Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1893-11-24
READY TO PREACH.
YEARS OF STUDYING COVERED BY a
THEOLOGICAL STUDENT.

you read the other day." said prom
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 clergymen in the world, that was
all, to most people. But to 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
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 be
asked him, but where he gets all his
technical knowledge nobody thinks of
asking. Hedoes 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?
mo. don't ask me whether | think |
understand it now or we may drift
away into a theological discussion which
will be very improbable. What l start
ed to say is something about the severe
| training that man must go through be-
fore he can begraduated from theolog-
ical seminary and so become clergy
man. Severe2 1t is more than severe,
and YOU see it results in thousands of
physically weak preachers all over the
world.
1.-THE training of a clergyman really
| begins when he is 6-year-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 q
grammar school, because he will prob
ably receive that much education in any
case, whatever his business or profess
sion is to be. He should then be in the
neighborhood Of 10 years old. He m~3O
now begin u special preparation ior COZ
lege. a preparation that differs from W.
ordinary preparatory course OF sf"uoh la
not studying for the ministry" ne nius'
rive of laast fonryeare az special study
O. c., o,,l LGC1n, and at the same
d. io,.-. good foundation in ancient
ta11orv, English composition and litera-
. L ] I, -, 4 ,1,
1.-THE boy then, at 10, is ready to ente~
college and take the usual four years
clas.slcal course. In the first year he
struggles with algebra, geometry, Latin,
| Greek, English history and English lit
erature. In tho second year the same,
with the addition of comparative physi'
ology, mechanics, analytical geometry,
physics and 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.
''Ee is now, on leaving college, ready
to enter theological seminary, unless
indeed he proposes to go into the gen
eral theological seminary of the Protes-
tant Episcopal church, in which case he
is required to be able to read the Old
Testament in Hebrew and the New Tes-
lament in Greek before he can enter.
After his eight years of Greek he should
be able to read the New Testament in
the original, but this does not always
follow. 1t often happens that 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 ser1nonizing and the duties of 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. 1t is
a grind, a terrible grind, this long strug
gle with Greek and Hebrew.
at is in the seminary, of course, that
the student gets his theological training
Still each denomination has its favorite
college. Theological students frequently
occupy an unpleasant position through
out their collegiate and seminary courses
The churches help them when they ART
not able to help themselves, and they
too often have the feeling of being il
part charity students. All of the col
leges make a reduction in the tuition O
candidates for the ministry.
After graduation from the theological
seminary the student receives profes
sional certificate from the faculty, an(
he must then pass an examination befor'
the Chassis or presbytery in whose juris
diction he lives. Having passed this, hi
receives a license to preach. He theI
awaits a call "a most important matter
by the way-some clergymen are for