The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-01
By r. S. BARBOUR

vice Wa call on them in trouble to
soften our sorrows; We call on them
when we are sick and helpless, and
they bring us cheer and strength; we
call on Them to instruct our young, TO
unite our sons and daughters In we'd
lock, to bury our dead, and many
other things. We are exacting In our
demands of them; are we making due
return? / expect my pastor To dis
charge the duties OF his Office, but I
do not believe that have any right
to demand more Of him than do my
self, so far as my duty leads me.
These men have laid aside all
drt ans Of wealth, have shut them
selves up to limited source of in
come, are bearing their urdehs. max
ing their sacrifices and are nobiy re-
spending to the demands We make on
them. Are we dong our part by
them? ! for one am not willing that
my pastor shall bear all the burdens
and make all the sacrifices. / sug-
gest: ..... ,. -s.,. ..,<. ..a.-,
First. That we increase the salaries
of our preachers They are limited to
that source of income. and we have
made the Limitation. This salary
question was forctDiy brought to my
mind by an article in Current Lit
erature," entitled The Pitiful Plight
of American Preachers: 1t stated
| that Baptist preachers south of the
Ohio river averaged only $3s7 salary
per year. If this be true. ! say 1t is a
shame on the Baptists of the South.
Just try to live one year on that SAL
airy and support your family. brother
layman, before charging that the
preachers are poor financiers. We
ought to take this question up with
earnestness and administer some re-
lief while they are our pastors.
Second. In this connection / wish
to make a plea for the country
preacher. The country laymen should
take up the matter of arranging
churches in compact fields. building
! parsonages and having their pastors
| live among them II the country
preacher is made comfortable and
| contented. relieved of financial worry.
| 1t will mean much to the people and
| the progress of the kingdom of Christ,
| and he will thereby be much better
| prepared to perform the proper SER
vice. To my mind, compact fields
and parsonages are the solution of
the country church problem The
| laymen must take the lead in this
cause. as the preacher cannot arrange
| the field he would serve. He must
| wait until the field calls him. There
| are two difficulties in arranging fields:
| sometimes a preacher refuses to give
up church and take another, and
sometimes a church refuses to enter
the league with other churches: some.
times a good field is broken up by
some unpleasantness between the pas.
tor and a few Chronic grumblers," ]
may say. The trouble with them us.
ually is self the big ~ was not
noticed enough. That big 'I'' is oul
worst enemy. DR.. Hatcher said thai
self" gave him more trouble thar
anything else; that he frequently haG
TO have private talk with DR.
Hatcher In order to keep him
| straight" Both preachers and lay.
men need to have those private per,
| sonal talks, and then We do not keel
| as straight as We should. Compact
fields will mean better salaries fol
the preachers. better preaching ant
pastoral service for the people, ant
more progress for the churches.
Third. I suggest showing our ap,
probation in special ways. Do more
than you agreed to do in the CALL Dc
not underpay. but overpay him hi.
salary. Give him suit of clothes OIL
an overcoat occasionally. or presen
him with good book or set OF books
pay his expenses to associations, Sun.
1t will greatly help him and not hurI
us. He will get broader view o.
things in the kingdom and will leat
us into larger things.
The more we enrich the preacher,
life the richer will be his ministry t
us. If he knows that he Is appre.
ciated, he will work harder for US ant
our Saviour. John Ruskin says. "De
not hesitate to bestow worthy praise
or you will DISCOURAGE the person II
performing worthy deeds"
II the picture l have presented
seems dark and uninviting. woult
not have you think that there Is not
"A brighter side to the preachers life
He has responded to the highest call
Inc on earth. The social side Of his
life Is usually pleasant. There /:
Joy in his soul from the consciousness
that his life is being spent for the
hetterment and elevation of mankind
They are many other Joys that could
be mentioned. but time forbids more
To sum up. my plea to the laymer
on behalf of the prea cheers is twofold:
l. Do more for them while they arr
with US, Let us not save all the
! flowers for their graves. but scatter
some OF them along their pathway
through life increase their salaries
build parsonages, give substantial
! tokens OF Appreciation: thus give
/ them RELIEF while they labor. We
i laymen should remember that the
''Laborer is worthy OF his hire" and
also Pauls message to us, LET him
that is taught communicate unto him
that teacheth in all good things"
! 2. We should press the matter of the
] ministers relief fund until the en-
I dowment. together with what Ii an
! nuaily received from the churches.
shall be SUR cient to relieve the need OF
all worthy benefctaries Their days
Of youth and strength have been spent
and given to the servics Of God and
man. and we should count Il q Joy
and pleasure to do what we can to
| make their days of age and weak
ness free from anxiety and worry over
the ordinary comforts 70 life.