The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-05

by common acceptance, apply to that
| class of men who by ordination or 9th
| er official act, are licensed to preach
| the Word of God, to officiate at certain
| church functions and perform the mar
| riage ceremony. Nearly all clergymen
are graduates of some theological in
| stitution, and probably thirds Of
| them have passed through the CLASH
| cal college.
The successful clergyman is teach
| err as we'll as a preacher. His prof.
cheney, to an extent, is dependent upoh
| the broadness and thoroughness of his
education.
The minister, as much as he of any
| other profession, needs the knowledge
and discipline of a liberal education.
He must be familiar with men and
| things in general, as we'll as learned
| in theological matters. But education
| in itself, unaccompanied with common
sense and adaptability, is worth sub
| stantially nothing.
The minister, more than anybody
else, is given the opportunity of doing
immeasura BILE good or unlimited harm,
The fact that he allows himself to be
ordained places upon him the respon-
sibilities of eternal consequence. By
accepting a pastorate he presents HIM
self as worthy to fill it. and if he can
not properly sustain the position he Is
most unfortunate. and if he realizes
his inability and accepts responsibility
he may be a criminal before heaven,
| and ought to be stopped by common
law.
The clergyman assumes the most
vital responsibility. 1t is for him to
professionally and officially connect
profitably the material with the spir-
itual for the benefit of mankind and
to the glory of God.
The church is supposed to be the
representative and distributor of re-
ligion. and the clergyman, being the
human head of the church. is consid
cred a professional exponent of spir-
ituaI things.
Desire to enter the ministry and the
deepest piety in themselves do not
constitute the right to preach.
Ability and adaptability, founded
upon spirituality and it's accompanying
morality, are absolutely essential, not
only to the successful minister, but to
the right to preach or act as minister.
In no other calling are adaptability
and natural ability so vitality necessary.
In every other profession one may
succeed with ability and some good
ness, but the clergyman cannot be a
success, cannot properly represent holy
things, and will be a direct injury to
| the cause of religion if he does not pos.
ability and strong adaptability.
Many a piouS mother has uncon-
sciously injured her son and wronged a
community by forcing her boy into the
ministry. Because the boy was good,
or she thought he was good, she has in
ignorance done unreasonable harm.
The theological school does not, and
cannot, make minister. 1t can assist
Sin the process, but it cannot produce
the material. The man, in the first
place, must, be naturally adapted to
the ministry; he must be a leader of
men, a convincing teacher, and he
should have experienced the important
phases Of life. Without this everyday,
roundabout experience he may be-
come great and learned teacher, but
he never will actually accomplish much
in the way of good doing.
1t is unfortunate that many clergy
men, who ought to know the most
about their work, knowthe least about
1t. Because he is educated, because
he has more education than experience
an improper balance of inside and
outside fact-he makes a theory Of life
from a guess work of theology; and
thus equipped he attempts to reach his
people and to assist them in their up
building. In his ignorance of the real,
and in the preponderance Of his de-
Vitalized learning, he miSrepresents
both God and man. and his innocence
of wrong doing does not tighten the
harm he does.
A young aspirant for pulpit honors
once called upon one of Americas
greatest diyines.
Doctor" said he. in the still, small
hours of the night heard a call to
preach"
MY boy" said the old minister. af-
fectionately placing his arm on the
youngsters shoulder, are you sure
you didn't hear some other noise?"
The call to preach, as preaching is
now professionally done, does not oc-
cur half as often as is popularity sup
posed. A selfish desire, backed by a
parents unholy ambition, has been the
substance of many a call to the min
|. istry.
From every standpoint of Christian
| ity, no boy has q right to c
ministry unless he is reasonably suts
of his adaptability and ability.
There is no sinner so low as the
hypocrite, and incompetency, inten-
tional or unintentional, is the agent of
| the greatest harm doing.
No boy has right to enter the min
1stry unless he has thoroughly and
completely experienced active religion
and has been an actor in active Chris
tianity. To this he must add ability
and adaptability, the necessary educa-
tional preparation, and an experience in
real LIE.
Books will not make one fit to preach.
Study will not equip one for the pull
pit. Books, study and experience in
the world at large produce the earthly
trinity absolutely essential to the good
doing and successful clergyman.
The clergyman assumes the great
est human responsibility and he has no
right to assume 1t unless he honestly,
before God and his own conscience, be-
lieves that he is fitted for his work and
I is reasonably certain that this fitness
| is not limited to desire.
Commercially speaking. the minis
try does not often pay. Comparatively
| few clergymen receive as much as
$4,000 year, and not more than
| very limited number ever cross the
! $4,000 line. There are thousand,
| and perhaps several thousand, earnest
| preachers, whose clerical income IS
| hardly more than 5000 or $500 a year,
! and some could not live if they did not
| do outside work or receive outside as
| SiStance
| The average salary Of the ordained
| and settled clergyman is not in excess
| of $500 a year.
Outside of the large cities. few cler-
| gynen enjoy salaries in excess of 81, 900
! and the average country center in
| come probably does not exceed $500.
| In the cities, as they run, clergymen
| cannot expect much in excess of So, 900.
Many able, bright and competent min
| listers successfully labor on less than
$1,000 a year.
The financially successful clergyman
must be a great preacher; he must be
an orator of the finest order. an ora