The religious editor and his contributor disagree on an important point. The editor holds that the fuss made over one minister who goes wrong with his organist is a tribute to the high estimate in which the profession is held. On the other hand, the contributor represents that most ministers are moral skates, and that any high estimate the profession enjoys is due to the few decent exceptions. The distinction is vital.
The orthodox religious standards to which a minister is supposed to measure up are admittedly responsible for much moral laxity. Besides the sincerely orthodox preacher (whose religious austerity never prevents him from erring sexually), there are thousands of ministers who live a mental or intellectual lie by remaining in the church and preaching the creeds they do not believe. And the church does not trouble itself about the minister’s doubts so long as he keeps them to himself. What can the church expect, then, from the religious hypocrite in the pulpit except that he will be a moral hypocrite out of it? Is he going to be dishonest as a preacher and honest as a man?
The Baptist paper’s contributor puts the query: “Do ministers of the churches, that is, clergymen, priests and preachers, go wrong in any greater proportion than do doctors, lawyers or teachers?” He gives a negative answer, “mathematically,” but the very asking of the question proves that an affirmative reply was not unexpected. Had he included editors in his list it could have been given. The literary and editorial professions are very poorly represented in our prisons, and even printers are exceedingly scarce.
This compilation, periodically revised and enlarged, has been before the public in its nine successive editions since 1881, as is stated in one of its prefaces; and considering that its information is based on newspaper reports, the number of corrections demanded by the ministers whose names are herein enrolled is small. The following is the only threat of action with which the publishers have been menaced. We follow the style of the clerical gentleman, who writes:
“BLUFFTON O.—5–12/1905.
“The Truth Seeker Co., No. 28 Lafayette Place, New York, N. Y.
“Sirs I notice you have published a Book The title of which is Crimes of Preachers in U. S. and Canada In which you have the name of Shelter, of McClure O. Now sirs, if the Copies of that Book is not called in and DESTROYED AND ITS PUBLICATION CEAS at once and the same notice bein given in your paper so published by your Co. in side of 20 days, ACTION will be taken against YOU immediately for blackmailing. The above name used by you is the untruth,
“Trusting to heare from you early. Yours.
“J. Shelter.”
Mr. J. Shelter heard from the publishers early, but not only did he fail to keep up the correspondence, but apparently abandoned altogether his contemplated action. The charge against the Rev. John Shelter, of the United Brethren church, is that in 1890, at McClure, Ohio, he sold liquor without a license. All we can gather from his apparent denial is that the name used by us is not the true one. However, he does not take the trouble to correct it.
Another correction was personally solicited. In the ninth edition appeared an entry condensed from the following newspaper clipping, dated at a Connecticut town:
“If the Rev. —— ——. ——, the —— minister who eloped with Mrs. —— ——. ——, of ——, and who is being sued for divorce by his wife on the ground of intolerable cruelty, had been publicly drummed out, his expulsion from the Methodist church could not have been more emphatic and humiliating. This afternoon, after more than an hour’s debate in executive session, the New York East Conference of the Methodist church voted, practically unanimously, to allow him to withdraw ‘under complaints.’ ”
Our entry, above mentioned, concerning this preacher, recorded: “Eloped with a married woman; cruelty to wife; expelled from the ministry.” The entry should now be: “Personally appeared before us the reverend gentleman whose name is suppressed and requested the removal of the aforesaid entry, on the ground that there was no elopement.” While acceding to the request, we have the feeling that with his name left out the book does not quite justify its title. The preacher whom the New York East Conference of the Methodist church got rid of in the emphatic and humiliating manner described by the clipping is now a Presbyterian clergyman and doctor of divinity. The names of more deserving men are very likely retained, for the gentleman showed himself so lacking in loyalty to his class that he voluntarily gave information regarding other Methodist ministers, including a well-known editor, which could have been used to their hurt.
An act of favoritism on our part which we might prefer to commit would be in the case of the reverend president of a Southern college who came to Philadelphia for some unremembered purpose, and was found dead in the house of a woman with whom he had made an assignation. This book would be kinder to his family than were the public prints at the time of the tragedy if it would do any good to the survivors. One toward whom we have not felt that any especial consideration is due is a minister of Jamestown, N. Y., who disappeared from a steamer on the Sound in circumstances pointing to suicide, leaving with his effects a note in which he said: “Let not those ‘insane babblers’ or Infidels get hold of this for their miserable, God-dishonoring yearly book on the crimes of preachers.” We cannot see that it dishonors God to print what God permits his preachers to do. The man in this case wished his wife and relatives to regard him as dead because he had another woman in view, and was shortly found living with her in Albany.