The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-08
SHOULD OLD PREACHERS BE SHOT,

The Chicago Record Herald a few
days ago printed a touching cartoon.
1t showed a venerable minister of the
gospel sitting by table, on which was
an open Bible, gazing pensively into
the open fireplace. The soliloquy of
the old preacher was an adaptation of
Woolsey: IF had served myself with
half the zeal l served my God, l would
not in my old age have been condemned
to be shot by the S. P. C. A." Under
the picture was a quotation from Rev.
Annie Ford Eastman: The average
salary of the minister is not sufficient
and affords no provision for old age;
the limit of his profession is at the ut
most fifteen on twenty years. and at
the end of that time he ought to be shot
by the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals"
This may appear to be a rather flip
pant and cruel way of treating very
home? Would it not be an act of mer-
cy to many an old preacher. who finds
himself pushed out of his charge to
make room for a younger and more
amusing man, to be taken out and shot,
or asphyxiated with chloroform, rather
than be permitted to exc out a power
ty-stricken old age as an object of
charity 1t is difficult to imagine a
more pathetic sight than an aged min
ister-aged in years but vigorous of
mind and eager in the desire to labor
in the Lords vineyard-who has been
turned out to grass" as too old" to
meet the requirements of a congrega-
ton. There is nothing for him to do
but possess his soul with patience and
await the summons that will call him
to his reward. No matter how rich his
experiences have been, how deeply and
sincerely sympathetic his nature may
be, or how devoted and consecrated
may have been his life, there is no
place open for him. He has outlived
the days of his usefulness. The churches
want young, active, energetic men; men
who can devise schemes to pay off the
church debt and buy new carpets, men
who can arrange programmes for fes-
rivals, and entertain the sewing circles.
If the young preacher can sing well
and is a handsome fellow, who talks
well in conversation with the ladies and
has fetching SMILE so much the bet
ter for the congregation. He is the
man for the place; he can fill the church
twice each Sunday, and make the coins
rattle on the contribution plates. If he
be depended on to say sensational
things in the pulpit from time to time,
he may have his salary raised. Such
a preacher may not have a great deal
of influence among mature men, but of
late years such men, from some cause
or other, form a small minority part
of church congregations. Is it because
the trend is towards what Chancellor
Day of Syracuse University recently re-
ferred to as a kid ministry that more
men do not now so to church? Chan
cellor Day declared before a Methodist
! preachers meeting that kid minis
try is the bane of the church." and that
about the worst thing in the world is
"a sissy minister" He regarded sis
sizes" and kids" in the pulpit as more
dangerous than many so-called heretics.
An honest doubt leads to investigation,
and investigation leads to the truth;
| but, Chancellor Day says, the class of
preachers against which he inveighs
cannot even get men interested.
The young preacher may make bet
ter show than the old one when skies