Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-07-29
STATUS OF THE PASTOR.
GIRLS DO NOT WISH TO BE YOUNG
81 MINISTER'S WIVES.

TO the Husband-Huntin9 Young Wom-
an and Her Ambitious Mother, tho
Clergyman Holds a Possible Fifth
n PIace-The Doctor Has Taken Prec-
I edence.
81 Somewhere In this age of material
Ism and In the present race after
SWealth, 1t has become ap1&rcH. that
the minister Of the gospel. as he was
known and recognized thirty years
ago, has been displaced. The doctor
cf medicine has taken precedence OF
the doctor of divinity in the worldly
course of sentiment. Four women
may attend church services to each
man to be found thcro. but this gen
cral observation holds good, regard
less CT the age, appearance or married
or single condition Of the minister.
ITO the misunderstanding young WON.
an and her determined and ambitious
mother the young minister Of the gos-
pei today holds a possible fifth place.
fBishcp Samuel NJ. Merrill OF the
Methodist Episcopal church was
asked to substantiate the general ap-
plications of these assertions. AS to
the romantic side of the preachers s
lie, however, he holds that it was al
ways the romance of the man himself,
regardless of his cloth; that where
the preachers position was considered
pro aud con in the arrangement OF a
wedding the situation was only local
and meaningless as applied to the
profession of the ministry.
In the middle west especially there
are hundreds OF thousands of obscrv-
ers CT the churches of generation
ago who recall when frequently the
mere consideration Of q married cler-
gyman in the filling Of a pulpit va
cancy would cause faction OF moth.
ers with marriageablc daughters to
enter such vigorous protest as some
times to split the church. The pcsl-
tionsof most of the sobor-sidcd mem
bers of the flock would be against the
engagement of boy" preacher, while
certain of the mothers with daughters
eliSible to matrimonial adventure
would find the young candidate espe-
cially ELOQUENT" or spiritual or
sympathetic. This condition pre-
vailed particularly in those churches
which made their own votive choice
of the minister.
Today, save in the smaller rural
churches off the railroads and away
from touch with the great money cen.
tressof the country, the question OF the
young preacher was never less pro-
voking of factions.
When the young preacher was the
mark OF especial favor with ambitious
mammas, there were fewer reprcsen'
tativess of the profession to draw from
in rural communities. AS rule four
proachcrs could find livings OF some
kind in town that could support per-
hans only two doctors There would
be one druggist, perhaps; cashier III
thc..eIe bank Of the place, a railroad
sta agent and q postmaster. Inc
- et!4a place could be upon ae:
lnNlR already married. Beyond these
the choice of son-in-law would lie Ill
the grocery and dry goods stores
hardware store and the coal dealer s
Office.
To-day one not familiar with the
conditions in the smaller towns Oh
the country would be surprised 10
know how sharply they arc reflcclins
the life of the cities" said traVeier
who has made observations IN the
country towns of the middle west es-
pecially. For instance, there IS
scarcely g. wealthy man in one OF
these places who has not made HIS
ventures upon the boards OF trade anu
the stock exchanges OF the Dig cltles.
He can talk about millions with al
the natural case that comes tc wall
street frequcnters. The seeming case
with which promoters and corn Kings
and wheat kings have made fortunes
has impressed the man IN the country
town quite as strongly as the impress
sion has been marked in the popu'a'
tion of the cities, and to talk to nm
now of a local man whose claims 10
wealth are in a paitry Slo,ooo or w.
600, is to provoke smile OF patient
consideration.
"In general, too, the whole country
has increased in wealth, ami as this
has come about, and the intrlcacles Oh
civilization have multiplied, room mas
been made for more of the professions
in the small towns, and nearly every
one of these has proflted more thah
has the ministry. 1t seems in these
small places that as more money Is
accumulated, which ought to go 10 inc
strugglings ministers already IN the
town. the disposition is, instead OF
collecting to the good OF those already
there TO build two or three more debt
incumbered churches and create d
half living for two or three more
preachers.
at is pretty we'll recognized that
the worldly let of the preacher III
the small town Is not to be cnVled by
any Young woman who is not as much
welded to the cause OF his mission as
no is himself. All else being equal,
It Is pretty certain that the doctor and
lawyer and the registered pharmacist
and. the bank Dook-keeper Will make
the better salary, and when you con-
slider that SO many wives of ministers
who have not taken degree are dc
MED the use of the appellation of doc
tor" such as the wife OF the dentist
over the drug store may use when
sneaking of her husband-why, is ii
any wonder thnt the preacher ISM
cutting much matrimonial Ice?
In Chicago, recognizing that a moth
or with daughters Is entitled IN q
! oorr, that worldly desire tC