The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-04-28
FOR, THE PREACHERS,
PLAN TO CREATE A FUND FOR The
POORER CLERGY.
Tales OF Distress from Worn Out Metho-
dist Ministers Money at the Disposal
of Conferences Is Insuffcient-Mite So
cieties VIII BE started.

~ DteRO@@
of Conferences Is Insufhcient-Mites So
cieties win he started.
Save the broken down and worn on
preachers from starvation and the poor
house.
That is the cry of leading Methodists.
Rev. DR. Jay Benson Hamilton. former.
~ pastor of the Simpson Methodist
Episcopal church in Brooklyn, is mt the
head Of "A national movement TO accom-.
plish the desired result. AT present, UNI
der the system IN vogue, minister, aft.
er devoting all of the best years of life
in the pastoral work at salaries often
not reaching $500 year, finds himself
in his old age not only broken III health
but practically penniless OF course in
each conference of the Methodist Epis.
copal church there is fund for super
animated preachers, but unhappily it is
wofully inadequate, some exceptionally
needy men receiving scarcely $3.50 a
year from il, and many of them have
absolutely no other means of support.
Appeals TO the general conference, hun
dreds of them pathetic in the extreme,
have been made from time TO time, but
no plan TO provide money for the suffer
ing ones seems to have been devised.
DIR. Hamilton has a new proposition.
This is the establishment of what he
calls Asbury mite societies, TO be COM
posed of not only adults, but children.
Members of the former are expected TO
contribute 10 cents year, those of the
latter ] cent. BY this means he hopes
and expects that permanent fund of
sufficient dimensions will be created to
place every broken down preacher be-
yond want as long as he lives.
DIR. Hamilton says: I'VE will be told
that there is no room for another organ
ization. Every movement which has
aught to bless humanity has had to
meet with the same cry, No ROOM
Bethlehem had no room for the Di
vine Babe; the world had no room for
the Son of God. Jesus, the man, was
permitted to share the malefactor's
cross and be buried in borrowed tomb.
1t may be well to divide stall with an
OK and share "A crumb with dog, or
even die shameful death, if thereby
room may be made for a divine idea
that will not die.
WHO will say No room?' Not Law
man with a brain to think or heart TO
feel will object to handful of women
gathering mites to relieve the distress
OF those without whom we would have
had no church. Will any minister OBJ |
Ject? Yes. The young minister to whom
superannuation is far off affliction
hidden by the mists of the future. And |
yet there are many young claimants.
Young men die and leave widows
and children. Possibly some minister
who by marrying or buying a piece of
land has banished the dread of poverty
from his mind may deprecate this move
nent. He may suggest the imitation of
MS own example as the better way. We
wait to see 1t any needy, worn out min
ster. or the widow Of deceased preach.
r suDslstlng upon shameful pittance.
VIII manifest anxiety lest we may sue.
'eed. -
Ut Hamilton has announced that GOO
uperannuated ministers petitioned the
attest general conference Of the church
0 adopt q plan of ministerial support
winch would remove the discrimination
made against the retired ministers He
las many pathetic appeals in his posses
ION, of which the following are speci.
lens' the names Of the writers, of
curse. being omitted:
Il have been so distressed that I have
7lshed thousand times when fell
sleep that / would never wake up again
II earth. Would to God | could have
led i'll the pulpit.
l am in my seventy fourth wear.
ave 80 years OF earnest and faithful
ork. My health is so broken that |
mnot labor any more. My claim last
ear was withheld, and have received
D explanation.
Inc delay IN answering your letter
because | cannot write. | am nara
zed. My sight is totally gone. Nv
'eech is affected. | am helpless and
ithout means -
Inc taxes ON my little house are past
re. have tried to borrow the money
~ cannot raise it without "a crushing
crliice. The conference stewards sent
word last year that my nonresidence c
the conference bounds prejudiced NV
use and that l might expect my all {
vance to still diminish, as it has q
ne Tor the last two or three years.
)d only knows what is to become of 0
New York journal i
e