Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1883-06-02
The Dearth of ministers.

Fear OF the Temptation to Intellectual
InsincerIty Keeps Back Many Young
Men.
president Eliot of Harvard in PriHcet Rsview.l
The achievements of scientific inquirere,
animated by this spirit of sincerity and truth,
have been so extraordinary within the past
60 years, and tais candid spirit is III itself so
admirable, that the educated world has ac-
cepted it as the only true Inspiration of re-
search in all departments of learning. No
other method of inquiry now commands re-
spect. Even the ignorant have learned to
despise the process of searching for proofs
of foregone conclusion. Apologetics have
ceased TO convince anybody, if they ever did.
Thus the intellectual world has set up new
standard of intellectual sincerity, and Pro-
testant theologians and ministers must rise to
that standard if they would continue to com
mand the respect of mankind. How differ
ent was the situation of the profession when
diplomacy was the only other learned callingl
Even the legal profession as it was gradually
differentiated from the clerical, made no such
sharp requisition of mental honesty and inde
pendence 1t is the electric light of science
which has made white and transparent the
whole temple of learning. These remarks
imply that ministers, as class, and as a nee
essary consequence of the ordinary manner
of their education and induction into office,
are peculiarly liable to be deficient in intel
lectual candor and that is what l, in COM
think and think further that this belief
on the part of nultitudes of educated men,
most of whom are silent on the subject, is a
potent cause of the decline of the ministry
during the past 40 years. The fault is quite
as much that of the churches or sects as of
the individual ministers; for almost every
church or sect endeavors to tie its members,
and particularly its ministers, to a creed,
set of articles or body of formulas These
bonds are put on by most ministers at IN
early age and must be worn all their lives,
on peril of severing beloved associations, or,
perhaps, losing a livelihood. The study,
| reading, and experience of so years are sup
| posed to work no essential change in the
| opinions of the youth The creed or the
| articles may be somewhat vague and elastic,
but cannot honestly be stretched much. Now,
| the lay world believes in the progress of
| knowledge, because it has witnessed progress;
and it is persuaded that there must be inces-
| SAINT progress in theological science as well
| as in all other branches of learning. It does
not see metaphysieians, physicians, histo-
rians, chemists, biologists or biologists COM
| nlitting themselves in youth to set of opln-
| ions which is to last them lifetime, or even
| day; on the contrary, they see all these
| classes of scholars avowedly holding their
| present opinions subject to change upon the
| discovery of new facts or of better light up
| ON old facts, and, as rule, actually modify
| ing their opinions in important respects be-
tween youth and age. Indeed, fxlty OF opln-
| ion is hardly respectable among scholars. If
| it be said that there can be no progress. in
theology, because revelation was fixed his
torical quantity, the answer Is that rezela5ion,
like creation. must be fluent; or, in other
| words, that the Interpretation of revelation
| to the mind of man must be like the inter-
probation of creation ever flowing shifting,
and if the mind of man improves, improving.
No other profession is under such terrible
| stress of temptation to intellectual dishonesty
as the clerical profession is, and at the same
time the public standard of intellectual can
dor has been set higher than ever before.
This is the state Of things which deters many
young men of ability and independence from
entering the profession, and causes the &C.
knowledged dearth of noble ministers.