The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1906-03-02

y to-uay is pFe-eiliueutis III
Go@ age of the controyerSialist
The intellectual world la:
seemingly resolved itself into a hug
debating society, and woe 10 him wht
enters the arena unprepared. For cen
trorersy breeds specialists, and spe
c.alist is hard to down in an argument
when he Is discussing his own indi
.yidaal thought fad.
In all branches of professional worf
are the individualists becoming NOR,
and more unassailabie. and per contra
the different departments OF tht
worlds thought are demanding more
and more skillful workers In their VAR:
Gus. fields.
Among the three great professions
possibly none is so persistent in LEI
present day demands as is the minis.
try. The call for the better men-aye
for the best the world has to offer
is loud and persistent. All denoniRa.
tons, all creeds, are uniting in an ap.
peal for the cream of the universities
and the seminaries. And what has
the church to offer? What indus e.
ments does the pulpit of to-day pre-
sent to the brains and energy Of the
younger generation? In other words.
what chance" is there for the intel
Iectual giant?
Putting aside for the moment the
argument that the ministry Is a sacred
calling, and judging it simply as n
profession, there is an earthly, a
selfish, side to it that 1t is not wise to
leave out of view.
About 100 years ago a great effort
was Inade i'm this country to arouse re
ligious enthusiasm In many Ways.
Educational societies and beneficiary
foundations were provided. college men
We're asked why they should not and
did not enter the ministry: and. as a
result, there was a suddenly increased
number Of clergymen. Then came a
day when young men shrank from
the ministry, thinking that they were
happier and would be freer from the
meddling with their private affairs by
remaining laymen. They felt that fliey
had an obligation to society and to
themselves OF getting on in the world.
They feared the limitations and the
bondage OF creeds; the narrowness Of
church feeling and opinion.
To-day both of these arguments have
lost much of their force. The pews
demand from the pulpit new views,
new interpretations, new presentations
of the great problems of life and des-
tiny, and in the occupancy of the pull
pit the young man sees not an ignoble
sidefracking OF his ambition, but a de-
cided step toward its further and fuller
realization.
There is spirit OF unrest abroad.
and process OF readjustment to meet
the altered conditions OF life and
thought is visible in the church. Con-
tending voices are discussing new ways
OF presenting old truths. In .Ben
Hur," MESSIAH, the Roman youth, turns
to his Jewish friend. saying: 81 pity
You. my fine Judah. for you must go
from the college to the temple and
then Gan all browning gloryD to a seat
In the Sanhedrim. What life without
opportunity! See what possibilities
lie before Roman The ambitious
young Roman still lives in the Western
World, and. to-day, revelation itself is
on trial. The young men Of the twen-
tieth century must settle whether there
Is to be a gospel: whether there is a
Christ; whether there is a God. They
are examining the theological nomen-
clature and the creed statements daily.
The ministerial calling has peculiar
attractions, for the clergyman is the
recognized friend Of humankind in
every trend Of private and public activ-
ffy. He has nm assured social posi-
lion. is treated with marked respect.
md is held high In the esteem and the
confidence OF the community. The
company OF preachers is enormous.
and he, the minister, is one of the great
army. Sociologists, political ecano-
mists and educators OF every desfr.p-
ton proclaim, with him, the gospel of
human welfare and human salvation.
All unite In chanting Peace on Garth.
good will to men," even il they do not
prefix to It the other half OF the angelic
GLORY to God in the high
est
The minister OF today Is expected to
lake a prominent part in all movements
Df individual and social welfare and to
show his fellow men his enterprise and
practical wisdom. His activities in
secular directions need not seculnrize
MS mind, but they should. and do. |
end to make him more completelc a |
nan among his fellows. tend tn e.
arge the sphere Of his thinking and !
Q elevate and vary the tone OF his |
'ulpit addresses. tend to bring down.
be generalities Of the rule OF life to |
more definite application Of daily Gen.
met. The pecuniarr promise is not
afge, neither Is II necessarily small,
nt there are but few who are wealthy,
nd Il Is not ut all certain that any
fher profession would yield the pros
ecfive minister q fortune. There are
;syantAges. however, greater than
Eealth, and the rational man estimates
- highly any occupation with ele-
~ and favorite studies, the constant
i % bene6cent activities and the en- I
Vneut OF the confidence and esteem
NJ fellow man. Science. art. let
#n~X 4u~s~..ntR~~ s-~-e- 1