Year: 1876

Notwithstanding all the efforts of Education
Boards, and the admirable senlinaries oil the
country, it still appears that the Presbyterian
like other churches, requires more hlDiSters'
The best way of supplying this deficiency may
NOT come under the notice of the present Gen.
oral Assembly, but it Is a matter OF the great
est moment, and there is one direction Ill
which it may be possible for the Assembly to
give such expression of its mind as will
increase the amount of educated talent
devoted to the pulpit. We refer to tne
subject of ministerial rights. The civil
rights of minister are defended ny
the civil law. His Official rights are safe III the
hands of his peers. But his rights to malnte-
nance, and the " fruit of his labors" on the
lowest plane. are in the hands of his people,
and not OF law; and just sense of obligation
has TO he evoked to secure them for him. The
present too common method repelS high-tonod
youths, and often discourlge5 the best men
actually in the ministry. The incest calculation
il made as to the amount on which they can
live, and anything that is given beyond that Is
too much of the nature of dole, dOucear,
such as one gives to porter for his clvlllIy,
and which has in the case of the minister
two bad consequences, namely, that the
giycrs feel great self-cOmpaccncy without
reason, and the minister too often feels
some humiliation with reason. Why
should a minister be put on n footing
50 different from that of other honest labor
crs Does Mr. Clailin, or Mr. Jailray, or any
other large employer in New-lork, inquire on
how much one of his employees, who has given
the best years of his life to the business, can
exist1 Or does he inquire what che Is worth"
what. on a fair calculation Of the amount
contributed in capital. skill, labor and charac-
ter, to the concern, he is entitled to receive as
his share of its prosperity


Business men we presume do not often put
themselves in minister's place. Let us help
them To do it. The Rev. John Titus 1--WE take
a good Scripture name) will stand among his
cllers-a dozen good and true mcn-next Sun
day. He and they. like good men and good
citizens, have their families to provide for.
Each of them is able and willing. from honest
and wcll-directed labor to secure a surplus,
greater or less, from year to year. Each OF
them is getting on in the world-elthcr laying
by lttc for old age, or for survivors, or


improving his surroundings and advancing
his business. Not so the clergyman, whose
duty it is to instruct his flock among other
matters on the discretion with which good
men guide their alfI,irs, and that worse kind
"of inGdclity that makes no provision for Its
Gown The trustees-"all honorable mem
have calculated to "A nicely on how much their
pastor "can livc,n according to their best in
formation and ideas, and they give him that
much; and at the end of decade perhaps
of most cxhausting labor they "fccl good"
for sending him on a trip to Palestine.
If church is prospcring because the minister


is able and faithful let him share in that pos
perity, and let him receive his share not as
a gratuiy, but "a IA part of his income, lis
own. Let him feel that he is dealt with justly,
and not generously. He is not exempt from
the common feelings of a gentleman. lie is
perhaps supplementinG the income which his
parlShOncrs feel to be "quitC liberal by eff
forts in other directions, and smarting under
the sense of necessity 20 do it. lie knows the
rates of outlay of his people in many other
directions, and every reminder of their want of
thought in relation to him wcakens that fine
and subtle bond of sympathy aud affection by
which he ought to be bound to his charge.
Ii is not implied that all Presbyterian churches
arc censurablc in this respect, but many are;
nor that the Presbyterian churches are speci


ally blamable in this regard for all the churches
have something to learn and the Presbyterian
Church is in good position to lead the way
in reform. Difficulty is felt in finding minis
ters for the highest places. Why should New
York, Baltimore, Chicago, and other places
have to look beyond the United States for
occupants for their pulptsf We are glad to
receive good men from any quarter, and hap
PLY there is no tariff on imported ministers; !;
but the country ought to raise its own supply.


The too frequent changes of ministers are
often deplored and set down to ministerial
restlessness or incapacity. There is another
side to it. We shall give case. An able
man, felt to be power for good in the COM
munity, and told 30 in parting addresses has
worked assiduousy for years in his cOngrega-
ton, hearing every now and then from his