Year: 1876

II


A MOTE In SOMEBODY'S EYE.


/ am no politician glad Of it. Hart


never studied political ethics-don'


want to if they teach that a thing car


be right in politics and wrong 10 re-


Iigion. Our country is agitated on the
question of reputation. Tennessee


somewhat sayagely so. People seem


inclined to escape the prison house OF


moral obligation without paying ;'the


utmost farthing" Some say it is


wrong, and that owe no man stands
until the heavens and the earth pass
away" or until all be fulfilled"
believe it. Reputation impairs credit
and destroys confidence. Our people
are strongly opposed to it-so I think.
They seem to think it wrong and our
people are conscientious people. Let
az individual repudiate and send them
"notice = how they do bless him
They would ostraeize.. aye disfran-
chise. him if they could. Let a preach
er repudiate. Let him convince his
friends that he makes no further effort
to pay his just debts, and though he
speak with the tongues of men and of
angels = his sermons are powerless
for good. That is right. No preacher
has the right to plead the delinquency
of his flock in extenuation of his own.
He saw the chasm in our economy be-
fore he entered the ministry or con-
tracted his debts. He knew that he
could hold no claim against his charge
longer than the year of his pastorate
among them. He knew, likewise, that
debts contracted BY him would stand
against him until paid, and that the
whole amount would be demanded of
him, no matter what. amount Of his
salary had been repudiated by his
flock. IF he sees no probability of
paying for goods he has no right to
take them up. IF he cannot preach
without taking up these goods and can
not pay for them if he takes them uD,
then his call expires God never will
countenance dishonesty in priest or
people, much less call man to the
work of the ministry who,sin order to
obey the call, is compelled to "takeup
goods without probability of paying
for them Selah. s' S


ClarksviIle District has thirteen
pastoral charges. doubt if one of
them allowed its pastor seven and a
half cents more than a comfortable
support last year. Yet all but two Of
these charges repudiated more oEless
of their preachers salary; some Of
them more than half: Isit right 2. i
think not. Such treatment will COM
pei their pastors to go insdebt, quitthe
work, or work miracles of economy
Having nothing for breakfast, warmed
over for dinner, and the scraps for sup
per may put man in preaching trim,
but he will never be a greatpreacher-=
avordupois. Three thousand Metho-
dists in Clarksville District repudiated
about two thousand dollars of their
preachers salaries last year. And
yet, in the language of some of our
friends when their theology gets
tangled, they are in the hands of
mereiful God. How He did bless
them last year. Why It seems to me
He could have done but little more
for them if they had paid one hundred
cents in the dollar


We are In trouble now. Here are
three thousand Methodists condemn
ing themselves in the thing which they
allowed. These people are honest,
pious and progressive; yet there is
something wrong. May / make two
suggestions?


1. Bring the pastors in contact with
their people and development will be
the result.


Clarksville was the banner charge in
the financial investigation at the Dis
trict Conference at least that impress
sion went abroad, though its member
ship pays to its pastor five dollars
per capita, while It's neighbors across
the river pay nine Beyond contro-
versy, Clarksviile has one of the best
preachers and pastors in the Tennessee
Conference. Yet who would dare to
say that he could get fifteen hundred
dollar salary on Antioch? He couldn't
do it. Why? Because the member
ship is scattered over an area of three
or four hundred square miles, and it
would be impossible for him to come
in contact with them enough to de-
velope them Now, if you will bring
them together like the Methodism of
Clarksville, and lethim preach to them
twice every Sunday, meet them and
their children in Sunday School and
prayer meetings and visit among them,
believe they would pay him double
his present salary. To bring preacher
and people in contact the work must
be reduced. The demand for Sunday
preaching and the desuetude of week
day preaching is legitimate. know
one appointment, with preaching every
two weeks. that will pay more this year
than the whole circuit to which it be-
longs paid last year; while the same
circuit, though reduced in numbers
and financial ability, will pay far more
than it did last year, just because the
preaching and pastoral work has been
increased.


2. systematic the finances of the
church and development will be the
result.


A preacher fed upon catch-penny
collections will go to bed hungry.
There must be some plan adopted and
carried out. Almost any plan is better