The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-11-17

vinity, has not been more or less a
matter of discussion. 1t is especially
a subject of discussion at the present
time; and it must be said that the cur
rent agitation of this matter is taking
the more practical turn of seeking act
ual remedies With the enormous in
fation Of prices, the meagreness of the
minister's pay relatively not only to
his needs but to the rewards OF secular
occupation has become more apparent
one may say more scandalous. Sue
cessful steps have been taken in several
important denominations to lend at
tractiveness to the holy profession, in
spite of its material hardships, by pro-
yiding retirement funds, and thus as.
surfing the poor preacher against utter
perjury in old age, but the retirement
fund does have the effect to meet pres
ent necessities, and the average minis
ter's lot, so far as the pressure of liy-
ing expenses is concerned remains hard
indeed
Inasmuch as the people who copsti-
tute and support the churches still al
most universally esteem and yenerate,
and often love, their ministers, il may
be asked why they pay them so poor
ly. Why should it be supposed that a
country minister should get along on
less than half the wages of carpenter
or bricklayeri Undoubtedly, the
general condition is in considerable
measure due to the persistence of the
idea that the minister is piously de-
void of the material motive in life. He
serves the altar from lofty sense Of
duty because he has oheyed a call 10
it, and not for an earthly reward. He
is supposed to have renounced all
earthly considerations. A bare sub
sistence is enough for him indeed. the
endurance Of material hardships, with
J occasional hunger of the stomach and
threadbareness Of raiment, is conducive
to refinement of spirit and eNaltation
Of soul. That, at least, seems TO be
the primitive theory which most con
gregations 90 on in denying their pas.
tors the means Of a comfortable exist
ence 1t may still be a valid theory
with certain rude sects, such a. the
Holy Rollers, or the Hooker Dunkards,
who eschew buttons as vanity and fas-
ten their clothes with hooks, but it
is an obsolete theory among ordinary
Americans. The minister nowadays is
really expected to behave very much
like other people He and his family
must make credtable appearance and
! interest themselves in the affairs OF
life. The minister must attend meet
| ings and conventions, and his wife and
daughters must belong to societies and
clubs. As much il exacted from the
ministers as from any public-spirited
citizen, il not more. He is thought
better of from having a family, and
! blamed If he does not educate his chill
dren well. His material burdens are
great No vow Of poverty is open to
him and yet that sort Of poverty
which means constant anxiety il his
unless, indeed, he is one Of the shining
lights of the profession, whose serv-
ices are competed for by rich congrega,
tions. And even then the added re-
quirements put upon him sometimes
drive him as near the fateful Micaw-
berian mark as his brother who
serves the poorer congregation.
The question therefore arises wheth-
er the time has not come for the
churches TO take organized action to
meet this evil, and BY common action
possibly to consolidate congregations
or parishes that are too small or poor
to support minister properly, or in
some other way to lift the minimum
reward for the service of the altar.
Occasional purses, gifts or donations
do not help the situation any In
deed, they may tend to encourage the