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824. MISCELLANEA [cRAP. xxn
profession as in all others. Doubtless there seems to be
loss from the unintellectuality of many of the clergy,
though the loss is very easily exaggerated. But if there
be a general decline, what is causing it ?
Under pressure of impecuniosity, scores of parents are
discouraging their more promising sons from all thought of
taking Holy Orders. It is very easy to get into the way
of thinking it right so to do. But at least they might refrain
from vilifying the Church to which they belong for a
shortcoming largely due to their own tiniidity. Some
thirty years ago a pestilent wiseacre wrote to The Times
reviling the whole order of parsons for their want of mental
alertness. He showed his own insight into the situation
by mentioning the fact that he was the father of four
promising sons, and had forbidden all of them to think
of the Ministry. What are we to say of the mental perspicacity
of this enlightened gentleman ? or of his sincerity ?
Pluming himself on knowing better than his neighbours,
he indicates the malady from which the Church is suffering,
pretending that he wants to heal it ; and then plays the
braggart for having done all in his power to make it worse I
But enough of railing I· We have nearly all of us added
to the output of nonsense in our time, so let us make
allowance. -
We Britons are not to be judged by the stuff we talk or
by that of others to which we listen. I hold that we have
a native gift of being able to read and hear an infinity of
twaddle without quite losing hold of the truth ; else opr
Empire would have gone under as soon as we became a
garrulous people--soon, that is, after the battle of
Waterloo. But there is something at work here more
baneful than even garrulity. If the whole British world
keeps telling parsons · tliat their first duty is to make the
world a more comfortable place to live in, it is no wonder
that most of them succumti to the pressure, give up the
study of fundamental principles, fail consequently in
preaching, and so lose the meagre supplement to the
meagre stipend. To meet the demand means for them