New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-20
THE BLUE MONDAY CLUB.
DISCUSSES THE RELATION OF THE CLERGY
TO MODERN LIFE.

the Church of the Elite. was present, in addition to
| those who took part in the discussion on the
| Church OF the Future.
DOcrOR passing around box OF cigarsl-I see
! The Haiiy Sheer says that the clergy have lost
nearly all the influence which they posses.
Hay TFACHER-Yes, it says they are n sort of
religious bric-a-brac, ornamental, but not useful
NtWLIGHi-ln regard to some of tho clergy
think The Sheer Is right. In our Church we have
any number of pretty little priestets, who plume
themselves being the Lords ADointed before
their boards lave begun to grow. And boys who
ought to be finishing their course in college think
! themselves capable of teaching gray-headed men
because bishop has land his hama on their heads
STOLE-My dear sir. you surely don't mean TO
deny the grace of orders.
NtwLIGHr-No, if | can define the term myself,
but would like to see it accompanied by the grace
of humility and the virtue of c0mmOn-sense.
SwEETNEss-I don't much like the tone of The
HHeer III reference to religion. The editor always
seems to regard himself being just little
lower than the angels, who is cock-surO of all
things but there is some truth in his present
charge indeed we may cheerfully admit that it is
good thing for the world that the clergy have lost
some of the influence they possessed, The
clergy nowadays as official class, holy order if
you please. are of little account; as examples of a
/ Il
| sway the world.
NEMo-After all, that is the point The clergy
are just what they make themselves. If they re-
member what they are, the world W Ill pay them all
due honor But II not, they will become byword
and reproach. For my part am quito content to
| have it so. don't want 10 be propped up by di
! vine order, if can't stand by myself.
! HELIOTRCPE-I believe even the Protestant ver-
| sion of the Bible contains the passage Let him
that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall"
Mr.. Memo cannot understand the comfort 1t is to us
poor, falllbe priests to know that Holy Church is
our refuge when the world is against u.s. and that
her sacramcntal graces will give us strength to
stand firm III the day of trial.
| GINGER The Kingdom of God cometh not by OBJ
| servation. The still small voice may be heard in
! the plain meetrng-hOuse far more clearly than iu
the costly cathedral with its priests and popes and
| sacramento
HELroTRoPE-I fear that DR.. Ginger likes cathe-
dralS as little as he does the of sin the
Of BelIal
| NEMo-The clergy often lose the respect of their
people nowadays by showing themselves to be
timcserveIs. heard of a young clergyman the
other day who was exceedingly anxious to attract
a very rich man to his church and prepared SER
! mon which not only Ic-echOcd all the rich mans
| wcIl-known hobbies even to that of orchids, but
was filled with thiny velled praises of rich men in
general. He carried that sermon to church with
! him eight weeks in addition to his regular sermon,
! so as to be able to spring it on Dives when lie
should drop in At last he was able to preach it,
and acquitted himself with great credit
Mr. SrNAI-And of course he landed the fish,
mean the rich man, III one of the most expensive
pews.
NEMo-Well, no the sermon happened to con-
tain an alusion to God, and the rich man being an
agnostic was disgustcd and joined the UnItarans.
! Laughter
SwrrryEss-G Gentlemen, the joke appears to be
on me- hut if | tried very hard think could find
an agnostlc or two in every one of your congrega-
| tons.
nELIorRoPE-You will find none in the Catholic
Church.
GINGER-No; judging from history | don't think
/ it would be healthy for them.
! NrwiIGHI-Thls talk about agnOsticlsm has be-
come a sort Of cant. Many sO-called agnostIcs are
| often only men who refuse to accept a human creed
as Divine. They may be mistaken III many things,
/ but they try to be honest and honesty in the long
run will never hurt a man. | don't know but what
! am an agnostic myself about great many things
! that most of my brethren are absolutely sure Of.
! SEVERAL YoICES-You are. fLaughter
| NEwLIGHT- Really. gentlemen, this hearty assent
| quite takes away my breath. Pray don't tell my
! bishop of the circumstance.
KN.X-In my opinion the modern clergy fail To
exert their proper influence because they are not
sufficiently in earnest. Our preaching reflects the
/ cynic>m of the age. Our sermons are too often
only polished dIscourses aiming TO be first a piece
OF oratory, and then perhaps in published form a
piece of literature. This is all wrong. Moody has
shown what an earnest man without the So
called culture of the schools can do.
LGur-Whcn | read the elaborate published
sermons of some of the English clergy. divided up
INTO heads and sub-hcads. abounding in Latin and
Greek phrases and abStruse theological terms aud
loaded down with coplous notes, | think what
contrast they to the simple nature talks of tho
Great Galllean.
Hay TrAcuER-Bcsdcs that many of the clergy
are handicapped by almost intolcrable mannersms.
and he hearers are frightened ctf before they have
a chance to know the value of what Is said. We
must remember that the people whop promptly damn
Il poor actor will just as promptly damn poor
preacher. | have heard them do it myself.
Iaughtcr
DOCloR-Not in your own church, | am sure.
SioLE-If we gave the people more of the sacred
monotone of the Primitive Church, they would III
the end be better pleased.
LIGIIr-It seems tome that our theological semi
uarcs do not properly equip men for preaching 10
| nineteenth century sinners.
NrwGIGHr-N0: they seem to think that they
are preparing preachers FOR the First century Some
! of our theological Summaries rot only useless
| int harmful Their teaching is rractiOnary, and
| tccming with errors. If the students who are
| graduated from them didn't soon forget most Of
what they learned in them they would empty their
| churches in SIX mouths. II took me two years to
get over the mai,yu influence of my seminary
| cour.e. | would like to see great many of our
useless seminarles and useless colleges TOO for that
| matter abolished. We would be better of without
| them A man with vocation TO preach will iind
| ont how to do So without the aid of scmlnarieS.
| NrMo-I would defy the best seminary in the
world 10 make anything out of some OF the Material
| that comes to them.
ItGnr-Yes, some men seem to be born black
! sheep.
| KNfCKFRRoCKER-Au one black sheep in the
20, lr, ,la