The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-26
DON'T WANT TO BE
 PEEACHERS WIVES.
Young Ministers No Longer Need Fear Wiles of March-mak-
 ing Mammas.

Young Ministers No Longer Need
 Fear Wiles of March-mak-
 ing Mammas.
 Chicago Tribune
 Somewhere in this age of materialism and in the present race after wealth it has become apparent that the minister of the gospel, as he was known and recog niZed thirty years ago. has been displaced. The doctor of medicine has taken prece- dence of the doctor of divinity in the worldly course of sentiment. Four wo- men may attend church services to each man to be found there, but this general observation holds good regardless of the age, appearance. or married or single con dition of the minister.
 To the husband hunting young woman and her determined and ambitious mother the young minister of the gospel today holds possible fifth place.
 Bishop Samuel M. Merrill of the Meth odist Episcopal Church was asked to sub. stentiate the general applications of these assertions. As to the romantic side of the preachers life, however, he holds that it was always the romance of the man himself regardless of his cloth; that where the preachers position was con- sidered pro or con in the arrangement of a wedding the situation was only local, and meaningless as applied to the pro- fession of the ministry.
 are hundreds of thousands of observers of the churches of a generation ago who recall when frequently the mere consider atiop of married clergyman in the fill ing of Q pulpit vacancy would cause faction of mothers with marriageable daughters to enter such vigorous protest as sometimes to split the church. The position of most of the sober sided mem- bers of the flock would be against the en- gagement of boy preacher. while cer- tain of the mothers with daughters eligi- ble to matrimonial adventure would find the young candidate especially eloquent or spiritual" or sympathetic. This con. dition prevailed particularly in those churches which made their own votive choice of the minister. 2f Today, save in the smaller rural churches off the railroads and away from touch with the great money centers of the country. the question of the young preacher was never less provoking of factions.
 When the young preacher was the mark of especial favor with ambitious mammas, there were fewer representatives of the professions to draw from in rural com munities. As a rule, four preachers could find livings of some kind in a town that could support perhaps only two doctors. There would be one druggist. perhaps; a
  railroad station agent, and postmaster. The lawyer of the place would be upon aeknowledgedly thin pickings and most likely already married. Beyond these the choice of sons-in-law would lie in the grocery stores. dry goods stores. hardware stores and the coal dealers office.
 To-day one not familiar with the condi- tons in the smaller towns of the country would be surprised to know how sharply ttn fa rsF Nt taid a traveller who has made observations in the country towns of the Middle West especially. For instance. there is scarce Nv wealthy man in one of these places who has not made his ventures upon the boards of trades and the stock exchanges But in the Middle West. especially, there of the big cities. He can talk about mil Hons with all the natural ease that comes to Wall Street frequenters. The seeming ease with which promoters and corn kings and wheat kings have made for tunes has impressed the man in the coun- try town quite as strongly as the impress sion has been marked in the .iopuIatlon of the cities and to talk to him now or local man whose claims to wealth are IT a naltry s15.0O0 or $20000 is to provoke smile of patient consideration.
 "In general, too. the whole country has tncreased in wealth. and as this has come
 
 have multiplied. room has been made fol more of the professions in the smai towns. and nearly every one of these ha' nrofted more than has the ministry. II seems in these small places that as more money Is accumulated. which might go t( the struggling ministers already in th' town. the disposition is, instead Of col lectinr to the good of those already there to build two or three more debt incum hered churches and create a hall hVlns for two or three more preachers.
 .'It is pretty well recognized that tn' worldly lot If the preacher in the smai town is not to be envied by any youni woman who is not as much welded tC The cause of his mission as he Is hlmseir All else being equal. it is pretty certain shat the doctor and the lawyer and m registered pharmacist and the bank book keeper will make the better salary. an' when you consider that so many wive ,f ministers who have not taken degree Ire denied the dse of the appreciation doctor" such as the wife of the dent st over the drug store may use whe' Jpeaking to her husband-why, is 1t an wonder that the preacher isn't cuttin much matrimonial ice?''
 In Chicago. recognizing that a motne