The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-16
rur PREACHER:s EDUCATION.

There was a time when some OF the
religious denominations held that the
preacher need not necessarily be an
educated man; that if man were
called" of God to preach, the Holy
Ghost would descend upon him and put
words into his mouth. That belief,
however, is a thing of the past, all
denominations now agreeing that 1T is
necessary for the preacher to be edu-
Gated. But how far should that edu-
cation extend, and what should it en-
brace? Prof. G.. +. Dawson of the
Hartford School of Religious Peda-
gogy, discussing the subject recently
said: Religious education should be
conformed in it's aim and subject mat
ter to the standards of modern science.
In training for the ministry there
should be included such courses as
laboratory work in physiology, neu-
Nology, and psychology, including the
study of mental diseases, vice and
crime in institutions for detectives and
delinquents, research work in sociol-
ogy, especially as concerns the anti
social classes and institutions; the
study of ethnology, with a view of dis
covering the origin and development of
domestic, educational. moral and reli-
gious customs and institutions, and ed
ucational PSYCHOLOGY"
1t is understood, of course, that the
preacher should have a knowledge of
Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Sanskrit;
that he should have been graduated in
theology, logic and elocution. But, by
the time he had perfected himself, or
been perfected by the universities, in
all of the things mentioned above
would he not be eligible to the super
animated list? Would not the average
congregation vote him "tooS old ana
ask for a pastor of more youth and
vigor? But supposing our properly
educated preacher, under Or. Dawson's
formula. should succeed in getting a
church, would he not be apt to preach
over the heads of his congregation?
No doubt his sermons would be very
fine. to those who could understand
them but the number of persons who
could do so would be so small that the
preacher would soon be asking the
question, why do so few men attend
the services p
There is a Baptist preacher in Fort
Worth, Tex, who seems to be educated
to the correct standard for effective
pulpit work. He may know nothing
about neurology, psychology, and eth
nology, or he may be well versed in
these and other "ologies;" but he GER
tainly knows how to preach. with such
power as to force upon his hearers a
conviction of their sins. Our dispatches
a day or two ago contained an account
of how a fugitive from justice from
Chicago, IA well-known society man
of the Illinois city, who had run away
and settled in Fort Worth, was moved
by this minister's preaching to confess
his errors and surrender himself to the
law for punishment. That punishment
is likely to be severe, since the man is
charged with both embezzlement and
bigamy. But the preachers words
were sufficiently influential to send
him back to make what reparation he
could. The sole fact of education
could not have enabled the minister to
! preach as he did. Given talent, tact
and education. and in addition an en-
thusiastic love Of the work, and your
preacher is well fitted for his pulpit.
But II seems to be unnecessary to try
10 embody in him the education of a