Year: 1869

| fore, and thus reduces to its minimum
the amount Of joIting to be endured.
Patiently he plods along by the side of
his strong steeds, encouraging them
to perseverance as they draw the heavy
burden, and occasionally urging them
to put forth greater exertion of muscle
where the ruts become deeper. Thus
the miles are passed and the day is
spent-one mile like another, and the
hours all alike. Other days and other
miles follow, with the same weary mo
notony, the only variety being found in
the different depths of rut.


There are many men who pass thro'
life in similar way. They travel in
the track marked out by their prede.
cessors, and help deepen the ruts made
by others. They are afraid Of new
paths, and therefore never venture out
Of the old ruts. They are the persona
fcation of conservatism, and close seek
ers after precedent; and would turn
pale at The bare idea of doing what mo-
body ever did before. Such men are
doubtless of some service to society;
but where the world would have been
by this time if all men had been like
them, it is hard to conceive. Probably
we should all have been in a nomadic
condition, pitching our tents hithOr and
yon, Or perhaps-as even that would
indicate some progress-living without
any tents at all.


All conditions of life, all trades, all
| professions, have ruts into which the
wheels of thought or action readily fall,
and in which they easily glide. We
have no fault to find with this, since it
is necessary to have experts in every
department of business But while it is
well for every man to have a thorough
knowledge Of some calling, it is not
well for him to pass through life in to-
tai ignorance Of everything else. The
mind soon dwarfs in contemplation of
bare routine duties. There is no stim-
ulus in life of monotony; nothing to
develop thought, or arouse ingenuity.
The mind must have variety as we'll as
activity, in order to bring out all its
powers. 1t is better to have a superb
cial knowledge of some things than to
be in total ignorance. If a man knew
where he can put his hand on life-pre-
server when in danger, he may save his
life, even though he knows nothing Of
| the mode of the life-preserver's con-
struction, and has to learn how to put
it on after he gets it.


We know that poets and provsrb-
makers may be quoted against US. We
shall be reminded that "A little knowl-
edge is dangerous thing" So it tis in
\ the poets sense, but not in every sense.
We shall also be told about the shoe
maker sticking to his last. If he can
make shoes better than anything else,
let him make his living thereby. But
that need not prevent him from having
his own thoughts and opinions on other
subjects than leather and wax-ends.
There have been good shoemakers who
! proved to be good metaphysicians; and
there have been learned blacksmiths,
and poetic bricklayers, and pastoral as
tronomers, and one tinker whose name
is forever associated with the finest al
legory in the English language. Our
late civil war developed the military
genius and ability of mechanics, manu-
H facturers, merchants, and professional
men. These were all men, each of
\ whom understood his own peculiar
| business well, but they kept out of the
ruts, and hence were able to understand
something else well.


Perhaps no class of men are so apt to
get into ruts, and stay there, as minis
ters. This may arise, in some cases,
I from fear of becoming worldly or Sc
cular, or from an idea that their calling
is so sacred that they must needs sepa-
rate themselves from the world, From
participation in the evil that is in the
world all good men should, as matter
of course, separate themselves. But a
minister of Christ has a very partial
/ view of the true dignity of his sacred
calling if he supposes that his position
requires him TO build fence around
himself that he may be isolated from
the rest of mankind. He must have a
knowledge of human nature if he would
succeed and the place to study human
nature is not among books, but among
men, Christ went among the people


and SO should Christ's servants. Le
them learn the peoples ways, that they
I may know how to supply the peoples
wants.


This outside knowledge, if we may SC


call it, though not strictly theological
J knowledge, is, after all, a necessary part
} of ministerial training. Something
t more than mere theology is necessary
to success in the ministry. If any mar
need have breadth of thought it is 1


minister yet it is we'll known thai


many practical business men-and not
i all of them worldly men either-asser


that clergymen, as class, are men o.
. narrow views. They run well enougl


in the rut of their pro fession, but the!
| cannot get out of it. Shall we say tha
, this is false accusation when we SCI
SO many preachers who assume airs o.


dignity which keep the common people
, far off, and make intelligent laymen in
3 dulgc in a quiet laugh at their affecta'


ton; when we find others who manites,
d total Ignorance about the common at
q fairs Of life and such surprising want