Life, 1916-03-30 · page 18 of 45
Life — March 30, 1916 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**The Cartoon (Top):** The illustration depicts "Attila the Second" at the Battle of the Marne, referencing German Kaiser Wilhelm II during World War I. The caption humorously notes he "intended to occupy Paris, but changes his mind"—a satirical jab at Germany's failed invasion of France. The figure on horseback with Prussian military dress and the smaller caricatures below likely represent German forces retreating or faltering in their campaign. **The Article (Bottom):** "The Need for Better Preachers" critiques how clergy are selected and credentialed in America. The author argues that theological seminary training alone is insufficient preparation for guiding congregations on life matters. He proposes stricter age requirements (suggesting preachers should be at least 35, like U.S. Presidents) and emphasizes that "maturity" and "experience" matter more than formal diplomas. This reflects early-20th-century debates about professional standards and institutional authority.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Se re Rat ah = Resa Nts 4 Rei) Jas rx LIFE OF ATTILA THE SECOND. CHAPTER X BATTLE OF THE MARNE, HE INTENDED TO OCCUPY PARIS, BUT CHANGES HIS MIND The Need for Better Preachers 'HERE is a feeling in some quarters that preachers are not needed at all in a well- regulated community, That view, however, is probably confined to a small coterie of headlong upsetters. We shall always need preachers, no matter how high we go in the social scale toward perfection. There must always be those among us whose duty it is to keep a weather eye out for evil tendencies and sound the alarm—watchmen to “tell us of the night.” Good preachers are just as valuable and necessary as the red lanterns which are hung at night about excavations and obstructions. Admitting all that, however, we have still to consider how we should select these preachers and upon what basis we should repose confidence in them. Isn't much of the odium which the preachers are at present trying to dodge due to the way in which they are chosen? The prescribed way is to put a young man through a theological seminary and send him forth, with a beautifully engrossed diploma, to seek a flock. Far from being the best way to select a preacher, isn’t it rather the worst possible way? What can a man learn in a theological seminary that would warrant him in launching forth exhortations and homilies concerning life? What can a man learn anywhere at the age of the average theological graduate that would be sufficient for such a purpose? Our Presidents must be at least thirty-five years old. There ought to be an even higher age limit for preachers. Other rigid regulations should be thrown about the honorable profession of telling one’s fellow-men what they ought and what they ought not to do. The pulpit should be raised so that it could be reached only by the ladder of maturity and the staff of experience. comicbooks.com