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Show WHY MEN AVOID MINISTRY. Ministers Give Reasons That Keep Them- from Pulpit. In nn nrtlclo In the World'B Work on "Tho Dccllno of the Ministry," Everett Ev-erett T. Tomlluson raises the question, ques-tion, "What deters men from entering tho ministerial profession?" Mr. Tomllnson gives the result of his correspondence. cor-respondence. Tho replies and explanations of twenty successful ministers, condensed con-densed and classified, aro as follows: 1. Tho lack of freedom. Tho minister min-ister .s looked upon too much as ono who Is hired or omnloved. If ho de vlatos from tho theological position ho assumed when In his lnoxpcrlenco and Immaturity ho declared his vlows, then ho Is certain to fenl tho forco of tho opposition often shutting him out oven from opportunities of labor and service. Ho Is looked upon not as tho minister of tho church. Ho Is ox-pected ox-pected to be a defendor of tho faith rather than a teacher or a student. 2. The short and shortening period of service. Tho reasonable certainty that aftor ho Is 40 yeara of ago his services will bo less in demand and tho dead-line of 50 no Imaginary bogle. 3. Tho difficulty of maintaining a homo on tho meager salaries given. That a clergyman's salary usually was a little less than what was expected ex-pected of him. 4. The continual shifting of his home and Hold. C. His subjection to tho pettiness of tho attacks and demands of potty people. i C. Tho present "beneflclary system," sys-tem," which degraded tho entiro body. These twenty mon, evory ono of whom is a successful pastor, wero asked if they had Uielr lives to llvo over again if they would select tho work 'thoy wero now doing. Seven I replied "Yes" enthusiastically, three were somewhat undecided, nlno replied re-plied "No" positively and., ono declared de-clared that If ho could avoid being "ordained" ho would bo only too glad to tako up tho work. And every man of tho twenty declared that "preaching" "preach-ing" in itself waB tho highest pleasure pleas-ure of his life. |