Woodruff County news., 1901-09-19

to go down, they give him the title of D. D. by way of resus scitation. If that fails, then the tendency is to elect him ! to professorship in some thelogical seminary. There are grand exceptions to the rule, but it is often the case that the professorate in a theological sem mary is occupied by some minister of | the Gospel who, not being able to preach, is set to teach others how to | preach. Ir more cases than one the | poorest speaker in the faculty is the | professor of elocution. We want more i wide-awake, more able-bodied, able minded men, more enthusiastic men in our theological seminaries and in the professorates-men like Addison Alex ander, who could during the week teach young men the theory of preach ing and then on Sunday go into the pull | pit and with the thunder and light ming of Christian eloquence show them how. What would you think of fac ulty of unsuccessful merchants to train young merchants or faculty of unsuccessful lawyers to train young lawyers? It is often the case that | theological seminaries cut man and clip him and square him and mold him and bore him and twist him until all | the individual is gone out of him and he is only poor copy of man who was elected to a professorate because he could not preach. We want less deadwood in the theological semi naries and more flaming evangels.
 At meeting of the general assem- | h1U of tha Dra c0xr+a ri oh, Of bo United States clergyman accus- toned on the Sabbath to preach to an audience of 200 or 300 people, in an audience room that could hold 1,500, was appointed to preach a sermon on how to reach the masses. I am told the incongruity was too much for the disabilities of many of the clergy in the audience. Now, young man coming out rom such bedwarfing in- f1uences, how can he enter into the wants and the woes and the sympa- thies of the people who want on the Lords day a practical Gospel that will help them all the week and help them forever?
 Young ministers are told they must preach Christ and Him crucified. Yes, but not as an abstraction. Many minister has preached Christ and Him crucifed in such a way that he preached an audience of 500 down to 200, and from 200 to 100, and from 100 to 50, and from so to 20 and on down until there was little left save the sexton, who was paid to stay until the service was over and lock up. There is a grea5 deal of cant about Christ and Him crucifed. It is not Christ and Him crucified as an ab- straction, but as an Omnipotent sym pathy applied to all the wants and woes of our immortal nature-a Christ who will help us in every do- mestic, social, financial, political, na
 tional struggle-a Christ for the par Tor, Christ for the nursery, Christ for the kitchen, Christ for the barn, a Christ for the street, a Christ for the store, a Chris for the banking house, Christ for the factory, Christ for the congressional assem- ply, Christ for the courtroom, a Christ for every trial and every emer- gency and ever perturbation.
 It is often the case that the diff ficulty begins clear back in the home circle with misapprehension as to which child ought to be consecrated to the ministry. John is a keen, bright boy. He is good at a bargain. When he trades at school, he always gets the best of it. Make him a merchant. He will soon gather a fortune and go right up to take his place among the commercial princes. George has great cerebral development. Phreno- logically, language is large. Make him a lawyer. He will argue his way to the front, and he will take his place among the Mansfields and the Storys Henry has large girth at the chest and is military in his step and bearing. Send him to West Point. We shall see him yet brigadier gen eral. William is fond of sketching ships, and he knows as much about a vessel as an old sailor. Make him a shipbuilder. The vessel that he builds will successfully wrestle with the Caribbean whirlwind. Aleck is not very we'll. He has never had very good digestion. Since that last ma ldrldl dltdch ms Spleen IS enlarSed. He has a morbid way of looking at things. He will sita for hours look ing at one figure in the carpet. His manners are so mild, so soft, so gen tie, so affectionate, so Heavenly and he cries easily. Make him minister. Now, my friends, that is great mis- take. If you want to consecrate one of your sons to the Gospel ministry, take the one widest awake, the brawniest, the most brilliant, the most irresistible, the most potent. A