Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-05-11
METHODISTS
AND
LAzINESS
From the New York Sun.


membership into the New York Con-
ference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church last week. Bishop Fowler said
that no other profession is SO condu-
Give to laziness as the ministry. IF
during the six days Of the week." he
told the applicants, you only put as
mich life, zeal and energy into your
work as the business man does you
Will surely win" Bishop Fowler 10
enc of the most original, vigorous, un.
conventional and witty speakers in the
United States. His language is al.
ways fresh and often quaint, and there
is no trace of the "goody.goody" in it.
lie has clear and sharp ideas, and his
ways of expressing them are his own.
In his humor, wit and fiery energy. In
his directness and smashing Saxon
style, his LONELINESS and vigor and
contempt of humbug. there is much of
the old.fashioned Methodist. SO some
Of the fine old race of itinerants who
rlodded through the woods on their
horses with their saddlebags stuffed
with sermons, must have preached to
pioneers in a clearing or fatboatmen
on the Mississippi, that extinct tribe
of as tough citizens as ever shot
rife or drained whiskey flask.
Those old itinerants were never &C.
cused of laziness, and 1t seems a Gu.
rlous fault for any of their successors
TO fall into. Learning and fashion
have made some inroads into print.
tive Methodist simplicity, but laziness
must be a rare bird among Methodist
ministers. we should suppose. were II
not for. the Bishops warning.
How do Methodist ministers find
time to be lazy? The great city con.
gregations bring multifarious round
of duties to their pastors. and we have
heard more than one of these busy
men regret without bitterness. that
he had too little leisure to give to his
looks and to keep his seminary learn.
ing from growing musty. II from the
mere fact of distance and dispersion
and multiplicity Of interest, the social
demands of a city congregation upon
its minister may be less in proportion
than those of country congregation,
yet his engagement book Is long and
The calls upon his time are incessant.
Even If he is lazy by temperament, he
has mighty little chance to loaf and
invite his soul. AS for the great body
Cf country ministers. like the tradi.
tional lawyer, they work hard and die
roor, but unlike him they don't live
well. They have to scramble hard to
make living and educate their chill.
dren and keep up a decent appear.
ance. The stingiest congregation will
have the sharpest eye for any shabbi.
ness in the minister's family as the
ministers wife knows only too well,
poor soul, as she sits darning stock.
ings long after coming back from the
evening prayer meeting; and "dona.
ton parties" are only an occasional
and sometimes u doubtful blessing.
The parson has a soft time of it,"
says the village butcher. or the oiled
clerk in the old red store. why, he
hasn't nothin' to do but write ser.
mons" Nothing to do but preach. go
to prayer meetings and evening meet.
ings and praise meetings and revival
meetings, and children's meetings, Ri.
bic meetings and business meetings
anG temperance meetings and meet.
lngs of the church societies and vii.
lage improvement societies and so.
cables and Sunday schools and sew.
Ing circles and funerals and so on.
Nothing to do but to call on all his
PEOPLE regularly and visit the sick and
look after the poor and entertain trav.
cling clerical and semi.clerical visit.
org and serve on the school commit
tee and take prominent part in all
town affairs and in heaven knows how
many religious, charitable, education.
al, musical and miscellaneous con.
Germs and consider letters from all
sorts of persons who have no business
to bother him and always neglect to
send stamps. Nothing to do but to be
al the disposal of every crank, busy.
body and bore, to go to conference
and ministerial meetings. to hear long
yarns from seedy impostors whom his
heart distrusts but who seldom go
away empty-the poorer the minister
the more he gives away in proportion
to his means.
Nothing to do but try to be the
Peacemaker among his people, to give
up his rare peep into the Greek Tesla
ment and hear some old snuffy wom
an bewail her imaginary woes; to tn
ter his boys when he can get the
chance; to try to exc out his slender
resources by little work on his po-
tato patch, his agricultural labor much
derided by his parishioners; to drive
the old gray mare twenty miles and