Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-10-13

binary city church? When he took note
of Deacon Browns usury and the sand
in Jones sugar and called individual
! attention to these shining lights of
church membership what would hap
! pen to him? Jones and Brown are to
be depended upon for the biggest
widow and the sand a Literally to
| the support of the organization. They
hired the preacher; at least their con-
sent and appreciation were sought n
secured before he became the regular
occupant of this particular pulpit. III
it were a country congregation and a
country preacher took public note n
offered individual condemnation OF the
farmer who quietly had his herd tested
as were shown to be diseased would
the preacher be going too far and how
much farther would he be likely to go
after the board had considered his
case? Nehemiah, and the prophets who
have left us considerable evidence of
their ~outspokenness have left other
evidences that indicate how hard 1t
was to keep clothes on their families.
The modern preacher needs Goa II
clothes and enough to eat quite as
much as any other member of the COM
munity. OF course we don't act as this
responsibilities as other men have. HIS
position in the community is. more's
the pity the most dependent of any OF
it's servants. If he is to be of actual
service without complete personal sac
rifice he must to a great degree adapt
himself to the congregation he serves;
and this results, oftentimes, in a close
mouth where Nehemiah would have
cried aloud and have spared not.
1t must be confessed that there Is a
lot of poor preachers. h average
preacher, however is a good man, SIN
CeTe IN Ills uCSIc = wv oOoo
men aside from their sins. He is almost
invariably as much better than
his congregation as he should
be. But he is not usually a
pulpit Telemachus, willing to oe
torn to giblets if he may speak his
mind and point out individual weak
ness and sin. If he is notable he waits
and takes it out on a chautauqua audi
ences. If not he goes on saving wood
the best he may, buying old Jones
sanded sugar and watching old Brown
skin the poverty stricken patrons out
of double the interest rate the laws
permit.
The difficulty is with the congrega-
tion. not with the preachers. The pres
ent day preacher is not the autocratlc
leader of the past. He comes closer to
a head clerkship, a managerial position
under a board of directors. Whlie
church boards are made up as they
often are, the minister should not be
condemned If he falls below Nehemiah
and the prophets in denunclatlon OF
individual sins. 1t is scarcely fair of us
to a k piety like a Sunday dinner
once a week and insist that some II
shall keep an eye on us during the
other six DAYS to recount u faiiings,
especially if we intend to fire him for
doing so as soon as we can find a rea-
sonable C
If members of the congregation
would take more interest in the bust
ness yillianies and illegal practices OF
old Jones and Brown, if a committee
were to wait on such men and assure
them that a check wouldn't stretch
wide enough to cover eXtortion and
sanded sugar "in our church" the
preachers path would be made
smoother and the church itself stand
ont in a holder relief against the sins
of the times. It's the membership more
than the preacher that deserves train
ing. Let us not expect too much Of
mere mortals.
And so far as pink teas are con-
cerned, what chance is the preacher
given to mix with the men? How many
business meetings invite the clergy?
How would the congregations take it if
the clergy spent a part of its time at
the social clubs, where men speak
freely and where (horror of horrors)
there are billiard tables, pool and
bowling. Give the preacher a chance.