Civic Helpfulness 81 



their fellow-men. To those who are associated with 

 them at close quarters this statement will seem so 

 obviously a truism as to rank among the platitudes. 

 But there is a far from inconsiderable body of pub 

 lic opinion which, to judge by the speeches, writings, 

 and jests in which it delights, has no conception of 

 this state of things. If such people would but take 

 the trouble to follow out the actual life of a hard- 

 worked clergyman or priest, I think they would 

 become a little ashamed of the tone of flippancy 

 they are so prone to adopt when speaking about 

 them. 



In the country districts the minister of the gospel 

 is normally the associate and leader of his congrega 

 tion and in close personal touch with them. He 

 shares in and partially directs their intellectual and 

 moral life, and is responsive to their spiritual needs. 

 If they are prosperous, he is prosperous. If the 

 community be poor and hard-working, he shares the 

 poverty and works as hard as any one. As fine 

 a figure as I can call to mind is that of one such 

 country clergyman in a poor farming community not 

 far from the capital of the State of New York 

 a vigorous old man, who works on his farm six days 

 in the week, and on the seventh preaches what he 

 himself has been practicing. The farm work does 

 not occupy all of the week-days, for there is not a 

 spiritual need of his parishioners that he neglects. 



