The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-10-03
rchLaymenScored
For Holdingthe Purses
From fridays oaiiv.

FROM the Stylus see on tne
streets of Mankato, / think some
women have adopted Johnny Apple
Seeds Primitive Christian, dress
which consisted of coffee sack with
holes for the head and arms. The
women's dress today is disgrace
TO civilization" Rev. Ezra Clemens
has decided ideas on things ip gen
eral and this is one he expressed at
last nights meeting of the Methodist
conference. His subject was THE
Conference Claimants" who are in
reality the veteran ministers of the
Methodist church for whom the
churches are making provision.
pr Clemens scored the laymen OF
the Methodist church for their lack
of appreciation of the service of
these veteran ministers who opened
the work Of the church in this con.
ference and other conferences. He
saiG that the people of the church
are stingy and ungenerous in their
treatment of these ministers.
Ministers Not Paid Enough.
DR.. Clemens is secretary of the
board of /conference claimants and
gave full discussion of the subject.
The reason why ministers need
money after they retire from active
service is because they are never
laid enough during their years on
charges to enable them to lay any
money by. The average salary of the
Methodist preacher is $575, Can you
expect him to save anything for his
declining years? | have even known
ministers who had a little money or
a little property when they entered
the field which they have had to use
to pay that part of their living ey,
pcnseS which their salaries would not
pay.
And last year there were 400
veteran ministers and ministers
widows who gave up their annuity
because they felt that there were
other ministers and ministers widows
who needed the money more. That
is the kind OF people who are the
Methodist preachers.
No Rich Young Men In Service.
You viii find too that there are
no young men. sons of rich parents,
who are entering the ministry. !
can't tell the reason for this. Either
God isn't calling the right or they
don't hear the call.
when John Jacob Aston died in
the wreck of the Titanic he did the
best thing OF his life and FL tell
you why. GIe did the first really
brave thing of his life when lie re-
manned to drown in order that his
wife might be saved. But there was
young Methodist minister who ex-
hibited equal bravery and who was
tempted by Astor before his heroic
death. When Aston wanted to marry
the woman whom he finally did
marry, the ministers of the Episcopal
church, with which he was connected,
refused to perform the ceremony be-
cause he was divorced. He then sent
his attorney to young Methodist
preacher who was poor and in debt
and told that young man that he
would give him $4,000 to perform
the ceremony. That young Methodist
preacher refused. He showed his
bravery. He is the sort of man who
is inthe ministry today"
DR.. Clemens at the close OF his
talk made feryid appeal to the
ministers assembled and to the lay
members of the church TO keep in
mind The splendid service of these
veteran preachers and to give more
literally and more oheerfully for their
support.
The Freedmen's Aid.
"R0Ckcr WASHINGTON can say that
all 4 niggct needs is trade if he
wants 20. but there must be negro
doctors, negro lawyers and negro
preachers to look after the welfare
of their own reopic." DR.. Henry c.
Jennings, Who is at the head of the
Methodist Publishing concern, spoke
on the Freedman's Aid work, and
asserted that Booker T. Washington
used more money last year in the sup
port of Tuskogee Institute where
there are 1900 students than the
Freedman's Aid bureau used in its
twenty schools with 1000 students
81 am sure OF my own mind" he
said. that many OF the negro race
have less knowledge, less food and
lower morals row than they had when
they were owned by some one. But
they are coming to a realization of
that and are beginning to help them.
selves
Negroes Still Children
Someone made q gigantic and
general bunder in reconstruction
times in thinking that because the
negroes were free that they were
grown UP. They are still children
in much of their nature. The Freed
mans Aid was organized in 1866,
and was the first great charity for
the black people The organization
has spent millions Of dollars in its
work and is gaining ground and is
getting on its feet financially.
THE society has twenty schools in
the south all located where the south
has not schools which amount to
shucks. The trouble with the south
is that the schools have taught higher
mathematics and such things instead
of plain morals. The Freedman's Aid
schools are teaching morals and it