The midland journal., 1908-11-27
THE PREACHER. AND PASTORAL PURSUITS.

Gil q WIQc IdA6csf uey nave uOL 0S6n
confined to the merely practical side of
farm life but have dealt with the
broader themes. touching the better
ment of mankind. Sometimes they
have been political, formulating pro-
test against an unequal and unfair
system of taxation; sometimes social
and economic.
Past conditions on the farm and of
farm life have been contrasted with
the present conditions, very much to
the advantage of the present. For
whatever was formerly true OF the
farmer, to-day he is no pessimist. Our
attention has been repeatedly called to
the improved conditions of liying-the
modern <conveniences once unknown in
the farm house-the telephone, the ru-
raj delivery the daily paper brought
to the door.
Sometimes the discussions have TAX
en- a semi-religious (tho' wholly de-
vout) turn. For the farmer, SO con-
stantly in touch with nature instinct
lively acknowledges natures God, upon
whose beneficent providence he is so
dependent for the growth of his crops,
or who may water it is to God he
must look for his increase. 1t was in
this attitude one of our papers lately
discussed most beautifully and pever-
emily the Bible quotation We know
in part withNits practical application
to agricultural problems.
The farmer is no longer the man
with the hoe as. depicted by Edwin
Markham, else we could never have had
that prose-poem paper SO full of sa-
cred sentiment and which touched our
hearts into tenderness at our last
But the farmer, too, is practical
man. This you have shown in the way
you have not only stated your prob
farms. When you have discussed
needed reforms you have appeared be-
fore the proper courts and secured re 1
medal legislative action.
10 70 111ff % " n n
ing aught to your counsels or store OF
experience, wish here and now to ac-
knowledge my indebtedness to the CLUB
The subject which wish to dis
cuss frankly with your indulgence to-
day is one of personal interest purely
you as frank expressions of opinion.
The Preacher and Pastoral Pursuits.
use the word pastoral to-day not tn
any religious sense as pertaining to
the spiritual flock or congregation of
which l may be pastor, but as pertain 4
ing to the country business of farm
We read of the preacher in politics. :
.the preacher in business" &c.
Those of us who have had peculiar;
notions about the sacredness OF the
calling of the ministry lnstlncliVeiyl
shrink from the idea.
Is farming different? / don't want
to be misunderstood at this point.
anywise underrate farming as busi-
ness proposition, for have learned in
your midst to venerate the farmer anq
to regard farming as the greatesI IS ah1
For I have learned that II the Ameri-
| can farmer went out of business this
year he could clean up thirty thousand
Talk Of money mad trusts! They
! might have reason to be mad II they
owned the farms, instead or tneir va. va.
tered stocks When we earns anough n IN
| II DAYS to buy out STANDARD Oil,
enough in SO days to wipe Carnegie ana
| the Steel Trust off the industrial map, s,l
| the story of the trusts seems like the
I "the short and simple annals OF the
one American harvest would buy the
| would buy all Italy; 8 would buy Aus
| tria Hungary, and 5, at a spot casn
price. would take Russia from the Car.
| Talk Of. swollen fortunes Wnen- WIN -bns .ns
i bulges with the weight OF twenty -IouT !
new millions. Only the most atnletlc
| Imagination can conceive OF such tor
Place your finger on the pulse of
your wrist and count your heart peats-
one, two, three, four-With every LouI
of those quick throbs, day and nignt,
! one thousand dollars clatter into the
| gold bin of the American farmer.
How incomprehensible 1t would seem
to Psrclss who Ea conS saT knoW the Yearly
! revenue of his country is now no more
| than one days pay Tor tne men VINO
| till the soil of this infant Republic.
Or, how it would amaze q resurrect-
ed Christopher Columbus if he were
told that the revenues OF Spain ano
Portugal are not nearly so much as the
Merely crumbs that fall from the
farmers table otherwise known as ag-
ricuitural exportsl have brought him hin
to enable him. if he wished to settle the
| railway problem once for all, by puy-
| ing every foot of railroad in the Unit
ed States.
\ fellowship OF farmers, am but follow
4 Ing precedent, / did not seek ". II
came to me unbidden..
In the olden times in the country
| church it was customary to have In
| connection with the manse glebe OF
| parcel of ground for cultivation by
the pastor to supplement the somewna' sch
With the ever increasing demand OF
the modern methods of church work
upon a pastors time and a energy TIM, enls
| churches, Church farms have beer
sold--the salaries of pastors increased
that the pastor might give himseIi
Office In West Nottingham 1t is other
wise-the old custom is still adhered
to. The farm is still with us. The
/
| The call to the present incumbent
reads THAT you may be free from all
worldly cares and ayocations we prom
Use and oblige ourselves to pay you
the sum (and then follows amount OF
| a certain sum of money! and the free
use of the farm" Strange as 1t may
seem the free use of 40 acres (more or
less) of land has not entirely relieved
the pastor of worldly cares and avo-
| cations.
He was duly informed as to what a
4 source of revenue the farm was to
former pastors Can item not to be dis.
| pissed by any man however spiritual
his ofice.) His attention was directed
to what another minister had done
with a small farm. From Is acres
and IL cows Rev. Mr.. DIETRICH of Flour
town made annually 32400.00." We
were at once interested. Every minis
ter knows how $4,000 a year could be
invested so as to yield large. results
for the glory of God. the good of his
fellowmen, and incidentally to help
pay expenses of self and family 1T
ought not to interfere with a pastors $
usefulness.". 1t never has at West
Nottingham" 1t is not necessary that
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