Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-12-03
RELIGIOUS.
Topics of Interest 10 the Dsnoml'
natianai World.
Moderh Ciergymen and Their lnausaee-
How to Reach Children-6ea-
era Religious Miscellany
Modern CIergyoen.

modern ClergyDen-
The clergy nowadays receive frequent
reminders that at best they are rather
an unnecessary class of men. They are
told that they represent the waning and
diving power of priestcraft, that they are
the paid special pleaders of bad case in
a hostile court and before an Indifferent
jury, that they are neither men nor wo-
men, but cross between the two-with
most of the vices Of the former and al
the petty faults Of the latter, and tina
at best they are only mild enthusiast
who sigh for mythical past or dream
of an impossible future. Notwithstand
ing all these serious indictments brought
against them by the unbeliever or the
wording, the clergy, as whole, main-
tain their place In the affections and re-
gard of the people. They take the lead
in our cities, towns and villages when
ever any movement is organized for bet
tering the condition OF mankind. NO
other profession in the community
speakstO such q large constituency in
favor of morality and goodness. And
barring certain painful exceptions, no
other body OF men In the community Is
equal to them in disinterestedness and
genuine goodness. The sneer OF the in-
fidel will never obscure or change this
fact. And yet while admitting all this,
it is plainly apparent that the influence
of the clergy is not only not what 1t
used to be, but not nearly as great as 1t
ought to be. The country parson OF
England two hundred years ago, or the
Puritan parson of New England one
hundred wears ago, exercised much
more power and welded a far wider in
huence than ihe modern parson Of to-
day. Why this declension in power
and influence? First of all it may be
answered that the more general ditfu-
sion of knowledge has lifted all the peo-
pie up nearer to the pedestal on which
the clergyman formerly stood alone.
PEOPLE who sit in the pews now ire
uuently know more about the special
subject on which the clergyman is
spcaking than he does HIM
self The topics which were form
erly discussed only in the pull
nit are now treated CXhaustively by
learned specialists in fresh books and
magazines, or even in the teeming pages
of the daily newspaper. The sacred do
main of theology is now boldly invaded
bv seekers after truth in every depart
mcnt Of human learning. They draw
back the curtains that used to hide the
holy Of holes from the common gaze;
and it must be confessed that they fire.
uuently find but little To reward their
eager inquisltivCncss. The trend Of
modern thought is toward an absolute
intellectual aud moral republicanism;
and while this is perfectly in keeping
with the Christian dogma Of brother
hood, i cuts away all the supports from
the medieval Christian idea Of priest
hood. So that the modern, mis- .tr
must derive his influ"r1, iiOt from the
fictitious supr's :: of the Church, but
from his innate superiority and nobll-
iIy as q man among men. Another
reason for the lessening of the influence
of the clergy is that their intense con-
servatism has made them appear, in
some respects, as fossils in a world in
stinct with life and change. In many
WAYS modern thought has left them far
behind. They tenaciously cling to the
old dismantled forts, and make show
of defending them, when no enemy is
near. They often mistake their theory
of truth for the truth ITSELF and they
frequently confuse the traditional in-
depreciation of fact for the fact. The
consequence of all this is that they are
considered impractical by men who live
in the real world of to-day. The mes
sage they deliver may be true and i'm
pOItant; but it is often tinged with a
glory of the pas, or saturated with inn
possible hopes for the future. Theolog-
ical Instructions are put in place Of the
facts ofhuman life and experience; and
the Book of Daniel and the Apocalypse
are exalted above the BeatitUdes or the
Sermon on the Mount. 1t is not strange
that a restless, practical age like this
should cease to follow exclusively men
who have in some things ceased to
sympathi2e with its struggles and tri-
umphs. And the clergy will only re-
cover their lost ground when they sup
plement their blameless lives with
wider sympathy for the Thoughts and
aspirations of men and women as they
are,