The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-31

is quite as much to be said in behalf o1 the laity as the clergy. That neither side intends to cultivate such splrl'
 that it is just as hard for consclen- | tious vestry to find just the right man as for conscientious clergyman to find just his place in the world, and al- | ter we have agreed that on the whole | the normal intention of both are right
 it is still true that there is ground for 1 believing that something is wrong | But the first question to be asked IS 1 how far is this true, and in answer to | this l will appeal first of all to your | experience and your judgment Of the l experience of others. What sort or q
 feeling did you have in your first years ! of your ministry Was it feeling that 1 this great Church of God was a whole, 1 consecrated to a great and supreme ob- 1 ject to fight against sin the world and i the devil; and to build up in mankind truth and righteousness whenever and wherever there was an opportunity, ana | that you as a part of this whole to labor as best you could wherever God should give you an opportunity or did you feel that you had by luck found place to
  could do something which would call
 attention to yourcelf that you would at
 tract the attention of some better par ish and be called there, and the soon-
 CT this was done the better for you; and
 did you find this spirit encouraged or
 discouraged within you. And did the
 men you first met in the ministry give
 you the impression that they were
 working for the glory of God, or far the
 glory of God and a better position, or
 for d better position and incidentally
 for the glory of God if that would help
 the matter an any.
 Doubtless your impression, whatever
 it was, was more or less unjust, for
 when we are young we are impressiona-
 ble and subject to hasty and immature
 opinions based on the likes and dislikes which come from personal treatment We receive. But what I am getting at is this: What did you find your great ob- ject for living and working and suffer- ing if need be in the ministry? And how much did you find which was cal culated by f1attery to feed your petty vanity and egotism, on the one hand and on the ther to develop comba- tiveness which used to look out for yourself.
 AS another proof I would appeal to the common every day talk of our time in regard to positions in the ministry.
 The openly expressed desire to make a good showing in ones own parish in competition with other parishes in the same neighborhood, by large confirma- tion classes, by raising large sums of which are capable of being re- ported, by estimating the desirability of and worth of parishes by the salaries they can pay, and by their social posi- tions, etc. I know as well as any one that oftimes these are mere forms of speech and seem much more materials tic than they are in fact; and yet l sub init that even with a liberal discount these things are not helpful to a life of piety and devotion.
 I think that I realize as we'll as oth- ITS that human nature must be taken in this world as 1t is, and that some sort of looking forward to the future must oe indulged in by every man; you may all this ambition if you will, or any other name that suits it best; and in ;ist rightly that it is necessary for ev- ny man to have some such motive pow 1T to keep him from inactivity and | ;loth, but what I wish to inquire is whether we cannot in the nature of | hings find some better motive power | han mere personal ambition for ad- Any man has an undispu- ed right to desire and hope for as large | G,11 To well and oft-times he cannot tell | what there is in him until he has had 1 n opportunity to try himself by actu- lily being in a position of responsibili- y. But the question under considera- 1 ion is whether we can afford to permit he methods we so often see used, spoil nen's ideals by developing in them mall and mean motives, to to take l way fromth em all independence and reatness of soul.
 I believe that this diocese has within tself some of the elements which make an ideal place for change in methods. n the first place there is not city mich has as yet seriously felt the tene- 1ent house problem.
 We are not confronted with a congre- ation living in houses not their own, ndt therefore constantly moving from lace to place, so that church is con tantly changing it's members. Nor ave we to any great extent a very ealthy class which stays in town three lonths in winter and spends the re- laining nine months in summer out lg. But we are living among men who for le most part are permanent residents; ho are naturally conservative; and l 5 a consequence the lay sentiment of 1 1e parish is a decidedly strong and thing and any changes hich are introduced quietly and pa ently have every hope and strength l nd performance. ( We have diocese which is singularIy z ee from aggressive and destructive C irty spirit. AS a rule from the bishop z
 the deacon the clergy of this diocese l spect one another and have good 2 cling of fellowship one toward anoth- s :. More than this we are singularly | ee from prejudice on the part of other I lurches; if there be any prejudice it is | rected to individuals or individual | urches and not toWad the church as a hole. And yet under these favorable condi- 0ns we have a singularly rest ,1. l