St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-03-05
A Case for Advice.

| L he current number OF the Vermont
Missionary has the following letter to
the editor, which, though OF course it is
somewhat overdrawn, contains so many
grains of truth that we republish it with
pleasure:
Old Parish VT, February 7, 1902.
Mr.. EDITOR:-I hear that you have
| been about considerable. and know
{ number of ministers, SO l take my pen
in hand to tell you some of our churchs
tribuations in getting minister. Per-
| haps you can help us.
! Rev. Eldad Truman was our pastor
| nearly three years. He was real good
man and generally liked. But his hair
was some gray, and we felt it might be
better for the interests ofZion to have a
change. We had read in the papers that
lots of ministers were looking for places,
and we calculated some one would be
willing to preach to us for less than we
had to pay him. Mr. Truman had 5000
and parsonage, and said he couldn't live
on a dollar less. But Mrs. B. says his
wife is an extravagant thing. She uses
her parlor just like a common sitting
| room. Then, too, he preached a good
| deal about missions, and wanted we
should take collection for six benevo-
| lent societies every wear. Some OF us
were afraid, II we did so much for the
heather abroad, we shouldn't feel able
to do our duty to home.
So we sent in Mr.. Truman's resigna-
! ton, and passed some resolutions telling
what an eloquent preacher he was, bow
| he had built up the church and increased
the benevolent offerings, and how sorry
we were that the Lord seemed to call
him to work in some other part of the
moral vineyard. We wanted to make it
as easy for him as we could.
A whole lot of applications came, say
! ing what fine preachers the candidates
were, and how successful they had been,
but how on account of their own or their
wives healths they wished to live in the
bracng air of good old Vermont. We
thought we shouldn't have d bit of trou-
BILE in getting just such a man as we
| wanted.
The committee decided that we
couldn't pay more than $500 and par.
sonage, and that we should have to
! have real smart man who would draw
| in the outsiders or we couldn't pay that
! They thought we needed a man OF a
| good deal OF experience, but not over 80
years old, and that he ought to be mar
ried, but not to have young children, be-
cause our ladies expect the pastors wife
! to be president of the sewing circle and
missionary society and to do a good
deal of visiting, and call on all the poor
and the sick.
We had one candidate, and Deacon
Wise wanted we should vote on him
| right away, but Squire Ketcham said if he
wanted to buy horse, and there can't
! nobody beat him on a horse trade,-he
didn't take the first one that was offered,
but looked around little, and he could
almost always find cheaper one, or
beat down the price OF the first.
So we sent for another, and we liked
| him too, but when he found how large a
salary we paid, he said he didn't want
! to stand in the way of men who needed
parish worse than he did.
Then we heard two Others, and called
meeting to choose minister. But to
everybody's surprise, after lot of talk
| ing and criticising the candidates, we
couldn't seem to agree on any of them,
and suggested that we begin at the be-
ginning and hear them over again. But
| the first one wrote that he had already
accepted call to a church that paid
$780, Don't you think, Mr.. Editor
that when a minister is being courted by
a church, so 10 speak, he ought not to be
flirting with another, especially one that
can pay bigger salary?
The Others wrote that they didn't care
to take part in a prize speaking contest
again, and wouldn't come under any con-
sideratiou, which thought was real
unchristian spirit.
So we had to begin all over again. But
for some reason we cant find man that
seems to suit all the people, who is will
| ing to preach for what we think we can
pay. They have a man over in MELVILLE
who would please us first rate, but they
pay him 5000, and he says he does not
care to change.
Now Mr.. Editor, can't you recommend
some cOnsecrated young man to us WHO'S
willing to work real hard for the Lord
for $500 year and parsonage?
Yours in the work,
JOSIAH BRAY.
p. S. We want college educated man
to interest the summer boarders, one
who will preach up to date sermons to
interest the young folks, but we don't
want him to have any new tangled no
tions or ways that will disturb the old
people.