The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-08-23

in excess of the conditions winch OBTAIN
in portions of Hester, Allen Rivington
and adjacent streets between Third aV-
enue and Avenue A. DR.. Rainsfold
writes; THE people don't want the
church because in her heart she does
not want the people" DIR. Hills, OIL
Plymouth church, said in recent ser
mon: II know many men who never
attend church and who are the pest
men in the community The late
| Father McGlynn, beloved priest OF God'
solemnly averred: Religion is losing
her hold on men" DR.. Rylance, once
rector of ST. Marks, refers to eccleslas-
teal decadence (By such decadehce
does he really mean the growth OF frllls
and forms for the purpose of conceal
! ing spiritual void, or does he mean
what the London Saturday Review
terms religious decomposition within
the walls of an outwardly imposing
structureD
These are. of course, mere straws on
the surface of current incisive thought
They show how the ministry is con-
sumed with anxiety. They show the
drift of forebodings for the future of
the church in high ecclesiastical quar-
sect the causes for such a condition OF
affHirs and to pres or b. remedies but
during this hour am going to pin my
self to one consideration alone. am
going to tell you frankly, and briefly
on the assumption that all oil us are
lay-people together, that one chief rea-
son for the present apparent decline OF
the church lies in the fact that the re-
lations between the minister and MS
people are too often artificial, superh-
cial, unsympathetic, ftful, disturbed
and entirely wanting in that mutual
appreciation of one another's burdens
which is the sole ground of hearty CO.
operation.
Now, to the average lay-mind, II L
may be pardoned a slang expression
and Richard Grant White said, you
know, that only prig of the first water
objects to little slang now and them
to the average lay-mind the minister
| enioys a ''cinch." The lay conception
of the clergymans duties is of that be-
fuddled description which obtained in
the mind of the Irish hod-carrier when
he wrote home to a brother by the lakes
Of Killarney: Come to America, Pat.
All we have 20 do is carry bricks in
hod up the ladder, and the man on top
does all the work" Or those other two
Irishmen who. In discussing various
forms of foil, decided that FOR nice
elaine, aisy job, give us bishop The
current jibe of my brethren of the news
paper press that devil never takes d
holiday while the parson goes fishing
iibe, the falsity Of which every news
paper man we'll erstands-expresses
the average opinion of the clerical sta
tus. Good salary, long vacation social
privileges. hours all his own, agree
able people at his modulus sums
UP the popular idea of min
isterial Eysium. Now see the reverse
of the picture. Ten years spent In
getting his education at cost or
thousands Of dollars and the average
salary in the Congregational body of
less than eight hundred year; a tar
get for criticism of every disgruntled
parishioner who writhes under plain
gospel truth; a ministerial life OF per-
hans twenty years in the average for
the dead line in tie ministry is coming
to be forty years, and candldature Is
practically hopeless at fifty; the SUD-
iect of animadversiOn by fond and dot
ling parents If he fails to recall the
name OF every child in the family: at
Il the beck and call of every agent, every
crank, every so-called reformer, every
committee, every enthusiast with a
EMISSION" whose shop-worn goods are
shut from other markets Of the MIND
And under all the discouragement OF
thinly attended prayer meetings, lndit-
ferent workers, recalcitrant sinners anc
sour saints he must steer his bark be-
tween various schools of thought IN MS
church so as to offend none. He must
placate the orthodox and not atfron'
the heterodox. He must touch lightly
the peccadilloes of tie nearer who be-
lieyes the heather are damnaed but
does not scruple metaphorically speak
ing. to put sawdust in the meal he sells
over the counter. He must be lee
around by the ear by some sensitive
choirmaster, for music, he is brutally
told fills the church, and not preach
ing. He must not touch the liquor
: question, fer Brother A. sells bot
tied intoxicants at his wholesale gro
: cerv. he must avoid any reference tt
the socialism of Jesus and the book O
Acts, for Brother b is supeflh
tendent Of a trolley line whose mel
have petitioned for shorter hours, say
reduced from IA to y, just to get
!, chance of seeing their babies by day
! light: he must not condemn fottei
tenements owned by wealthy parish
toner's, fer they pay the bills of tina
four thousand dollar crack quartette
and everybody knows that bills max
the church go" A distinguished pas
! tor was forced from New York par
jsh lust because he did condemn rotel
tenements! And if the poor man rebel
at these exactions, and speaks his mine
y boldly, as aservant of the Most High |
u bound to do, and never so courteously
= around goes the paper for signature
asking the parson to resign, and ever,
u fussy old lady in the parish tells he
+ neghbors that Brother Pulpittones wa
: dear, good man, but SO indiscree,
= you know. If he had only been eau
tious and polite he might have die
5 among us" Alas she forgets that tn
. coed man might wish he had neve
:, been born, to say nothing of dyins
II Can you wonder that under such condi
. lions the average ministerial life In
particular parish is from five to seve
wears: that a distressing restlesres