New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-31
THE PARSONS STUDY.
RELIGION AND LIFE.

Trp parsons study Is interesting place b ~
student Of human nature. Oh, no. II is not eatpev
filed with manuscript sermons and theological MO-.
ture. You may look IN vain even for the isans
barrel which the good parson is supposed To tra sv
every little while. The parson Is getting 10 b
sly dog In these days Of press publicity. and he DOOM
keep the barfcI in dcnre. In fact suspect o.
In many the barrel has no existence. I In.
ono good parson who goes through his sermons ~
year with o blue pencil and pafr Of shears. II
carefully read over my old masterpieces he says
switch means my whole collection, and save out d
them the passages which seem 10 me TO have con
intrinsic value, and destroy everything else. ths
good idea. get rid Of awful lot OF ephemo,a
stuh, and have for future few ideas which
csn utilize in fresh sermons. find, too, that eva
in the course Of year grow sway from many d
my old sermons, not Of course In shythink fund.-
mental but In the way Of putting thngs and n
certain delicate shadings Of ideas that to q man a
nice discrimination are all important. My years
reading and thinking have changed me, humbt
nope for the better; and I feel that I am under a
moral obligation to gve my hearers the benent d
the change. SO / seldodr preach an old unrevisd
sermon"
Just glance at the parsons books They are not an
theological by any means. To be sure you win
hnd among them some ponderous tones on general
theology, which all good parsons are supposed to
have, but which few good parsons nowadays find tho
time to read YOu Will also ind among them ssme !,
works which prove beyond the 81 .dow doubt, that
tho denomination TO which the parson belongs Is the
BEST the purcst the noblest, II the trues Church
the face OF the earth. But alas. fear the parson
doesn't read these books very often else why are
they so thckly with dust In his green and
salad days In the seminary he paid much attention
to Them and he began his ministry with the resSlve
to stare the world with the profound arguments
tained In them. But somehow or other. he began to
get out Of touch with them Just in proportion as N
began get In touch with real life and the real
flesh and blood men and women around him. lie wa
ashamed Of the change in his mental outlook; but
he Just couldn't help 1t. At last he accepted the IN
evtablc, and he looks at the dusty tones without
a qualm of conscience. He wonder, sometimes
he couldn't sell the old things, exchange them for
few books on the latest conclusions Of science.
Temporal o mOrcs The parson Of to-day Is no longer
theological dry asduSt but living. thinking throb
bling OF the age, nxiOu> In his poor weak way IN
make this world little better, little cleaner. and
a little more wholesome than 1t IS Lat Us drop
tear for the od-timc Boanerges OF tradition and
dogma he Is gathered to his fathers in the eternal
sleep OF oblivion, and there has arisen Ia his place
the parson Of the nineteenth century, who Is trying
imperfectly IL may tc and with many mistakes, 10
preach salvation and life to the eager anxious doubt
ing men and women around him. The narson q
dead long live the parsOn.
But his books are not the only things that maxs
the parsons study interesting. There enter Into
that quiet little sanctum OF the mute trag'es
and comedies Of human life 1t Is tie clearing house
Of his parish the ark Of refuge where the afflicted snt
the sorrowful may go to find protection from the
stormssof No need for the good parson
insist any auricular confession from those VINO
love and trust him. They are only too anxious 10
come Of their own accord, and lay before him The
sins and sorrows that have overwhelmed them. Tho
parson only paid sermon writer! Why' bi@Ss YOU
there are some weeks when he is SO busy DONG
his Masters business when he absolutely knows that
| he is doing Gods work. in Gods own way that ne
| actually has no time to prepare a sermon. 80 ra
poor fellow only able To talk to his people as thoogn
they were sinners: brilliant rhetoric. no pulpit shy'
rockets And you and /. dear reader. who listen to
| him. wonder why a great church outs up with such
| q prosy preacher. All, yes. the parsons study 10
faithful mirror Of life. In II We who are privileged
TO enter may see the hidden springs Of action, the
causes Of the smiles and tears the JOY and sornw
that we see in the big world around Us. :" A man l
am and therefore nothing that Is human Is foreign 70
! me- Is the motto Of the parson. And So not merely
religion In its restricted sense but re whole sphere
tof human life may be discussed BY US, as We SIT WIN
| the parson In his wonderful study
We are hearing good deal about political parsons
fust now in this city. Every saloonkeeper and gam
bier and scoundrel in town Is In state OF hoN hooe
about them. He Is ready to weep as ne thlhks Vi 'n0
way in which the political parsons are negecuns tff
church duties while they denonnoing hievery ah0
rascallty in municipal affairs Has 1t come 10 ths
pathetically asks the rumseler, when he hears tas
Gonna hold had parsons have been preaching against
the domination of the city saloon in the city govern
| ment The church Is in danger shouts the VAN
hummer and tough he reads the report Oh sco,'~
ing denuncaton from some pulpit OF bribery az uoo
| tions "Iet the ministers attend to their sprisu@
duties, aercely demands the political boss when ne
,lyaSp
New-York being any longer ruled BY thieves, u,us''
criminals and depraved people generally Really tae's
notca parsons must be terrible fellows, ln,teaa ..
remaining all the week in their study au po lived
| learned discourse the sins OIL the Jew VIM -
three thousand years ago. they actually nave wv Tsa,
dacity to tackle the sins and sinners OF to-day 1os
sorre now among plain every day citizens of this ey:
and that the Moral Law should be put IN prsurs ~
e who 'e are old foses might think that there nothing
especially political in condemnng theft anu ~ dis
| tba nile n the saloon. We might be inclined W ~ ~.
no ,u shanv between such issues and those Oh w
tariff for instance. protection or S,ac @ h,
lut the pug nd so with righteous Indignation they m
nm their voices against the political parsons
| tlIent fellows who trying to oVetturh TPu''@
| institutions.
am sorry to say that Paul tn ,a npI nD,H: aSu,
in current affairs and overtumins thru ,gSisratiou
asnSsss ! TsSs tss Of 5sh EsSsu.
w have been sort Of political bo,s In p tns r c
cause the little Jew whom we kno% as aa an e6cisnt
and all he Grand nar Se ts9ehe and h
recorded in oy Writ rs, he 'a'G Mor ss se -
oS hsar that MOI alone at EphesuS. out aip,y nS
ali Asia this sa PSnI hat aa Rsy be- no
turned away w With hands: 20 that not only this on
ss set so at ssHf b,n sa sd,
Sd@ ali Asia and tn world worsHpInth n W." Ard
argument that went home, and the graz 1,na o. the
".th Ur,tb cried ont: Great Is luaIa, -
En wp' they had no use for political paT ees
With few verbal chanGes tne ,ar the hoses Of
o.day in their attacks on the polusai pa'e''''
am surprised that they have not USED IT,
~ =.