Daily Republican., 1883-07-06
FRIDAY. July 9. 1883.
Ministers Vacations.

Rll means have it. 1t would be ex.
tremely cruel to have minister vast
ing away by inches when a very few
weeks sojourn by the sea shore Or
amongst the mountain glades and dells
would return him to his charge rein
vigorated and built up in bodily and
physical strength, even if the spiritual
strength had to bear little strain.
Only of late years has it been found
out that ministers need an extended
vacation annually during the summer
months. Our fathers are to be blamed
for not having di scovered sooner that
their ministers were more frail beings
than other people, and required more
nursing, care and indulgence than
other classes of people. But then our
fathers always were queer folks and
were too much in the habit of looking
upon everybody as being nearly alike
and subject to the same moral and
physical laws of nature. They never
dreamed that when they hired min
lister for year, at a round salary, to
look after their moral and spiritual
wants, they would be called upon to dis
pense with the services Of their religious
guide and teacher for one, two, three OF
perhaps more months in the year and
at a time of the year mostly when
weeds and briars in moral sense grow
faster than at any other season of the
year.
We would not be hard on ministers
indeed we rather belong to the indul-
gent class who would assist in packing
their trunks and hurrylng them Off to
the watering places, which the hearts
of too many of them yearn for, yet, at
the same time we cannot help but think
that it is pity that ministers must 60
at time when they are really the most
needed at home In the wicked world of
business strife and activity, even stock,
grain and lard gamblers can cease push
ing opera ions in order to take recrea,
tion by the sea sh ore and recuperate for
the fall and winter campaign and the
people will be better off than if they
had continued active operations, but
somehow it is little difficult to make
spiritual interests chime in and work
smoothly in the same grooves. AT the
very time when business men of the
world can be spared best from home is
the time when the minister's laborS are
needed at home. AS a general thing
congregations are made up of the work
ing and poorer classes of the people who
cannot pack trunks and HE off for a
sOjourn where the briny waves come
dashing on the shores, or to "a lodge
in some vast wilderness, soma con.
tiyuity Of shade as the poet expresses
it, when the dog days draw nigh.
If only ministers and those who need
their spiritual ministrations most could
20 off together to recuperate, then there
need be no serious Interruptions be
tween ministers and people. A minis.
ter's life is not life Of ease and plea
sure, and he who attempts to make j
such has but poor moral conception o
his duties. 1t isa life of unremitting
sacrifice and toll. Wherever poverty,
misery, disease and death abound is the
place where the minister is most need.
ed. In such cases the issu:, arise
where the man Of science must stant
aside for the man of faith. During tn
heated sickly season Of the year there
are lonely bedSides to be watched
there are poor men and women Wh'
must toll all the year in sickness AM
in health, to get bread for their families
there are poor, sick children VIII
.hould be sent into the country for
breath of fresh air. The work O
humanity must not be stopped for tn
rolling seasons, nor the culture of i'm
mortal souls because the weather
wal rm.
In all this labor Of love and duty W
are awarr that ministers need res
and recreation, but must they have
all at once Must they have it at /
time during the summer when t he
services are most needed in their tielG
of ministratiDu. Must churches b
closed duriug the summer to effect th
object? We cannot help but thin
this respect Year after year the hab
Of closing up churches is increasing al
christian congregational worship
made to con form to the most pltasal
season of the year
In relation to summer work in t.
churches the Rev. James Pullman,
New York opposing the ciosin~ OF plac
of worship during the summer, ,Su ggt'
a. an experiment the choosing of t
coolest hour in the day for the holdil
of the services and then to miniIniz
the services so as not to become tlr
some This is certainly good ide
Services need not always consist OF
dry ethical philosophical sermon viii
bulls more to sleep than it interests, b
they should be made 10 Sult ClTClli
stances. The adoption of some Su
plan would make if much easier
tine minister, NOR" agreeable to the CO
gregation, unless il h' one Of the
who are hard to please, and it Won
still enable the hard worked minist
TO devote a few days u each week
rest and recuperation without virtual