Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1920-03-11
MINISTERS COST
LESS THAN AUT0s|
World Survey Figures Reveal
How BadIv United States Is
Paving Its Pastors.
MANY LIVING on $500 A YEAR
One Of the Aims Of Present Protestant
Cooperation Is to End Disgrace
Of Underpaid Pre- acher-Pen.
sions Also to Be Provided.

What are the chances OF young
man who intends to be a lawyer OF
making 5000 year? What are the
doctors chance? What of the min.
lister or the manufacturer?
The lawyer has exactly one chance
in five. The doctors chances are one
in seven. 1t is ten to one against the
manufacturer. The modern minister.
however, who formerly ranked with
the doctor and lawyer as member OF
the learned professions" has fallen
hopelessly behind. He is 100 to
shot.
These figures are part of mass OF
astonishing sacts brought to light by
the world survey being made by the
Interchurch World Movement aud
whose sources Of information are such
that many economists and statisticians
are availing themselves OF the results.
This survey puts Americas minister
at the bottom of the ladder OF the ma
tion's income receivers-and with re-
sponsi5ilities which equal those OF any
captain of industry.
A worker in {. silk mill, a laborer in
a rubber plant a paper maker
worker in a shoe factory-all are get
ting higher average wages, the sar.
yey shows, than does Americas min
lister, city or country. Nor does the
city man receive the luxurious salary
that many persons, including many
country parsons, believe he does. Not
four ministers In a thousand. accord
ing to the survey. receive $4,000 year.
In no instance, whatever the denomi-
nation. does majority receive $1,000.
Cotton Packers Better Off.
Are you a Congregationalist? In
2,7S3 churches The yearly pay to your
ministers has been less than $1,000.
Are you Presbyterian? You are then
on the less than $1,000 list with 6,4l6
ministers. In the event that you are
Methodist the charge is that 4,7l9
pastors are trying to exist on the $40
week that you pay them. Episco-
palians do little better, yet half Of
their rectors receive less than the
1880 year which government. econo-
mists regard as the minimum on
which a family can be decentl' main
tanned
The initial cost of the cheapest "fliv-
yer" on the market is less than 5000,
but very good. conscientious pastor.
| it Is shown, can be hired for a year for
that sum.
Ministers IN the South are preaching
| to fifty or more cotton pickers who in
dividually are paid more for picking
cotton than their entire neighborhood
| pays to the preacher in year.
One of the aims of the present Co
operation of the worlds Protestant de-
nominations is to end this disgrace OF
the underpaid minister. With univer'
sites, business houses and municipali.
ties daily taking action to provide for
the comfort of their workers, the
church is to keep pace with the times,
and to arrange not only for adequate
pay for its workers, but to provide pen
sions Tor those no longer able to work.
| It is to move the public to prevent
unfavorable comparisons of pastors
and puddlers. Until then, as for pud-
dler swappine jobs with pastor draw
ing an ordinary" salary-never! The
lowest salary paid to pastors is lower
tina, any wages paid in the entire steel
industry.