The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-08-04
READY TO PREACH.
YEARS OF STUDYING COVERED By A
THEOLOGICAL STUDENT.

Twenty Years Later when lie
as "A Full Pledged Preacher.
you read the other day" said IA rom
inent clergyman, ''of the commencement
exercises Of Princeton theological semi
nary and Of the graduation of "a stu.
dents. There was nothing about that to
attract public attention, and very likely
you did not get further into the article
than the headlines 1t meant "a more
young ~clerSymen in the world, that was
all. to most people. But to u man who
has been through the training that has
Just ended for those boys it means a
great deal more. never read of a SEM
mary commencement without feeling
thankful that so many more students
have pulled through safely.
There is not much general knowledge
Of the labor required in the making of a
clergyman People could easily find out
if they chose to inquire. but it is some
thing they do not stop to think of. A
clergyman is supposed to be able to an
swer any Biblical question that may he
asked him, but where he gets all his
technical knowledge nobody thinks of
asking. IIedoes not get it from reading
the Scriptures, certainly. If you were
10 keep on reading Revelation till you
understood it thoroughly, how old would
you be when yon finished?
mo. don't ask me whether | think |
understand it @ or we may drift
away into Il theological discussion which
will be very unproiitablc. What | start
ed to say is :, nething about the severe
training thai man must go through be-
fore he can hcHraduated from a theolog-
ical seminary and so become a clergy
man. Severe? 1t is more than severe,
and you see it results in thousands of
physically weak preachers all oven the
world.
''The training Of IA clergyman really
begins when ho is Il G-ycar-old child At
his mothers hnce, for i'll nine cases out
of ten tho parents decide for him and
decide early. But start with the boy
when no has been graduated from a
grammar school, because he will prob
ably receive that much education in any
case, whatever his business or profes-
sion is to be. lie should then be IN the
neighborhool of - years old. He must
low begin II special preparation for col
lege, II preparation that differs from the
ordinary preparatory course of students
not studying for the ministry. He must
give 1T least ON years to q special study
Of Greek and Latin. and at the same
time Law n good foundation IN ancient
history, English composition and litcra-
ture and higher arithmetic and algebra.
The boy then, at 10, is ready - enter
college and taho the usual four wears
classical course. III the first year he
struggles with algebra, geometry, Latin,
Greek, English history aud English lit
erature. Ia the second year the same,
with the addition OF comparative physi-
ology, mechanics. analytical geometry,
physics AMI rhetoric. In the third year
he adds also chemistry. logic. German,
political science and philosophy. The
fourth collegiate year includes all Of
these studies and geology, consular and
international law, French, ethics. astron-
omy and botany besides.
He is now,o on leaving college, ready
to enter Il theological seminary, unless
indeed he proposes to go into the gem
eral theological seminary Of the Protes-
tant Episcopal church, III which case he
is required to be able to read the Old
Testament III Hebrew and the New Tes-
lament in Greek before he can enter.
After his eight years Of Greek lie should
be able to read the New Testament III
the original, but this does not always
follow. 1t often happens that II student
who goes through his Greek lessons we'll
enough i'll college finds on going into the
seminary, where lie must actually use
the language, that he knows very little
about it.
''ThC course in the theological semi
nary occupies three ycars-making II
years study in all after leaving the
grammar school. The studies in tho
theological seminary are theology,
church history, Old and New Testament
languages, geography of Palestine, moral
philosophy and sociology, with lectures
on ~scrmoniZIng and the duties of n min
lSltr anu IItCllCul tNtIlllltS Ill lrc;itii-
ing. Hebrew is one of the sticking
points, for it is positively necessary for
a theological student to read Hebrew III
most as readily as he can English. 1t is
a grind, a terrible grind, this long strus-
gle with Greek ard Hebrew.
'lt is i'll the seminary, Of course, that
the student gets his theological training.
Still each denomination has its favurite
college. Theological students frequently
occupy an unpleasant position through
uttheir collegiate and seminary courses.
The churches help them when they are
not able TO help themselves, and they
too often have the feeling Of being in
part charity students. All Of the col
leges make n reduction in the tuition Of
candidates for the ministry.
"After graduation from the Theological
seminary tho student receives II profcs-
sional certificate from the faculty, and
he must then pass an examination before
the Chassis or p~resbytcry in whose juris-
dictiOn he lives. HAVING posspl tbis ba