The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-07-01
CHOICE or MINISTRY AS CAREER

institution whose depth and breadth !, are !,
are e saf 1h w LIT
View Of history; he learns what t the wo saad
aGmlHEsr'' wts 6 Science and
Wththe history and Languages Of The FL,
hin In their magnitude. He believes that
Christianity IS the worlds hope He has
been reading widely; he, goes forth with 7,.a
m major or men possess. His view IS AZ
only that Of hbstras ,or 5as
It ls IL Ills business to to- do christs work.
Our goes g orhe
pontment Of o. church officer, His work
y now bound up with the lives V ! Of Of, his ds
re pie the men women ana t Gh the IN
their homes, in their daily lives, \. He has
he nr Ren eS
tuTed a to to no nobler '0 purposes. He would be
a hardened and ilnsxmpat hetlc nan who =,
a Hoe good IAN and Helpful pastor. who takes
his work seriously, and his flock. There
are many minister's, who With Sits s,,, 2,
united, sympathetic congregations. lead
ideal lives. SO far as, usefulness and hap
|plness are concerned. There are others
with divided congregations whose posi-;
ton Is as painful as any4man's can, well
be- And there are few who are not an
noSed In some degree about money mat
ton lion o their families. The ministry Is In
fact very frequently, In spite OIL homer Io1ior
and affection Of their relationship to.the
hold hold thongh some Consolation may be
found in the fact that clerical families
have sent forth more Of the prn|mlnen.
cept the farmers; and that 1t Is said nal
the famous men and women who, whose nn meg
are found in the English WhoTi WIG TO-
INSTANCE, had both srandfathers preaGh-
crs The minister-has, IN fortunate CIR
He hss beoRs and Chances
culture. He has possibly greater oppor-
tpnities to DO good II 43s his rs. community unity
men at many points. outside the pulpit.
Yet. in stating the case fully to young
men, something else must be said. A man
lions as to his duty In order to be a min
lister. He must love men enough to bear
many things in order to do them good
and win them. It is folly to forget that
he cannot have an easy way; he must be
student in order to aktproliitably to
the people; he must be "a reader; he, must
ditions, Z and have the syn1Gathy not TO
be repealed by any, but to help them, pe
must have his timc broken Into fragments s
by things thai seem 70 Pc {Irfi rn t ~.
prism il Ii I lie be a man Of heart he viii
feel deeply the evils around him. will Ia
when people 50 Erong VIZ y blnes
which he sees arc running bodies and
souls. will sometimes. like the peerless
Robertson, grit his teeth and drive his
Upon boys and 0 girls. His soul viii revolt
at coarseness and brutality which he
must meet and cannot remedy save by
slow processes He is the prophet with
of the solder and endure hardness.
One thing that is n chief drawback to a
ministerial career is the uncertain tenure
OF the position, It is not pleasant thing
refned by his studies and manner or llfe
and his high ideals, to realize that his po,,
sitlon in the community, his living and
upon. the sometimes uncertain good will
church "a, divided {h asalgst Itself by family
ass to beIieye eyil ana his de-
sire 70 DO fair to MI and with his over
faith IN human n I admitto ms home
.rattle-bralned folk, even when, ho has
been warned against them by wise coun-
selor5 Before he Is aware these have
srTSa Up rons Gf n " h
Congregation. Then 1t is almost impossi-
BILE for any. man without commanding
talents to please all people by his two
and spiritual strain of producing two
'nrst-rate cxpositlons OF greatitruths twice
a week, year in and year out, and making
ignorant aud cultured enough to crafty
the moro negligent /! In no other spheres
does a book or nagazine or paper or adj
dress have to be lifted to all classes at
ono and the same time. IN, n city, the
dissatisfied people have their choice of
churches and they 10 away and are for
dissatisfied stay and grumble, Tho min
lister Is to degree a the mercy of bab-
blers; they may start n groundless scan
DIAL, and he cnn do nothing but live It
COMPETENT JUDGES.