Ecclesiastical Financiering.
BUT though I have no stock in the Koniwasset Coal Company or the
Newtown railroad or the Wheathedge Bank, I have some in the Calvary
Presbyterian Church, and I decidedly object on consideration to
carry on that institution on the "somehow" principle. So I intimated
as much to Mr. Wheaton the other day, after thinking the whole
matter over, and taking counsel with Jennie about it.
"Oh! go ahead," said Mr. Wheaton. "Tell him we'll pay him $1,500 and
a parsonage. The church will back you, Mr. Laicus."
"And if the church don't," said I, "will you pay the deficit?"
Mr. Wheaton shook his head, very decidedly. I was equally decided
that without a responsible backer I would not "go ahead." So on my
demand a meeting of the Board of Trustees was called. The Supply
Committee met with them. James Wheaton, Esq., Chairman of the Board
of Trustees, was in the chair.
On behalf of the Supply Committee I stated the object for which the
Board was convened. The church had hitherto paid $1,200 salary. It
was quite inadequate. No one doubted that. It was unreasonable to
expect that Maurice Mapleson would come for less than we had offered
Mr. Uncannon-$1,500 a year and a parsonage. But in the call, by a
strange omission, the church had neglected to mention any salary.
The Committee wished to write Mr. Mapleson on the subject. Would the
Board sustain us in pledging the church to $1,500 and the parsonage?
Upon this there was an informal expression of opinion all round the
Board. Mr. Wheaton led the way. He had no doubt on the subject. We
must have a minister, a good minister, a live, wide-awake, practical
man. Such men were in demand. If one could not be got for $1,200, we
must pay $1,500. That was the way in which he managed railroads; and
business was business, whether in church or railroad. Not pretending
to be a saint, he naturally took a worldly view of the matter; but
he at least tried to conduct worldly matters on equitable
principles. It was certainly true that the laborer was worthy of his
hire.
So, in substance, said James Wheaton, Esq., Chairman Board of
Trustees, etc., etc.; and so, in substance, said they all. Even Mr.
Hardcap acquiesced, though with a mild protest against modern
extravagance.
"Well, gentlemen," said Mr. Wheaton, "this is just what I expected;
yes, let me say, just what I was sure of. In fact, I told Mr. Laicus
he might depend on having $1,500 a year; but he was not satisfied
with my assurance-he wanted yours. I hope he is satisfied."
"Excuse me," said I, "if I seem unreasonable, but I am not
satisfied; and I should certainly have been so with Mr. Wheaton's
assurance. I never doubted that he was good for $1,500 a year. But,
in dealing with a church board, to be frank, I want to know where
the money is coming from. Pray, Mr. Treasurer, what was our income
last year?"
The Treasurer murmured something about not having his accounts.
"In round numbers," said I.
"Between fourteen and fifteen hundred dollars."
"And our expenses?"
"Not far from eighteen hundred dollars."
"And, pray, how," continued I, "was the deficit made up?"
A part, it appears, was made up by a special subscription, and a
part is still due as floating debt, and part went in to increase the
mortgage. Perhaps I would remember the meeting in the fall at Mr.
Wheaton's house.
I did remember it very well. But I was anxious that the other
gentlemen should not forget it.
"And now, gentlemen," said I, "you propose to add three hundred
dollars to that annual deficit. Where is the money to come from?"
There was a momentary silence. The question was evidently a new one.
Apparently not a member of the Board had considered it. At length
one gentleman suggested that we must raise the pew rents. This
brought an indignant protest from Deacon Goodsole, who is a strong
advocate of the free-pew system.
"Never," said he, "with my consent. Any pew-rent is bad enough.
Trafficking in the Gospel is abominable at best. It shuts out the
poor. Worse than that, it shuts out the godless, the irreligious,
the profane--the very men we want to catch. The pew-rents are too
high now. We must not raise them."
The Treasurer also added a mild protest. The pew-holders would not
stand it.
"What do you say, Mr. Wheaton?" said I.
"Say?" said he: "why, I say you cannot carry on a church on the same
principles on which you carry on a railroad or a bank. It is a
different affair altogether. You must trust the Lord for something.
I think that we can safely trust Him to the amount of three hundred
dollars at least. Where's your faith?"
"Making false promises and trusting the Lord to fulfil them isn't
faith," said Deacon Goodsole.
"I say, Jim," said Mr. Jowett, "you trust Him for your interest
money--that will set us all right."
There was a little laugh at this suggestion. Mr. Wheaton holds a
mortgage on the church. He did not take kindly to this practical
application of the doctrine of faith.
"Oh! well," said he, "we can raise it somehow. Never fear. A good
minister will fill up our empty pews. Then in the summer we must
manage to bleed the boarders a little more freely. It won't hurt
them. What with a concert, or fair, or a subscription, or a little
extra effort our plate collections, we can manage it, I have no
doubt."
"For my part," said I, "I agree with one the gentlemen, who told us
early in this discussion that we must carry on church affairs on
business principles. I don't see any business principles in agreeing
to pay money which we have not got and don't know where to get."
"Gentlemen," said Mr. Jowett, "Mr. Laicus is right. The shamefully
loose ways in which our Protestant churches carry on their finances
is a disgrace to the Christian religion."
Mr. Jowett is a broker. He assured me after the meeting that it was
almost impossible to get a loan on church property because churches
were so notoriously slack in paying their interest.
Mr. Hardcap murmured an assent. "I don't b'lieve, gentlemen, in
agreein' to pay what we hain't got. If we'd got the $1,500, I'd say
give it to him. I don't grudge him the money. But I don't want this
church to make no promises that it aint' a goin' to keep."
"Mr. Hardcap has had some experience with promise-breaking
churches," said Deacon Goodsole.
It seems that Mr. Hardcap did the carpenter work in some repairs on
the Methodist church here last summer. When he got through he
carried in his bill to the President of the Board of Trustees. The
President referred him to the Treasurer. The Treasurer reported no
funds and referred him to the Chairman of the Building Committee.
The Chairman of the Building Committee explained that it was his
business to supervise the building, not to raise the funds, and sent
him back to the President. It was not till Mr. Hardcap, whose stock
of patience is small, threatened the church with a mechanic's lien
that the remedy was forthcoming.
"Well, gentlemen," said I, "I will not be a party to getting a
minister here on-excuse the term,--false pretences; on the assurance
that we can pay him $1,500 a year when it is a hard matter to pay
him $1,200. There are ten of us here. I will put my name down now
for $30, if the rest will do the same. If the Lord sends the $300,
or if the ladies raise it by a fair, or if Mr. Wheaton gets up a
concert, or the summer boarders come to our rescue, we shall have
nothing to pay. If none of these things happen, the minister will
not have it all to lose."
The matter was eventually settled in that way. We raised a
contingent fund of $250 then and there, which we have since made up
to $400. So that now we can offer $1,500 a year with a clear
conscience.
As a lawyer I have had some experience dealing with corporations.
And I record my deliberate conviction here that of all corporations
church corporations are financially the worst; the most loose and
dilatory and unconsciously dishonest. I record it as my deliberate
conviction, having had some opportunities for knowing, that in the
Calvinistic church, of the others I don't pretend to know anything,
on the average not one half the ministry get their meagre salaries
promptly. This injustice is the greatest and most scandalous feature
in the treatment to which the churches subject their ministers. That
ministers are subjected to hardships is a matter of no consequence.
So are other people. It is the injustice, the absolute and
indefensible injustice, the promising to pay their meagre salaries
and then not paying even those-the obtaining of their services under
false pretences-that I complain of. If I were a minister I never
would accept a call without knowing thoroughly the income and the
expenditure of the church.
As I write there lies before me a letter from my late pastor. He
wants to borrow $300 for a few weeks. His Board of Trustees are thus
much behind-hand in the first quarter's payment. He has not the
means to pay his rent. The duty of the Board in such a case is very
evident. The very least they can do is to share in providing
temporarily for the exigency. The very most which a mean Board could
do would be to ask the minister to unite with them in paying up the
deficiency. In fact, he who is least able to do it has to carry it
all. Nobody else will trust the church. He has to trust it for
hundreds of dollars. And then when his grocer and his landlord and
his tailor go unpaid, men shrug their shoulders and say, pityingly,
"Oh! he's a minister, he is not trained to business habits." And the
world looks on in wonder and in silent contempt to see the Christian
Church carrying on its business in a manner the flagrant dishonesty
of which would close the doors of any bank, deprive any insurance
company of its charter, and drive any broker in Wall street from the
Brokers' Board.
Jennie says this last is pretty sharp writing; and she shakes her
head over it. But it is time, and I decline to cancel it.