Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-29

The stress and strain of present-day
parochal duties are killing off the minis
try. There are more break-doWns among
the clergy in recent years than most per-
sons suppose Some notable cases are
made known. the passenger lists of the
great ocean liners showing that this or
that pastor, who has attained prominence
and worked like slave, has gone to
seek rest away from the eXacting duties
of his parish. For every case that be-
comes known, however. there are a dozen
of which nothing is heard.
Heart and brain troubles have become
common among the clergy. once min
lister conducted the church services on
the Sabbath. led the midweek prayer
meeting and filled in some of the rest of
the time making calls. He had plenty of
hours TO call his own. in which to read
and to prepare his sermons. He had d
life that was exacting, but not burden
some.
The clergyman today makes heroic
Sacrifices He has little of money to give
Perforce then. he must give of his time
The demands are increasing with the
passing of every day. Civic reform calls
upon him for aid The sweeping cam
out for his support. The poor look up to
him for helping hand. The afhicted
turn to him for word of cheer. Organi-
cations of every kind increase the calls
for his services.
And. in the face of all this, the num-
bey OF clergymen is not keeping pace with
the growth of the country. In the NIFTY
eight leading theological seminaries, rep
resenting a dozen denominations, there are
over 700 less students today than there
were dozen years ago. The church mem
bership has increased by hundreds of thou
sands but the ministry has grown by only
q comparatively few hundreds. Inc
brighter, stronger and higher-bred young
men of the country are turning to other
callings because of the insistent demands
sure to be made upon them once they en-
ter the ministry. Bishop Leonard OF the
Episcopal diocese of Cleveland recently
declared he had immediate use for dozen
clergy and could not get them. Rev DE-
Brady, speaking at Trinity Church In
Cleveland. said that the life today of an
average minister is often a tragedy and
the end martyrdom; not the martyr
dom of old, but that due to meanness and
petty treatment at the hands of those VINO
should be his chief support when he mas
given his life TO the work. He showed
that the average minister receives less
pay than the common laborer. while his
toll and sacrifice are many times greater.
The Bishop of London only recently
went over to Russia, did pastoral work
there that others had always intrusted to
lesser dignitaries of the Episcopal
Church, came in a hurry through Ger
many, where he did more church work,
and thence rushed along to London,
where he arrived just in time to keep
al engagement of long standing, 1t be
ing a counterpart of the great meeting
that he addressed in Wall street when
he visited this country. He puts the re-
sponsibilty for better work up TO the men
of the church He calls upon them to
do some of the work he Is himself do
ing-the giving of every child a chance
in life. He mentioned at the meeting
that only that morning he had knelt in
prayer with one of the richest women In
England, who was to undergo the next
day an operation for her life, and that
only the same morning he had buried one
of his most faithful parish priests-a man
who had given his all to the church,
keeping each year only just enough to
provide board and lodging for himself,
the rest going to swell the bishops fund.
With the close of the great meeting he
was TO take up other activities. There
pure water 10 secure for the people in
the slums of East London, where for
eight years he has been working.
His efforts are only those of every men,
Der OF the ministry who tries to carry
out the present-day Christian idea The
church is not the pastors only work
There is the case of Rev. Russell H. Con-
well of the Baptist Temple in Philadel-
phia. who labors necessarily not only
for the church. but for its varied inter-
ests. among them Temple University
Many of his week DAYS are passed In lee
turing 10 secure funds for the work of