Our Pastor Resigns.
ALL Wheathedge is in a fever of excitement. "Blessings brighten as
they take their flight." We have just learned that we have enjoyed
for these several years the ministry of one of the most energetic,
faithful, assiduous, eloquent, and devoted "sons of thunder," in the
State. We never appreciated our dominie aright till now. But now no
one can praise him too highly. The cause of this his sudden rise in
public estimation is a very simple one. He has been called to a New
York City parish. And he has accepted the call.
This is a curious world, and the most curious part of it is the
Church. While he stayed we grumbled at him. Now he leaves we grumble
because he is going.
I first heard of this matter a couple of weeks ago. No. Some rumors
of what was threatened were in the air last summer. One Sabbath, in
our congregation, were three gentlemen, in one of whom I recognised
my friend, Mr. Eccles, of the--street Presbyterian Church of New
York City. He was there again the second Sabbath. It was rumored
then that he was on a tour of inspection. But I paid little
attention to the rumor. In October, our pastor takes his vacation. I
thought it a little strange that he should spend half of it in New
York, and seek rest from preaching in his own pulpit by repeating
his sermons in a metropolitan church. But I knew the state of his
purse. I therefore gave very little heed to the gossip which my wife
repeated to me, and which she had picked up in the open market. For
Sunday is market day, and the church is the market for village
gossip in Wheathedge. And Jennie, who is constitutionally averse to
change, was afraid we were going to lose our pastor, and said as
much. But I laughed at her fears.
However, the result proved that the gossips were, for once, right.
About two weeks ago, Mr. and Mrs. Work came into my house in a high
state of subdued excitement. Mr. Work handed me a letter. It was a
call to the--street Presbyterian Church in New York--salary $4000 a
year. It was accompanied by a glowing portraiture of the present and
prospective usefulness which this field opened. The church was
situated in a part of the city where there were few or no churches.
The ward had a population of over fifty thousand, a large majority
of whom attended no church. More than half were Protestants. There
was a grand field for Sabbath-school labor. The church was
thoroughly united. Its financial condition was satisfactory, and its
prospects encouraging. And the hearts of the people had been led to
unite as one man upon Mr. Work.
"I cannot but think," said Mr. Work, "that it is Providential. The
position is entirely unsought. Yet I do not really feel equal to a
place of such importance. I am sensible how much wider is the sphere
of usefulness. But am I able to fill it? That is the question."
"Well, for my part," said Mrs. Work, "I confess that I am mercenary.
There is a great deal of difference between $1,200 and $4,000 a
year. It will put us at our ease at once. And just think what
advantages for the children."
They wanted my advice. At least they said so. It is my private
opinion that they wanted me to advise them to go. I told them I
would think about it and tell them the result the next week. They
agreed meanwhile to wait.
There were two considerations which operated on their minds, one
usefulness, the other salary. I undertook to measure those two
considerations.
The very next day gave me an opportunity to investigate the former.
I met my friend Mr. Eccles at Delmonico's. We talked over the
affairs of his church at the table.
"You are trying to get our minister away from us," said I.
"Yes," said he. "And I think we shall get him. He is a sound
man--just the man to build us up."
"And how are you prospering?" said I.
"Capitally," said he. And then he proceeded, in answer to a
cross-examination, to interpret his reply. The Church had almost a
monopoly of the ward. Its debt was but $10,000, which was in a
mortgage on the property. There was also a small floating debt which
would be easily provided for. It paid its former pastor $4,000, just
what it offered Mr. Work. Its pew rents were about $3,500. The
deficiency was considerable, and had to be made up every year by
subscription. "But our minister," said M. Eccles, confidentially,
"was a dull preacher. I liked him--my wife liked him. All the church
folks liked him. But he did not draw. And it is not enough in New
York city, Mr. Laicus, for a minister to be a good man, or even a
good preacher. He must draw. That's it; he must draw. I expect the
first year, that we shall have a deficit to make up, but if next
spring we don't let all our pews, why I am mistaken in my man,
that's all. Besides they say he is a capital man to get money out of
people, and we must pay off our debt or we will never succeed, and
that's a fact."
I got some figures from Mr. Eccles, and put them down. They give the
following result:
Income.
200 pews at present average-$30 a pew
$6,000
Expenses.
Salary
$4,000
Interest
700
Music
1,200
Sexton, fuel, light, &c.
1,200
Total
$7,100
When I showed the footing to Mr. Eccles he shrugged his shoulders.
"We shall have to raise our pew rents," said he. "They are
unconscionably low, and we must pay off our debt. Then we are all
right. And if we get the right man, one that can draw, he will put
our heads above water."
With that we separated.
Not, however, till I got some further information from him. He
remarked casually that he had a notion of moving out of town, and
asked me about prices at Wheathedge. "It costs a fortune to live
here," said he. "My wife has an allowance of $300 a month for
household and personal expenses. My clothing and extras cost me
another $500. And the "sundries" are awful. You can't go out of your
house for less than a dollar. I have no doubt my incidentals are
another $500. It is awful--awful."
I advised him to move up to Wheathedge, the more cordially because I
have a lot I would like to sell him for about a thousand dollars. I
really believe he is thinking seriously of it.
The next day I went into the office of my friend Mr. Rental, the
broker. I told him I was looking for a house for a friend, and asked
the prices. He showed me a list-rents $2,000, $2,500, $3,000. They
were too high. Would property in Brooklyn or Jersey City do? No. It
must be in New York. It must be in the -- ward. It must be a good,
comfortable, plain house, without any show or pretension.
"There are none such to let in the city," said Mr. Rental. "Land
costs too much. The few plain houses are all occupied by their
owners." The very best he could do was one house, half a mile from
the church, for $1,800. He had one other for $1,500, but it was
opposite an immense stable, and had neither cellar nor furnace, and
croton only on the first floor. I thanked him and said I would look
in again if either of them suited.
Last week, according to appointment, our pastor and his wife came in
for a second consultation.
"There are," said I, "two considerations which might lead you to
accept this call-increased usefulness and increased salary. I do not
deny the importance of a New York city parish, nor fail to recognize
the good work the city ministers are doing. But you must not fail to
recognize the difficulties of the situation. New York is
sensation-mad. The competition in churches is as great as in
business. There are perhaps half a dozen men of genius who fill
their churches with ease, or whose churches are filled because they
are the resort of "good society." The rest of the ministers are
compelled to devote three-quarters of their energies to keeping a
congregation together, the other quarter to doing them good. They
accomplish the first, sometimes by patient, persistent, assiduous,
unwearying pastoral labor, sometimes by achieving a public
reputation, sometimes by the doubtful expedient of sensational
advertisements of paradoxical topics. But in whatever way they do it
the hardest part of their work, a part, country parsons know next to
nothing of, is to get and keep a congregation. What you are wanted
for at the--street Presbyterian Church is to 'build it up.' The one
quality for which you are commended is the capacity to 'draw.'
Doubtless there are devout praying men and women who will measure
your work by its spiritual results, by the conversion of sinners and
the growth in grace of Christians. But what the financial managers
want is one who will fill up their empty pews, enable them to add
fifty per cent. to the rentals, and in some way pay off their debt.
That will be their measure of your usefulness."
It was quite evident that my good pastor and his wife thought me
uncharitable. Was I?
"As to salary," said I, "you country clergymen are greatly mistaken
in supposing that city salaries are prizes to be coveted. Six
thousand dollars is only a moderately fair support for a New York
clergyman, and there are comparatively few who get it. You must pay
at least $1,800 rent. You must dress as well as the average of your
best families. You must neither be ashamed for yourselves nor for
your children in the best society. You must keep open house. You
must set a good table. You must be "given to hospitality." You must
take a lead in organizing the missionary and charitable movements of
your Church, which you cannot do without some money. You must be
ready to co-operate in great public, church, and philanthropic
movements. You must take a vacation of six weeks every summer, which
of itself, at the lowest estimate, will cost you $150 or $200 a
year. I have made some inquiries of three or four economical friends
in New York. Here is the result of my inquiries. You may reduce the
figures a little. But it will require quite as much economy to live
in New York on $4,000 a year as in Wheathedge on $1,200."
With that I showed them the following memorandum:
Rent
$1,800
Household expenses (a low estimate)
1,800
Dress for Mrs. Work and the two children
600
Dress and personal expenses of Mr. Work
500
Summer vacation
150
Incidentals
500
$5,350
Mr. and Mrs. Work thanked me for my advice, and took my memorandum
home with them. But it was quite evident that Mrs. Work was not
satisfied that $4,000 was not a great advance on $1,200. And I was
not at all surprised when Mr. Work read his resignation from the
pulpit last Sabbath. Next Sabbath he preaches his farewell sermon.
I hope I may prove a false prophet. But I think Mrs. Work will find
her arithmetical powers taxed in New York as they never were in
Wheathedge, and I shall be more pleased than I can tell if in five
years Mr. Work does not retire from his post a disappointed man, or
find that he has purchased success at the price of his health, if
not his life.
Meanwhile we are beginning already to look about for his successor.