Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-05-31
Spiritual Self.

That much PRAYING and the constant
expe nditure of spiritual sympathy pro-
duce lot of hypocri.es is the start
ling indictment brought in The At
lantic Monthly against the ministry:
and another Boston publication. Ziun's
Herald. acknowledges itself frankly
scania lied. Tho Atlantic actually
compares the clergy to clowns and
testers but remarks that the clergy
are more TO be pitied than the
Gowns. for the min lister has to fur
nish sympathy and spiritual food
whether MS own feelings are engaged
or rot. They are called upon, it alleges.
TO exploit their own spiritual nature in
the earning OF their daily bread" This
IS what appears in the "Gontributor's
Cub. practically the editorial section
of The Atlantic:
AZ certain hours Of the week the
minister must summon from its hiding
pace the spirit of prayer: he must
itleraiy exploit il for the edifcat!on
Of 800 or 500 or 1000 listeners. At
certain other hours he must call forth
his most solemn convictions about life
and death. and exploit them in the
same way. And at uncertain times, at
any and every time. week in and week
out. he must have his personality
ready to deliver when called for.
rs this fair? Can we wonder that
the weakness Of the ministry is along
the line Of hypocrisy. Of the over-faci,e
in expression. of the cheaply ready in
sympathy?-thatm ministers sometimes
develop professional manner as
marked as the professionally sympa.
hal in o.
il surprising that in seif-defense they
Should build up for themselves an ar
NOR. not Of obvious reserve, but of glib
eXpressiveness, which meets the same
end? II they were always really turn
ing themselves inside out as they are
ncnnslly supposed TO do. there would
be nothing left of them, they would be
worn TO fragile in three month.
Some there are who really do this, arG
these are usually indeed worn TO "a
fragile. Or. 10 use the conventional
term, they break down Most of them
do not do it, and they survive, but
ideals suffer"
All this To Zion's Herald is Simply
another way of saying that unless
minister be nervous wreck he has
sacrificed his high ideals; he is a mere
number of words. one who pretends
to give himself, but does not" To which
comes the retort;
We do not believe anything # the
kind Failures there are among the
ministry. naturally: men who come
short Of being what they should be.
But the great majority of them are
genuine men. And when they stand
by the open grave and utter words OF
sympathy. or in the pulpit or in the
home, they speak tut OF the heart. :.
The article in The Atlantic tries
to say something in favor of the minis
try, and to find way of helping 1t,
but it does it badly. 1t practically in
diets the whole class for hypocrisy,
while it makes show of expressi ing
sympathy for a difficult work. Moth.
ing could be worse than for the people
to lose faith in their ministers. to i'm
agine that they are simply hired men,
engaged to make emotionally sat It's
flying addresses by the graves of dear
ones or 10 pray at moments notice
without feeling in mood for it. Our
ministers are nothing OF the kind. Fed
constantly on the deeper things of the
Spirit, they are in position to re-
spond by the help of God to the great
demands upon them