The news & observer., 1896-12-27
[B1[l[l ARP ON GE]URGE][gg.

the climate does net agree with hss health
he goes. If his salary is not promptly
paid he goes, aad / see in late paper
tAat preacher says the reRg@n why he
resigned his pastorate and is seeking an
ether is that he has finished bis work in
that community. That is what the paper
said. ! would like to see that church.
Everybody .ainted, l reckon, and no
outsiders tea be sainted. SHrely he didn't
say that. When Presbyterian pastor
has made up his mind TO. change his base
the people had just as well submit as
gracefullY as they can, 2or the presbytery
will ratify it. No congregation should
try to Keep an unwilling, dissatisfied
pastor, and they degalt Preachers are
just human and via seek to better their
condition. The best preachers get the
best places, and tais is right 1t is the
unwnitten law Of the church and Of the
State-and law Of business and com.
merce and art and socisty. For minis
terial talent there is always room at the
toa,
/ was ruminating about these things
because we have lost our preacher and
are looking around for another. He had
a call to bigger and maybe better
place with o mrger salary, and he accept
| ed before we hardly knew he was called
He hadn't finished up TINS church and
he knew it but / reckon was afraid that
it would finish him up il he stayed, for
| the times were so hard we couldn't pay
him promptly, though we did the best
we could. Preachers want their salary
in the hank, and it ought to be. l was
present once when preacher was or
dained After the ceremony, when the
people went up TO give him their hands
and their benedictions one old man said
May The Lord keep you humble; we
will keep you poor" And. they did For
| forty years ] have been looking for a
country church that paid the preacher
a sufficient salary and paid it promptly.
| Paying the preacher is the unsolved prob
lem and has been ever since there were
| preachers. Deacons and stewards ought
20 get 10 heaven, for they have a hard
ime here. Goldsmith tells rs of the vil-
| nge peacher-
A man he was 10 all the country dear,
] And passing rich at forty pounds year"
SO great and good a man as Jonathan
l EDWARDS after twentyfour years of
l 'aithful service at Northampton was vot-
d ont Of his pulpit, and ike an old horse
urnad out to Craze and die. We find
good deal Of fault with the preachers
nd sometimes with their wives and chill
lren, but after all they are as a class
he best people we have got and set us
he best examples How soon would we
sDse our morality without them. They
nave their likes and dislikes. and perhaps
their faY0rites IN the church, and SO do
ge. In the old times they preached for
mailer salaries. The salary was a sec
ondary consideration, but now it is the
| drst. Over fifty years ago | went to
school to an Irishman who suddenly took
a notion that he would quit teaching
| and go to preaching. He studied a year
and then applied to the presbytery at
| Columbus for examination and license
| The committee reported favorably and
| he was about to pass successfully, when
| old DR.. Goulding, the moderator, leaned
| forward and said; Il will ask the can
| didate a single question. Brother Gray,
| do you feel In your heart that the Lord
I. has called you to preach the gospel to the
| people?" Yes said he, IF they pay
me for it," He was not licensed He
| attached too much Importance to the
/ pay.
| The other day ] met my friend Milton
| Gambler in Atlanta and asked him about
young preacher, Ind he said: Yes, he
| is a very promising man. | expect you
can get him. What salary can you pay?"
When | told him he looked surprised and
said: "No more than that? / don't think
you can get him. Good preachers have
gone up
There are but few long-continued pas
torates in these years. AS soon as a
preacher gets a reputation he is called to
q wealthier church, and he goes. 1t is
easy for him to see that the way is clear
and it is the Lords will when the salary
is increased. The pastorates in England
and Germany are life-long and there is
no chance for the college graduates save
10 wait for their death or superannuation
or for new churches to be established.
The Presbyterian mode of calling pas
tor has no fixed rules or usages For
awhile the vacated church is all at sea,
but by and by the applications begin
to come in and references are given. A
correspondence is had and inquiries are
made as to the applicants character as
a man and preacher and worker, and
as to his wife and children. IL it be
practicable he is invited to come and
preach trial sermon and mingle for q
day or two with the people. This is a
hard experience on any sensitive christ
ian man, for he realizes that he is on
trial and that the jury is composed of
perhaps a hundred men and women to
whom he is a stranger and who know
nothing Of his inner life, his emotions,
his struggles and misfortunes The sit
uation is against him. for people will ma
turally wonder why he does not stay
where he is il he is the right sort OF
man. Maybe he does not wear we'll
and his people are tired of hiIn. And so
he is a suspect. The test OF a preacher
from a single sermon and days ac-
quaintance is a very unfair trial both
to preacher and people. But what else
can be done? The result not unfrequent-
ly is that one or both are disappointed
and another change is wanted. The
church is split up. There are majorities
and minorities until finally the subscrip-
tions fall off and the preacher has to go
or starye. Money is the sinews OF