Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-26
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a minister's confession, printed in McClure's
90, as taken down by r. H. schaufier Il
begins:
am going to make minister's confession
realize that this is an unprofessional thing
to do; but just now the ministry Is in a bad
way and needs all the help it can get. There
are far too many weak men in It, an1 too
few strong ones. 'M
Chief among the minister's temptations Is
laziness Usually he begins his work In
small country parish where there are not
enough professional duties fully to occupy
his time. He drifts imperceptibly into negl-
gent habits. He takes to preaching 'potted"
sermons. His mind disintegrates from lack
of use. Great numbers of us clergymen have
lost our hold on cultivated, clear thinking
people because we have let ourselves sink be-
low the mental level of the active mind.
Against scandal the minister Is the most
defenseless man in the community, because
like Caesars wife, he must be absolutely
above suspicion; and there Is no one whom
the community suspects with more zest The
minister's chief temptation is to become 9
politician, to become subservient to the "in-
visible government" AS a rule, every min
lister except the strongest has boss. If this
boss were the most spiritual man in the com.
munity things would not be so bad. But he Is
not. He is usually the richest. He is the
boss because he represents the money power
in the church and can cut off the ministers
head at any moment I know a pastor ID
Illinois who has repeatedly tried to expel one
of his large contributors from the church be-
cause he is the sort of man whose presencs
is a menace to the young girls of the congre-
cation. Yet the bosses will not hear of his
expulsion because he brings s1Oo year into
the church treasury. Quite recently he was
allowed to spend several weeks as the only
man in a summer camp for girls maintained
by this church.
Living on $400 Year
The report of the last religious census says
that the average salary of all ministers 10
this country is 1868. Remember that this IN
cludes all the $40. 900 and $4,000 salaries PAID
by the large city churches. I have it on gcoo
authority that one-third of our ministers re-
ceive today less than $40O a year This y
less than half the pay of the New York nod
carrier. 1t is one-third of the pay OF tne
union plumber This census declares tna9
from 1890 to 1906 church membership IN
creased by only 6,4 per cent, while ministers
increased by 4s.4 per cent, or more tnah &
seven and one-half times as fast as then
flocks. No wonder that salaries did not rise
There Is in our day craze for young MIN
isters The minister at so is as ft suoJect tOF
pathetic literature as the woman VINO y
losing her beauty. A clergyman not long aso
published book entitled, AT what AZ
Ought Ministers to be Shot?" Ism tnns
this book might have large circulation alu
lead the world to recognize the plight OF 'at
clergyman over so.
Menacing the Menace
Fighting fire with fire and menaces wllp
mehaces is illustrated in the attack on In'
Menace and other similar papers now heio'y
Congress c. B, strayer. writing In Leshsh
says (6)
Three bills have been introduced " Sv ~
gress designed to exclude from the InAlls .svs "a
anti-Catholie publications. rep ssentioned
The Menace as the chief offending pephhh
tion, and said There Is no man WhsssrSs WIZ
lieves in the criticism OF religion nsn sn Ran.
and scandalous language" The hev, Hsaa
dolph w. McKim, in opposing the pllils ~
he spoke for 800 Protestant elsrss "a noel
washington. II have no desire, ,aas s IibeI.
tor McKim, ito defend the scurrilous, ~ up N
Gus and hlthy publications, ana weut FL
god there were none. but We should no M
at them by striking at the hnersy " than
press would rather see the press, tSe p,Sss
clean, If TO clean 1t we had TO assam hD'sS
Turning to the more serious phases = :.
ueious thought there have been an unusp-.
,',n,her ~ controversial articles on rehslos.
sub,aots IN the general magazines lp''
month. .,.l,
The Atlantic Monthly presents an afus,
cr,t,oisinR the modern emphasis on soo'.'
service In the churches. by Dean ben
Wisconsin High Episeopalian Cd. ne
anes the churches function as saYias 49,
nv supernaturai means, and advises Fnst y,
material measures Of feeding the hungry ~
ministering 10 the poor be left 10 sece'-'
agencies.
Burden Bearing, Burden-ShzFing
rhsv can only bear others burdens ~,
quietly and nrnly bear their osn Det -s.. tes'j oI
sfrenath 10 stoop n pity one must nfst ass, =
leaned q stand erect Each one ep9 @.s