Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-06-05
THE MINISTER'S WIFE.

Ordinarily she is poorly appreclat-
ed, often she is ungratefully treated,
and usually she is subjected to I'M
warranted demands upon her time,
her patience and her forbearance.
In the Methodist Episcopal church |
she is, with her husband, an itinrant,
constitutional wayfarer, stranger
in the land wherein she dwells for
the greater part of the time. Hard
ly does she come to feel that she has
found her congenial friends and
proved them in one place before she
is sent to a strange community to go
over the same ground again. Often
she finds herself comparatively os-
TRACKED, compelled to make advanc-
es for acquaintance or fail to secure
it. Other women are called upon
when they come into the community
as strangers they are introduced,
invited to make acquaintance, and
shown due regard as to their natu-
raj diffidence under the circumstan-
ces: but the minister's wife is eX-
pected to know everybody without an
introduction, and to shake hands with
every one at church, even if she has
to chase the congregation in all di-
rections in order to do so.
Now the truth of the matter is
and all intelligent people ought to
know it without being told-that the
minister's wife is not at the beck and
call of the church and congregation
any more than any other woman in
society. AS new conner in the COM
munity she is entitled to the same
kind treatment, the same considerate
regard and the same reasonable ex-
pectations as any other mortal wom-
an. The fact that society pays her
husband a salary, and hence has GER
tain claims upon him, does not in the
least affect her duties any more than
the wages of the sexton involve his
wife in obligation to take in gratui-
tous washiugs for the congregation.
The congregation has no more just
claim upon the minister's wife to per-
form labor OF make visits simply be-
cause she is his wife, than it has to
drive his horse, or milk his COW, or
burn up his wood, under the plea
that he owns the horse, COW, or wood,
and the congregation owns the min
lister.
The minister's wife has duties and
obligations in the church and COM
munity, but they arise from her rela-
tons to the church and community,
and not from her relations to the
minister. Her duties are simply
those of Christian woman, for the
church may reasonably expect her to
be a Christian woman, and they are
like the duties of other Christian wom-
en-, no more and no less eXacting
than theirs, except as her opportuni-
ties are more OF less favorable. She
ought to do with her might whatso-
ever her hands may find to do to the
glory of God, as ought every other
Christian, whether male or female,
in the ministry Or in the laity. When
therefore the women of the congrega-
ton measure out the duties of the
minister wife, they should consider
that in justice they measure out their
own duty before God, for every wom-
an in this land of gospel civilization
ought to be a Christian and to be en-
gagged in the activities of an earnest
Christian life.
Of course it is fair to admit that
the wife of the pastor has rare OPP
portunities which come to her by her
position, and herein she has obliga-
tons according to her opportunities ;
but the point at issue is in relation
to the unjust and very frequent as
sumption that she must waive all of
the common rights of courtesy and
of society, and become the drudge of
the congregation in answer to every
foolish notion and every sensitive
whim. Her duty is to God and to
her husband and family. To the
community she owes no duty as 6
commercial debt. She oaUes no visit
no call and no bow of recognition
other than does any other person il
society according to the rules of so
cial life. She may waive her rights
and ordinarily she will often do SO
but when people talk about the dutie
of the minister's wife they should us'
a fair degree of common sense anC
,, of reason. And when people come
to reason in the matter they will com'
to realize that the minister's wife il
usually the most benevolent person
in the church or congregation. Fo
Christ's sake and her husbands sake
and for the welfare of the church
she patiently and uncomplainingl
endures the discomforts of perpet
ual itinerancy of life. She has n
home which she can beautify for an
permanent enjoyment; she can plan
no tree and hope to gather it's fruit
she can train no vine and expect t
behold its mature growth; she ca
cherish no memories of sweet assoc
alton with this or that room as til
hallowed place of sacred family hi
! tory, connecting the years and gel
erations; she cannot even bury HI