TULHTS AM) character; was common place enough in every respect His thoughts about re ligious matters were crude, and, when, ever occasion offered, he W h coarse jest for sacred things, or the common sneer of the ignorant man. His phys ical habits were of a kind to make him only fairly decent When the idea of his being a minister, a man to stand up in the desk made sacred and wis by the Great Teacher, was announced, the com panions of the man received the rejwrt with a smile. It was all well enough that this young man should lecomo a christian, and a raemler of the church, but it was carrying the matter too far, that he should suddenly develop into a minister. In the meetings following his change, he had stood up and made a few pert remarks, had recounted his past history after the style of Sam Jones or Oam bmall, and, lo and behold, a few men who take it upon themselves to cre ate ministers, imagined they had discov ered a prodigy, and at once proceeded to invest him with the title, privileges and authority of a clergyman. This is a fair case; an illustration of what is taking place all over the land in certain denominations. It is paralleled only by the instantaneous creation of a doctor by the issuance of a diploma to an unedu cated man, upon the payment of a small sum of money. It is just as mischiev ousmore bo, for a man may bring his lxxly back to a fair condition of health after a quack has tampered with it to its hurt, but a soul once set in the wrong direction by a quack in the pulpit is uot likely to recover. This man is now beyond the age of a regular course of study for the minis try. Aside from that he is married, is poor, ig daily engaged in a business which, in every aspect of it opposed to religious thought and only yieldu a fair living. Study for the ministry is fnt of the quention for the man. What rULriTEEHS. 27 is the result ? Another botch at the miiu isterial trade; another third-rate mind where only firt-rt intellect U!,,K. in the place where the living voice ought to be, the most powerful of all mediums of all mediums of mental, moral and spiritual influence, stands a man of med iocre talent whose lifeless, Untie, mo notonous iteration of commonplace, will never awaken a single new and helpful thought Who is to blame ? Firt Un common sense of the man ought to have served him, and come to the rescue of the general public, or that part of it where he locates; and, in the second place, the ersons who presume to know the signs of the so-called M providential gift "ought to make au examination of their abilities as judges, and make it in the light of nineteenth century intelli gence, Iwforo they foint au amateur pul piteer upon the public. It will not answer to bring up that old, fossilized cry, that some of the Unt men of the church were self-made, or rather, "providentially gifted." No body believes that tho beat dot-tow have taken to medicine without study. No body will believe that the Wt lawyer haa taken to law without long, care ful study of the principle of law. You are not likely to leave your valua ble watch, or your best shoos, for rejmir, with men who, without study or labor, have taken to watch mending or shoe mending. Because a man can stand up and pray interestingly, or talk fur ten minute with tears in his words, a well as his eyes, or even makes a fairly good talk to the Sunday school children, U no reason why he should lie considered a proper candidate for the pulpit The greatest pulpit figure in this city once said to the writer, " When I was getting ready for this work, the hardest task I had was to pray or talk in public." He is a man who it alvuhnl ami ImmbM by the Mrrlnf of the tli-m of the