are fast becoming discouraged. Dis
sessions are springing up among the mem
bers that might be prevented if some recog-
nized head was present to pour oil on the
troubled waters; members are drifting away
to other churches one by one or in squads;
the Sunday school and prayer meeting are
spiritless and SHINY attended, and it is only
question of time when the church build
lngs will have to be sold to pay the creditors,
and what little remains of the organization
will melt away. The prospect for them is
not very cheering. Dissolution is as Ger
tain as that the sun will rise on the morrow,
and the absorption of all that has been ex-
pended to build the churches up is inevitable
unless some kind providence shall send them
some true sheppard who will bring order out
of the present chaos, and gather together
once more the scattered fragments.
1t is idle to call clergymen who desert
their focks in such times as these by the
name of Christians. They do not possess
the very essence of Christianity-a spirit of
self -sacriGce-although in majority of in
stances its exercise would be unnecessary;
for even at the reduced salaries they have
refused they could have lived in comfort if
not in elegance. A man who is faithful to
cause in times of prosperity, but deserts
it IN times of adversely is not man one de-
lights to contemplate, and when this lack of
fealty manifests itself in clergyman the
quality becomes doubly reprehensible and
contemplate. Clergymen ought to know as
all others know that the church expenses of
poOpio dfS tu0 laSC 10 % CQrGa1loQ, and
only the direst necessity ever drives people
to reduce the salary of it's pastor. And to
refuse to submit to such necessity-to en-
danger the existence of the church and pcr-
haps cause injury to the cause of religion in
general by DESERVING flock at such time, is
cowardly and wholly unchristian. To ask
the blessing of Deity for such men is sheer
mockery. Instead of extending to them the
welcome approval, "Well done, good and
faithful servant" he will say, depart from
me; never knew you.''
HOW JOHN AND 10 BECOME CIVIL
lied.
Is our civilization failure? We think
not. Year after year it is extending its in
fuence over the nations of the world, and
ono after another of the barbarous tribes of
Asia and Africa are acknowledging its sway
The arts and sciences are making wonderful
progress, and cropping out in some unex-
pected places, much to the surprise of people
generally. For many decades it has been
the current belief in this country that all
efforts towards the civilization of the In
IL