The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-17
THE OLD MINISTER REJECTED AND
NEGLECTED.

! To the Editor Of the Eagle,
A lawayer or physician, if faithful OF
laborious, may reasonably expect tC
secure comfortable home and in his
old age be in receipt Of his largest in
come. The minister may be just as
secure that, however faithful and
laborious he may be, his income will
decrease with coming years, and when
he is old all income will cease. At the
age when experience in law or medicine
becomes the chief capital in paying
practice, the minister is not only un-
desired and unsought but he is actually
crowded aside that his place and work
may be given to others who are utterly
without either training or experience.
He is unable to so into business from
lack of capital. He is untitled by his
ministerial habits to take up another
profession. He is physically unable to
learn trade or work at it
if he had one. The church
which he has made rich turns
him adrift to support himself as best he
may with the aid of beggarly pittance
doled out as a gratuity. The gift is be-
slowed with such offensive parade that
nothing but absolute need will drive him
to accept it. Methodism does better by
her veteran ministers than any other
Protestant church in this country, but
she comes far short of either her ability
or duty. She contributed just dime
from each member and probatiOner in
1890. Three annual conferences gave %
cents or over per capita; four, from 20 to
% cents: twenty-three, over 10 and
under 20 cents: twenty-four, over ) and
under 10 cents; twenty-five, / to cents,
sixteen, less than 1 cent. Eight hundred
and six churches gave 50 each; 401
churches, 81; 511 churches So; 767
churches, 50; S73 churches. 81; 1919
churches, so. Five thousand, two humid
red and seventy-seven churches gave
$9,574 or less than s. from each church.
In the state of Kansas there are four
annual conferences. In these confer
ences $3.50 Methodists contributed in
1891 for the support of veteran minis
tiers, 81, 269, or little over cents each.
They contributed to church benevolences
S35, 677. Thirty-three veteran ministers
received S4,495 or 1874 each; twenty
seven widows received S., 226 or Sl20
each. Had these sixty claimants been
dependent upon the contributions of the
people, 81, 269, they would have received
81 each. The rest was provided by the
dividends of the Methodist Book Con-
Germ. So, 334, and other funds.
Eighty-eight churches with S.S43
members and practitioners, $685.
worth of property. paying SIS. 646 salary,
contributing 81 709 TO church benevo-
lences, gave 80 TO the veterans. One
hundred and fifty churches with $3.50
members and probationers, 1891
$50 worth of property, paying
1853 salary, contributing $500
TO church benevolences. gave SAB
10 the Veterans. Two hundred and
thirty eight churches with %, ABB mem
hers and probationers. 1891 800 worth of
property, paying $500 salary, CON
tributing S., 500 TO church beuevolences.
gave S443 TO the Veterans. or less than
s. from each church. Had the pastors
secured for the Veterans out one per
cent. of their own salaries. the amount
raised would have been more than
doubled. This terrible exhibit reveals
the greatest weakness in Methodist
polity. There can be but one remedy
for this evil. Let each pastor do as he
" i'll wish TO be done by when he is
veteran. JAY Benson HAMILTON.
hackettstowu. Y. J.