Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-01-23

" sareguarded them against go
ing from house to house for
food and lodging. 1t was warning
against the mendicant habit and
spirit In many lands the priests of
the prevailing religions live by beg
ging, and the result is enough to JUS
tify the warning.
But II is a subtle danger that still
threatens men who are doing benevo-
lent work--specially those who live
by such work. 1t is difficult to keep
the work itself so prominent and so
important that the worker will not
seem to be the chief gamer by 1t.
That underlies the feeling OF many
ministers, that they can ask for
money for anything but their own sal
aries. So they allow church treasur-
ers to pay all bills, leaving themselves
to the last. There are several bur
dened pastors in our personal knowl-
edge whose sessions or trustees ought
to be downright ashamed of them
selves for letting them serve on with
constant delays OF salary
In group of ministers at the re-
cent session of a synod all but one
declared their salary payments we're
behind and several said their church
treasurer resented being asked for
payments, assuring the petitioner he
would give" him something as soon
as he had any money. The one who
had his salary paid promptly explain
ed that when he went to church he
made 1t plainly understood that he
was no beggar that his salary was no
charity. that he had no financial rela-
ton to the individual church mem
| bers, but solely to the officials
| through whom his salary came, and
that he would not submit to any So
licitation OF funds which we're to be
given" to him The others wished
they had put the matter on the same
basis, but they felt that their people
understood their salaries to be kind
of benevolence for them and their
families. The ministers themselves
found 1t difficult to get away from
that feeling. They felt like mendi-
| cants
Salary Never a Gift
Now of course all this is absurd.
The service which faithful minister
renders Is never really paid for His
salary is not recompeDse measured
| by the amount of profit he brings his
people 1t is no gift to him. 1t is a
gift to themselves. If anything, and he
gives more than they do. Moreover.
he must read his own work In such
large terms that he will feel his
| right to the living salary which he re-
ceives. No other man is doing for his
people so much as he Is doing. He
is supplying a more vital need than
that he receives a salary. In the
cause OF civilization and humanity ne
is a larger factor than the grocer or
the baker He must not think of the
people as supporting him personally,
They support the church. and he is
part of the church.
There arc church officers whose
Inendable. There are others whose
manner is almost condemnable.
! These latter let q minister constantly
| feel like a beggar. He comes last on
the plea that, of course, the church
must pay its bills first and be square
with the world. But no church is
square with the world whose pastor Is
| unsquare with the world for lack OF
| the salary agreed to. II there must
be any deficits. they are not his to
carry They belong to the church,
and the church ought to carry them
by its proper officials.
Not Asking for Favors.
And a word about the mendicant
| spirit in benevolences One of the
minister's chief opportunities is that
| of inspiring the people to support the
Lords work in its larger phases. He
is not begging" when he calls for
money for that purpose, and he may
people speak of him as "a good beg
gar" II 1t is begging to give to the
servants of the king command from
the king, then 1t is a new use of the
word. For whom, pray, Is he beg
ging"? Not for missionaries or other
workers, surely. They ask no aims.
They are the largest givers already.
II they succeed in the large service,
1t is not their success; It belongs to
the whole church, 1t belongs to Christ
himself Let minister feel, when he
calls for money for the work of the
! kingdom, that he speaks for the king,
and that refusal of his people will be
to them great loss. He wants no
favors for anybody. He wants the
rights Of the king recognized. He Is
no mendicant. He is royal messen-
| ger-F'rom The Continent