The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1906-05-16
Ministers Corner.
THE WANT OF MINISTER'S.

lege, spoke last week on Christian Education in
the Second Presbyterian Church. Charlotte n
G. DR.. Smith said:
I'VE all know that the Southern Presbyterian
Church needs great many things; we all know
she needs deeper conservation on the part of her
membership and greater appreciation of the
work committed to her care, but her greatest need
at the present time is young men preparing for
the ministry
There in our Theological Seminary in Co
lumbia only six unmarried men who
expect to enter the ministry and in Union Theo-
logical Seminary there only 65 20, hence
you see the dearth of ministerial students is APP
palling.
In 1894 there in our Church 447 Young
men studying for the ministry, and that was at
the time when cotton bringing only five cents
Since then there has been an educational revival
in our Church. and we have almost doubled orr
SlItS 10 missions, but there has been steady droD
In the number of ministerial students In 1895
the number had fallen to 37S; in 1896 to $50; in
1897 TO 344; in 1898 to 316; in 1899 to 800 and in
19oo TO 29l. And in 1902 there was a class of 16
young men who graduated from Union Theological
seminary and before they had received their
diplomas they had received ia calls to take
charge of pastorates.
In 1908 there slight change for the bet
ter, and an increase of students for the ministry
and in 1905 the number reached 316 but this is
not enough.
In the matter of wealth and founding new
churches our Church is advancing but there are
not enough young ministers in our Summaries
to more than take the place of the pastors who
die each year The crying shame of our Church
is the dearth of ministers. We have come TO the
Cne That when a place becomes vacant it must
De hlled by pulling some man away from another
charge where he is useful, and leaving that va
cant The question is not who can we eet,q
puC can we get anyone? when a church becomes
vacant Ihere are now in the Southern Presby-
terrain Church ia churches without pastors
Inc next question for us to consider is. How
he ic.
downing our Christian colleges
In the early days of the Methodist Church
there was among the ministry an aversion to an
educated ministry. They were against head 70
igion, and in favor of heart religion but tbe,,
learned through the stern logic of exDerience tba
mistake and the result has been that the Metbo-
dist Church has taken the lead over the whole
united States in the establishment of schools for
men; while our Presbyterian Church which revo
lut1onized Scotland and that has always stood for
an educated ministry, has in every State allowed
Ihe Methodist Church to outrun her in establish
ing colleges for men. The Methodist Church gives
from TWO to three times much to this cause
as does our Church. and takes a collection for tho
cause OF education regularly as we do for mis-
slons. We are ahead on missions but not on edu
cation
1t is the Church colleges that supply the can
"Iud'es Ior the ministry. I can give you figures
~ prove thls. Last year the number of students
Tor the ministry. including those of all tb 49,
logical schools in all Protestant denorino+io
was l''lo me catalogues of these schools record
the name of the institution at which every st,,1o
received his literary education and of these I OK
nuiIIS'erlaI students only 10 were educated at
otate universities and other non-denomina.
e oa[ schools, while 1906 were educated at
Church institutions You NAV as1, me to ovn1oi
thiS' Dut that is not my business TODAY He who
runs may read if he has the faculty Of nrde,,
standing these facts " "ei
ana the Presbyterian Church will never have
enougn ministers if we do not give our Church
schools the endowment they need"