The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-06-09


You read the other day. said a prom
lnent ~cler--1lin. "of the commencement
exercises q, 'rinceton theological semi
nary and T., -" graduation of "a stu
dents T. was nothing about that to
attract puaI.c attention. and very likely
q did not get further into the article
than the headlines 1t meant "a more
votln. c~lercvnen in the world. that was
all. 10 riost people But to II man who
has been through the training that has
inst ended for those boys it means n
great deal more. never read Of "A SEM
mary commemorate 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 ont
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 be
asked him. but where he gets all his
technical knowledge nobody thinks Of
asking He does not get it from reading
the Scriptures. certainly. If You were
to keep on reading Revelation till you
understood it thoroughly. how old would
you be when You finished:
NO. don't ask me whether ] think !
understand it now or we may drift
away into a theological discussion which
will be very Improbable. What start
ed to say is something about the severe
training that a man must go through be-
fore he can be graduated from a theolog-
ical seminary and so become a clergy
man. Severe? II is more than severe,
and you see it results in thousands Of
physically weak preachers all over the
world.
The training of IA clergyman really
begins when he is IL O-vear-old child at
his mothers knee. for in nine cases out
of ten the parents decide for him and
decide early. But start with the boy
when he has been graduated from n
grammar school. because he will prob
ably receive that much education in any
case. whatever his business or profess
sion i to be. He should then be in the
neigllborAool of Il years old. He must
now begin a specia! preparation for col
lege. a propagation that differs from the
ordinary preparatory course of students
not studying for the ministry. He must
give at least four years to n special study
of Greek and Latin. and at the same
time lay a good foundation in ancient
history. English composition and litera-
ture and higher arithmetic and algebra.
The bog hen. at IL. is ready TO enter
college and take the usual four years
classical course. In the first year he
struggles with algebra. geometry, Latin.
Greek. English history and English lit
erature. IN the second year the I'M
with the addition of comparative physi-
ology. mechanics. analytical geometry,
physics AMI rhetoric. In the third year
Re adds also chemistry. logic. German.
political science and Philosophy. The
fourth COLLEGIATE year includes all Of
these studies and geology, consular ami
international law, French. ethics. astron-
olny aad botany besides.
He is now. on leaving college. ready
to enter d theological seminary, unless
indeed he proposes 10 20 into the gem
eral theological seminary of the Protes-
tant Episcopal church. in which case he
is required to he able to read the OH
Testament in Hebrew and the New Tes-
lament in Greek before he can enter.
After his eight years of Greek lie shout
be able to read the New Testament il
the original. but this does not always
follow. 1t often happens that a student
who goes through his Greek lessons well
enough in college finds on going into the
seminary. where he must actually use
the language. that he knows very little
about it.
THE course in the theological semi
nary occupies three years-making II
years study in all after leaving the
grammar school. The studies in the
theological seminary are theology,
church history. Old and New Testament
languages. geography of Palestine. moral
philosophy and sociology, with lectures
on sermonizlng and the duties of a min
lister and practical examples in preach
ing. Hebrew is one of the sticking
points. for it Is positively necessary for
a theological student to read Hebrew al
most as readily as he can English. It is
a grind. a terrible grind. this long strug-
gle with Greek and Hebrew.
1t is in the seminary, of course, that
the student gets archaeological training.
Still each denomination has its fav0rite
college. Theological students frequently
occupy an unpleasant position through
odt their collegiate md 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 a reduction in the tuition of
candidates for the ministry.
After graduation from the theological
seminary the student receives a profess
sional certificate from the faculty, and
he must then pass an examination before
the Chassis or presbytery in whose juris-
diction he lives. Having passed this. he
receives a license to preach. He then
awaits a call "a most important matter,