Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-02-06
THE DECREASE OF MINISTERIAL
CANDIDATES..

Rev. Cyrus Townsend Brady, bet
ter known, perhaps, as an author than
as clergyman, having achieved sue
cess in the former sphere before he
entered the priesthood of the Episco-
pal church, has an interesting article
in the current Review of Reviews on
the reason for the decrease in the
number of those seeking to enter the
ministry. He gives figures from the
official authorities of the several
church bodies to demonstrate that the
candidates show a much less percent
age of increase that the growth of the
churches in membership or of the
country in population, and that the
tendency is steadily toward a dim,~
ishing supply for the pulpits of the
land, even though the spiritual nee
essities of the nation may be growing
greater.
Chief among the reasons that inn
pei young men not to enter the min
istry Dr. Brady puts the inadequate
support and the fact that no provision
can be made for old age beyond the
! paltryN pittance given by some of the
churches to the superannuated clergy.
Young men, he says, who have the de-
sire to be of service to humanity, find
that they can serve their fellow men
through various other agencies and
| not deprive themselves of ordinary
comforts while in youth and sturdy
manhood and at the same time pre-
pare for the old age that is inevitable.
They see no reason to sacrifice them
| selves. Added to this, too, is the fact
! that it is more than ever appreciated
that the minister must lose a large
part Of his intellectual independence
to satisfactorily serve many churches.
A certain part of his mental freedom
must be surrendered to prejudice and
Ignorance, AsS0r. Brady puts it, his
mental independence is hampered by
the opinion of some business man who
has never had a chance to study the
subject upon which he holds such
dogmatic views, or the conclusion of
some otherwise worthy matron who
| learned all about it from her grand
mother. The aspiring and strong
young men of the day hesitate to put
themselves in such leading strings.
The lack of unity of belief, too, has a
tremendous influence in restraining
men from entering upon the work of
the ministry. There is an uncertainty
of fixed belief, feeling of unrest, of
the inadequacy of doctrinal standards,
a feeling of incertitude, that acts as a
great restraining force upon those
who might otherwise seek to enter the
service of the churches.
The straight laced efforts to make a
separate class of ministers, to deny
them ordinary pleasures that other
men enjoy, to limit their activities, is
also regarded by DR.. Brady as one of
the forces holding back men of genu-
inc worth from the ministry Says he
in this connection:
Of course some one will say that it
all comes down to this: Is the spirit
of self-sacrifice still abroad in the
land? | answer that it is. There was
perhaps never so much of it, For
any good cause, still as of old, multi
| tudes Of men will die cheerfully. Nor
has the call to serve God lost it's old
appeal to humanity. There is more
Christian service now being rendered
by lay men and women than ever be-
fore in the history of the world. Per-
| haps that is another reason why the
ministry does not appeal as it once
did. Men can serve their fellOwman
| in brOtherhOOds, societies, and other
organizations without incurring all
the awful penalties now visited upon
the Christian ministry.
Again there is the persistent inf
ence of puritinacle views which would
fam conform the conduct of the cler-
gy to rules and regulations which
| have long since become obsolete for
the rest of the world. Lingering and
archaic opinions as to the properties
force the minister into positions
| apart from the people whom he
serves. The minister may not 20 to
the play, for instance, even when It
is play which would benefit him
physically, mentally, and spiritually
The rest of the congregation will go,
but he must remain away and set a
good eXampe,-to whom and for what
pray? The position is utterly irrat-
lonal and senseless, but opinion on
the matter is we'll nigh universal.
1t is emulation of these things
winch has caused the steady decline
III the number of candidates for the
ministry, and which accounts for the
! terrible situation.