The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-11-10

6 nron,ine,,t Southern clerEy maIl. well rel,
KNOWN iii virginia has decided TO leave y
he. ministry and ensass il, secular ps'rz
We do not Know hat liasspro I'm PSI
led him Ito pursue this co,irsc, q, put@Ni
+ .t,o,,,d not De at all surprised if AZ y
heca,,sc The modern church seems 10 nave
li,,le use for a preacher after his MS mar.
has begun to turn gray rms pf ,.'si
Is not Yet an old man or even DC s gu
10 grow old, but he has passed the ne ~.
ridian of life, as the saying goes. ahd =. ~
n few years he would have been cl asss=
with the old preachers. s.
Not long ago q. well-knowns virginia
clergyman startled some of his rlenos y ~
telling them that he proposed to 9 ults 'ue
active ministry. and to engage IN 8pusi-
ness. when asked for. his reason, nc
said that much as he loved his calling ne
could not in justice to himself anu 80
.peciaily 10 his wife and children. grow 30
an the ministry. The salary OF a preach
or at. best is small. he wcnt.on. and there
I is no, opportunity to lay up anything from
IL
all that the preacher has to pay ms cGf-
rent expenses, and there are SO many
demands upon him from the poor anu
distressed, that he Is compelled loS;,i'e
away a considerable portion Of his m
come each year. BY and by, when he PC PC
gins to grow old, no church wants 'll1'
and he is laid upon the shelf and given
bare pittance, barely enough to hold SOU
and body together, and never enough II
rive his family the comforts and priv
leges to which he thinks they are entltlsd'
I am now vigorous man and am cap
able of earning enough to support my
family and to lay up something from year
to year for my old age. have SlTen
the best years of my life to the Church,
and now necessity compels me, before 1T
is too late, to make some provision Ior
my declining years, and SO am goin5 to
quit preaching for a living and am going
into some sort Of business that will raF.
/ have not lost my love for the work and
will continue to do church-work wherever
opportunity offers. but I am not going
to look to the Church. for my support
We have not quoted the preacher wori
for word. but that is the sum and sub
stance OF what he said. He. did quit the
ministry and he went into a reputable
business and he is getting along nicely
and accommodating something, for he is an
active, energ.t.c I,ian and has a business
turn. We doubt not that ethe Other
clergyman whose case is mentioned has
been moved by the same consideration.
It is hard for an active, energetic, indie
pendent man, who has a family dependent
upon him. to make up his mind to become
a. pensioner upon the Church in his old
age. 1t is a serious problem In the
Church to-day, and sooner or later some
means must be taken ito provide more
literally for ministers who have worn OF
their life in the service ofsthe Church. II
not, by and by 1t will be the rule 1athe:
than the exception for preachers after.
they have passed forty or forty-fve to
quit the. ministry and engage in9 secular
pursuits. These consecrated; men are. will
ing to give their own lives to the Church
and become pensioners III their old age,
but when it comes to sacrificing wife and
children also, it is quite a different prop
osition.