New-York tribune., 1903-01-05

by the REV. DIR. GEORGE ID. STEW Ahi. u
To the thoughtful young man. desiring 10
make his life count for the most possible ana 10
bring forth the most substantial hfe-product'
the question does or certainly ought TO present
itself: What opportunity in these respects does
the Church offer? This question may be apart
from the sacredness of the Office. since it is
asked by youth who is seeking not sacred
calling but an effective one. The limits OF TINS
article exclude those considerations in favor OF
the Church which arise from the spiritual ehar-
acter of her rwork-considerations which, IN the
eyes of a churchnan, are the most worthy d
young mans attention and determinative or MS
decision. The same limits, however. make pos
sihle the presentation of other consideratohs'
which. though less exalted and less potent thah
the spiritual are not less real. not less worthy
attention, and not without convincing power
of their own. But it must be borne In nina
throughout any discussion of this subject that
whatever may be true of any other calling, IL re-
mains everIastingly true of this, that no man
may enter it being moved thereto oy case or SCI
fish motives. This is tree whose best fruie
does not grow close to the earth, and the man
whose eye is not single, whose heart is not
clean whose arm is not bare for the right, VINO
does not stand upon his own dead self. may not
pluck even its lowest growing and poorest Irui'
The Church cannot be said to offer financial
attractions those
vious to the most casual observer. Her positions
are all saiaried places. even those highest up in
her service. The salaries are usually meagre.
and when large as they are in a small percent
age of instances they only such in appear
ance since this is the one profession IN WHICH the
compensation given is net graded according 10
the worth of the man. but according to his neces-
stiles The metropolitan ministers who are re-
ceiving say. $4,000 year. are expected to live
somewhat after the same fashion as parlshlon-
ers who have an income of five ten times that
amount Most of the clergy receive salaries that
are prolific of perplexity, if not of actual pow
erty The money eneluments of this office are
out of proportion to the needs of the incun1-
bents the quality of the service rendered, or
those obtained for like service in other occupa-
tions.
While the financial inducements to the service
of the Church are not aifuring. there is sig
nificant fact which must not be overlooked
The clergyman's official position is an open
sesame to every home and to all social life
While other men, personally as worthy as ne
find their social life determined for them by
their income he moves freely in the best So
ciety enjoying its hospitality and ineufrihS no
sociai obligations Thus the financial disabfii-
ties of his office are somewhat relieved by the
conlpensating social advantages it brings 1t
nevertheless remains true that no man desiring
to become rich will be deceived into seeking
wealth through this office Those who enter 1t
must be iured by other rewards
The strenuous life is supposed to have fine
attraction for the purposeful youth, and this
life. in the opinion of many, is not to be found
in the service of the Church. The reasons for
this opinion are obvious. The clergyman neces-
sarily passes much of his time away from the
observation of men, Books are his companions
for several hours every day, and for most men ;
reading and leisure are synonymous. Such
times as he may appear among his fellows are
apparently dress parade occasions all right for
showing off him and his accomplishments, but
without merit as occasions for producing appre-
ciable results. AS a forceful among men
he does not compare with the man of business,
or even with other professional men, as the
doctor and lawyer. Not infrequently he is a
man refined and sensitive nature. not used to
giving or receiving hard hits. with a flavor of /
other -worldliness about him and suggestion !
that he belongs to the category of women and |
children rather than that of men. His office bars
him from much that is open to other men, and /
puts him ia his association with men in a class |!
by himself. On the whole, he is shut up to a |
narrow and narrowing life
This is not all IN the seeming, and constitutes !
real disadvantage for the clergyman, yet it is |
only one side of his life In the debates of our
school days as to whether the pen mightier |
than the sword the honers fell to the former |
quite frequently as to the latter The clergy
man wields the pen. not in the sense that he Is /
writer of literature but in the sense that he is
one of the comparatively few men who are con- |
quering the world with the power of ideas
No age has given clearer demonstration of the |
might of thought than has this age, with all its /
1t is the man with brains rather |
than the man with Drawn who is the effective
man in the combinations of labor as well as
those of capital. The with the hoe do |
not despise, but he is not in the running with /
the man who owns a steam cutivator, which is
but one of the million signs this age is giving
brought their precious freight of human lives and /