The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-11-29
MINIsrERT4L RuRRAUs.
Something About Their History, The
 Work and Their Cost,

something About Aheir History iholi
 Work and Their Cost,
 To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND CouRInR
 The proposition submitted at the late general conference at Waterbury to place all the Congregational churches of Connecticut under the supervision of the Massachusetts Board of Pastoral Supply, and to tax them at the rate of one cent per member annually for It's support, renders @ few words on that subject proper at this time.
 The modern ministerial bureau dates back among the sixties, and, like Top sy, was not born, but ''growed," That is to stay, 1t started itself, and was not the result of purpose and plan.
 Moses Sargent who was then in charge of the bookstore of the Massa- chusetts Sunday School and Publication society, began, as a matter of personal kindness, to help pastorless churches and available ministers to find one an- other, For the most part at least he gave his services to both parties gratu- itously Deacon Smith, who succeeded MT, Sargent as manager of the book store few years later, undertook to follow his example, but soon found it necessary, on account of the amount of work required, to make small charge for his services. Finally he was forced to give it up entirely. Deacon Beal then took up the business with headquarters in the library at the Congregational house. MT. Beal was the first to charge registration fees, and a fixed tariff for other services. His mode of operation was substantially as follows: He would take his chair at his baby desk about g o'clock Saturday morning, and would remain there until or o'clock in the afternoon, parceling out as he thought best the ''calls" for ministers, which came to him by mail or otherwise, among the brethren present, of whom there were always many more than were needed to supply the demand, with gripsack and umbrella all ready to start at moments warning. l am informed that MT. Beal's successor, the present manager, has pursued substantially the same course.
 It will be seen from what has been
  bureau cost the churches nothing. They escaped the worry and expense which often attend the task of finding suita- ble candidate, or a suitable supply for one Sabbath even, and the ministers footed the bill Such was the original ministers bureau.
 A few years ago rival bureau, with a very long name, was established dn Boston, which in an adroit way un- dertook to shift the burden of expense from the ministers to the churches by appealing to the latter to send 1t gener- ous contributions on some plea or oth- CT.
 It has been 1linted that the efforts Of this bureau have been successful main- ly in securing ministerial services for ministers of other denominations in Congregational pulpits.
 In June, 1894, another ministerial bu- reau was set up in Boston. this time officially by the General Association of Massachusetts. To distinguish it from all other ministerial bureaus 1t was call- ed "The Massachusetts Board of Pas toral Supply" This is the bureau un- UeT NHOSS SupEl NlolpIl IL lo P4OPOoSA to place the Congregational churches of Connecticut, and for whose support 1t is proposed to tax them at the rate of one cent per member annually; for the burden of supporting this, as in the case of its immediate predecessor, is to be put upon the churches,
 In view of the fact that there were two ministerial bureaus in operation all ready in Massachusetts in June, 1894, 1t is pertinent to ask why was another put in operation? Was there any real need of it? Were not the two already in the field equal to the work? Or did they not do it satisfactorily? It has never been hinted that they were not fully equal to the work, but 1t was stated by member of our committee which was put in charge of this subject that the services of the original bureau had not been satisfactory, and that minis ters did not like to be asked to pay two or three dollars" simply for finding them opportunities to preach.
 There is good reason for suspecting that there was some other reason be- sides that in the case. If the desire of the pTOIIpUeIS Ol IllG IleW IllONeliAGliI Wel1 simply to shift the burden of support from the ministers to the churches they could have readily utilized the old and we'll established bureau, with its ex- perienced manager, for that purpose, but they did not. Why not? The fact that they did not, although he was a Congregational minister in good stand Ine seems to indicate that he was not persona graita to said promoters and that they had another persona grafta for whose benefit they desired to pro- vide a snug berth. Such performances are common enough among mankind, even the best of them. Many of the so- called benevolent and religious institu- tions owe their birth and life to similar motives. If the real truth were known in many instances it would be found that the ostensible good proclaimed as the only thing in view is in reality sub ordinate and purely incidental to an- l o+Ioo- hiddau TnOtiUa which is wholly