The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-02-13
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
DISCUSSES CHURCHES AND THEIR
MANNER OF GOVERNMENT.
The Philosopher Gives a Quotation from
Dean Swift on Pastor Without
Following.
There is an old English rhyme which

Is ike church without a Steeple.'
Dean Swift added two lines, which sais
people without a pastor
Are like dog without MASTER
J This fits us better, for we have los
ours and are now cropping around il
search of another one. Calling
preacher is always a perplexing an,
embarrassing thing to do. What i
the best mode of procedure has Ions
been a vexed question among til,
churches. There are some objection.
70 every method that has been tried
LII ls.llke the election of judges of oul
courts; nine times in my recollection
the mode of their election has beer
changed in Georgia and now the press
and the people are bowling for another
change. But the churches don'i
change. They think it better to en-
dure the objections rather than aban-
don the faith and formula of their ia
theirs. The Methodists get thefi
preachers from the bishops
and the people have no choice in the
selection. If. they are disappointed
they make no complaint, for they know
that the year will soon pass and a
change will come. The rotation must
go on. There is no interregnum.
They are never without a preacher.
This plan saves the people some en-
barrassmcnt. 1t is hard upon the
preachers and especially upon their
wives and children. No permanent
abode; no home attachments; no vine
and fig tree; no neighbours of long
standing who have been true and tried
IN sickness and health. by the time
they begin to know them and to love
them the year is gone and they must
separate. DIR. johnson, the great phi
losopher, said: 81 have always looked
upon it as the worst condition of mans
destiny that persons are so often torn
asunder Just as they become happy in
each others society" Methodist
preachers wives and children are the
gypsies of the church. have always
sympathized with them.
Another objection to thee Wesleyan
method is the bishops. lack of infor-
nation as to the needs of the different |
and the qualifications of the
preachers to be assigned. OF course |
he has to consult the elders and these
have their favorites, their college
mates, their likes and dislikes, and the |
sometimes are disap-
oolntments and cause heart burnings
hat are smothered, but felt. We see
by the papers that Rev. Robert
Toombs Dubose, a grandson of Bob
foombs, was given six little scattered
country churches for the coming year.
md he says he cannot take the burden,
or his health is very poor and the win
er's travel from church to church
would endanger his life. It looks like
omebody ought to have known this
,efore. Some forty years ago Mr..
iraves wrote sarcastic, unkind book
bout this power of the bishops over
he people, and pictured great iron
7heol revolving horizontally and the
bishops sitting on it in dignifed ease,
Ihile the wheel rested on the bowed
houlders of the humble preachers.
The Episcopalians get their preach
RS from the bishops, too, but they
ont rotate, neither do they get far
way from railroads or civilization.
hey are the most devoted sectarians
all Christian denominations-de-
oted to their church, its venerable re-
own, its rituals and traditions-de-
oted to their bishop almost to idola- :
y. An Indifferent preacher is all the ,
lme to them as the most eloquent di- :
me, for they perform as much of the !
'rvice as he does and only need him .
II leader. If he can read the ritual :
assing well and administer the com ..
union he is all right with them. 1t :
an admirable feature in the ritual of {
is church that the people both young I,
I'd old take so prominent part in the ;,
rylce. asked a critical cynical
lend one Sunday morning where he I,
rs going IN such hurry. 'I'm going q
to my church to worship God, not 9
an, said he. read the other day a
out an old fisherman who had taken =
great liking to an Episcopal preacher !,
40 was fishing in his neighborhood II
d he accepted his invitation to come h
d hear him preach in neighboring
urch next Sabbath. He put on his n
st clothes and rode the old mare to 8,
g little chapel and took front seat is
d tried to be devout for the first time I
his life. After the service was over &
took the preacher by the hand and u
d: well, parson, / promised to ;"
ne and l come. I didn't understand r
lch of what you was saying and do a. -.
:, but ris and sotwith you the best =. ~
ould." I have always thought that ~
re was most too much risin and sot- ~
in that church and not enough in
others. We took little city boy e 3
h us to church last Sunday. 1t was :
first adventure of that kind, but - ::
had been going to matinees. Z.
unity, what are they all doing now,'' =
"fhey are saying their -
yers," she said. So he bowed his -. -.
d and repeated, "Twinkle, twinkle =,
lie star. After the service he said -
didn't think it was much of show. ~
he Baptists have the most demo- -,
BIC method of calling preacher. 1t Pa
he very essence of simplicity. They s 81,
whom they please and every mem ~ ~
has avote. They keep him as long as r.
! mutually agreeable and either party ~
dissolve the relation at pleasure. ~, ~
kba-, iiis