The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1882-07-22
THE ALLEGED DECAY OF THE PULPIT

From the Philadelphia Times.
An eminent British scholar has writ
ten an elaborate treatise in which he
sets forth reasons for what he considers
to be the decline of the pulpit and the
decay of its influence over the people.
Comparing the power of the pulpit with
what it was a century of two ago he sees
it somewhat shriveled and emasculated.
To great extent he regards this as the
result of having a less efficient class of
men for clergymen than in former days
He regards their training, both in intel
lectual equipment and in oratory, as far
short of what it ought to be. There is
no denying that he is to great extent
right on both these points, and yet, in
spite of the infrmities and shortcomings
of pulpiteers of the present day, it must
be admitted that the pulpit is yet liv-
ing and powerful force in the land,
and likely to be so for long time to
come.
1t must not be supposed that all the
clergymen of the olden time were such
intellectual or theological giants as the
few whose names have come down to us.
Many of them were just such as we have
now, save that they had neither the
education nor the practical knowledge
of the world which are the portion of
many of the clergy of to-day. Not a
few of them were long -winded and drea-
ry. Some were extremely narrow-mind-
ed and controversial. Some believed,
as their successors do now, that their
way of thinking Was the only way
With the increase of facilities for ac-
curing education the theological stu
dent of TO day has better opportunities
of fitting himself for preaching the gos-
pei than his great-grandfather had
And yet probably his great-grandfather
exerted among the little community to
whom he preached a far more solid in
fuence than the young man is likely to
at the present day.
Two centuries ago the laymen were
not educated as laymen are now, nor
were there in the pews such thinkers as
we find sitting in the pews of to-day
Our pews are cushioned, and invite to
slumber if the preacher be dull. But
let the preacher take it for granted that
his pews are so largely filled with sleepy
heads that he can pass off upon them
any crude or ill-considered rubbish, and
he soon finds that he has made a mis-
take. There is no longer the blind rev.
erence for the clergy which existed
in the days of our forefathers. Now
the people think for themselves, which
is better, even though it involves the
frequent asking of questions which
clergymen find it hard to answer. This
questioning is good, for it sets the min
listers to thinking. It makes them SEN
sible that they must be prepared to an
swer anything that may be asked.
There is one variety of clergymen
whose pulpit influence is on the wane.
He is the man who lives wholly on the
traditions of the past and is Ignorant of
the world of to-day. He has imbibed
his theology from the dry-as-dust pro-
fessors and has been half-choked by it.
He has learned his arts of oratory from
men who were made professors because
they emptied the houses they tried to
edify and had to preach to empty pews
or not at all. He is principled against
keeping pace with modern thought and
therefore has to retire in confusion
when inquirers seek him with trouble
some questions. The decay of such a
clergyman is not matter for regret
He may as we'll decay as not, for it is all
he ever will do.