The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1881-09-01
SUPPORT OF THE MINISTRY

| We call public attention specially to
the following timely article from the
Nashville Banner of Aug. %.
Among those likely to suffer from
the effects of the drought, none are
more in danger of pecuniary troubles
than the ministers of the gospel.
Under the most favorable auspices
i is with great difficulty that these men
of God, who devote their whole time
to ameliorating the condition Of man
kind, are supported. People do not
consider that in calling or accepting
their services, they are under any L.
gal or moral right to do more than
give them what they can, withoutany
inconvenience whatever, spare from
their resources. They do not esteem
it debt in any sense, if they from
any cause fail to pay them, they feel
no conjunction about it. With this
sentiment it is easy to see that in a
time of scarcity the Y will let every
thing 60 by the board save those de BITS
they are compelled by law 10 pay.
1t is true enough that everybody, es-
pecially the farming community, will
be straitened this year from the fail
ure Of crops, But is it tair, honorable
or just, that the entire suffering shall
be borne by one class? Suppose every
person fails to paJ his usual dues to
the chuIch, the question arises how are
the preachers 20 live? They have de
voted all their time to their duties.
They are excluded from ordinary ave
cations and are, with but few excep-
tons entirely dependent on their
meaEre allowance Tor support. The
Church, with the view OF Iessening
the burdens Of the people as much as
possible, allows the preachers but u
small amount, barely enough to sus-
tain lie at any time when it is ill paid
up. Each man will say ''the preacher
gets more than I do and lives and
dresses better than [, and I'll pay
nothing this year" This agreement
with themselves, entered into by two
thirds the members, leaves the poor
man in deplorable condition. He
has family and they must live. Re
lying on the allowance voted him,
generally liberal enough, he goes in
debt for the actual necessaries of life,
and the church failing to make it
good, puts him in the Questionab BILE
attitude IF getung goods Oh false pre-
fences. But VINO Is responsible for it?
Let who may, yet the preacher is the
one who suffers. \ hue and cry is
raised against him, his reputation
suffers and the poor mans usefulness
Is destroyed. All this would have
been avoided if the members would
only pay the pittance promised him.
The assessment Of the members is, as
a rule, made with the consent of each
member. If now they VIII only, for
the very reason that some always fall
short or off altogether, exert them
selves and make this debt the PREFER
ed one, how much happiness they
would bring into the family of the
faithful minister. It's a debt, a sacred
one, R preferred one, a debt each man
in his dying hour viii regret that it
was left unpaid. For the very reason
that no legal obligation holds in it the
obligation should be stronger. A
small, very small self denial Will en-
able everyone to pay their share. Let
the presence of the drought instill into
each man the determination to pay the
minister. He is, ola creditors, least
able to be deferred. When a thing is
to be done it is easy to do it by only
setting about DANG doing it. Then let
each member reason thus: ''Inasmuch
as the minister is likely to lose his sup
per, I'll pay my dues" and the thing is
d.