Show TAKE MY WORD FOR IT by FRANK COLBY beu bell syndicate feature features REVEREND several ministers have requested recently that I 1 try again to clear us up the popular confusion as to the prop r use of the title reverend says ane I 1 object heartily to being i ailed reverend or being ad as reverend blank let us start at the beginning with his simple tact fact reverend is not in official title like doctor major governor it Is simply an adjective rf f respect like the honorable be ore the names of members ot of con gress mayors of cities citie et acet era tra moreover in good usage there s no such thing as a reverend ind no theological or other school mard the degree or 11 title of 1 rev rend now then how should reverend e used in writing to or of and in peaking to or of a 7 9 1 either of these forms is correct in writing to a clergyman the reverend john jones rev mr or dr john jones 2 these salutations are correct dear sir dear mr or dr jones never dear reverend dear rev I 1 ones 3 in speaking to a clergyman ay mr jones or if he holds the legree of doctor of divinity or ny other degree of doctor dr ones never reverend or reverend jones 4 in speaking of a clergyman ay our pastor mr jones our ni nister dr jones the reverend ir or dr john jones note use of reverend with the surname alone as reverend jones jonis is to be avoided at all times in both speaking and writing use of reverend parallels ex acely the use of honorable no one would think of addressing say a congressman as honorable or honorable jones nor should any clergyman ever use reverend in referring to him self in speech or writing his sta should be headed john J jones pastor first blank church or if he is a doctor of divinity john J jones D D pastor first blank church he should sign his letters john J jones or john I 1 jones D D never pastor john J jones rev john J jones or dr john J jones I 1 kansas city how did the espres sion kiss of death originate 1 H E Z answer it Is an allusion to the kiss of judas iscariot but jesus said unto him judas betra yest thou the son of man with a kiss luke 22 48 however as kiss of death is used today it does n not often designate deliberate betrayal rather it implies a well meant en dor which results in disaster to the career of the one endorsed for example certain candidates are said to have received the kiss of death because of their support by the political action committee of the CIO |