Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-12
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

HE Herald of Gospel Liberty,
an organ of the Christian
church, is of the opinion that the
tendency to insist on a liberal edu-
cation in the schools for ministers
is liable to be carried to such a
degree as to injure the church and
deprive the more backward COM
munities of spiritual teachers and
pastors. We would hardy think it
the province of a secular news
paper to break into such a dis
cussion we're it not that this re-
ligious newspaper applies the same
logic and reasoning to the practice
of medicine. Now, as to preachers,
the great preacher and teacher
chooses as his apostles fishermen
and men who from their calling we
would assume had very little edu-
cation as we understand the word,
and some of the geratest and most
successful preachers since the
time of Christ have been men who
never went to college. The Her
aid makes the point that placing
highly educated ministers in back
ward communities is like trying to
fit a square peg in a round hole
for all the good it may d. since
the raw fact of the matter, we are
told, is that very few preachers
trained and familiarized with the
conveniences and comforts of mod
ern home life in prosperous COM
munities can ever be persuaded to
become pastors of the little
broken-down churches in these ex-
ceptional districts. Not only are
such preachers disconnected with
their lot, but their high degree Of
literacy lily suits them to pastor
ates where much learning is neither
appreciated nor understood. 1t
works like a two-edged sword.
Yet, says this newspaper, prac-
tically every denomination has
grown into the habit of thinking
SO chiefly of its churches in the
city and in the more favored CON-
munities that they are requiring a
complete college education for all
of their ministers, and on top of
that perhaps a seminary training.
The Herald adds:
This program, which is being
adopted by nearly all denomina-
tons, is making it almost impos-
sible for backward communities to
secure pastoral oversight from
other than the preachers of back
ward denominations which require
no educational standard for their
ministry. These are usually the
advocates of peculiar dogmas-
such as the holy rollers for in
stance. Thus the religious situa-
ton Of these neglected sections be-
comes more serious every year,
and is likely to be turned over al
most entirely to freak sects
unless larger denominations devise
some plan Of furnishing a type of
minister who will be willing to
work under such conditions and
live in such communities. 1t is a
wonderful field for the genuine
mission spirit-and a field against
which the larger interests of the
denominations are initiating quite
seriously just now"
But when the Herald applies a
similar logic to the medical pro-
fession we feel that some protest
should be made. 1t goes on to
say:
THE good old family DOCTOR
who knew little of modern medical
science but a great deal of COM
mon home remedies and usually a
great deal of common horse sense,
who always heretofore grew up in
such communities and remained
there to take adequate care of its
medical needs, is fast passing out
of existence. Such men are not
able to meet the high tests nov
exacted for medical practice. And
the young doctors who have spent
many years in preparing them
selves to meet these new medical
requirements simply can not be
persuaded to 60 back and live and
work in such environments. Even
if the fees coul be made large
enough to make such a practice
profitable, the long ugly drives
over all kinds Of roads. and the
kind of folks and homes to which
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