been the conversions and fruits for the ministrj\ It is asserted by those who have carefully searched the records of our colleges that nearly one third of their graduates enter the ministry. Of Amherst College, e. g., it is told that " nearly half of its ' alumni,' since the begin- ning of its career, have become ministers of the Gos- pel." "Even West Point Military Academy, where they talk of war, and drill to the time of martial music every day, the cross of Jesus has won many a trojihy. In one of the awakening seasons there the college chap- lain was busy circulating tracts. A cadet to whom he gave a tract called soon afterwards to see him, exclaim- ing, ' I am a lost sinner ; what must I do to be saved ?' The chaplain led him gently to Jesus. The cadet was afterwards bishop Polk." Such is the religious influ- ence upon the higher literary institutions in the United States of America.
Theolor/ical Seminaries. — ^Ministerial education, prop- erly so called, was afforded to but few of the earlier preachers of this countr}-. In the colleges no special ad- vantages were known, except what the instructors could grant by special aiTangement. Principally the custom prevailed in some churches of associating ministerial candidates as students with experienced pastors, from whom they might receive instruction in theology and pastoral duty, and to whom in turn they might render some assistance. In other churches, in which the press- ure for ministerial aid was great, young and inexperi- enced men were associated in actual service with senior ministers, by whom they were expected to be taught. While such modes of instruction and training were the best practicable at an initial period of Church develop- ment, and, indeed, not without some intrinsic advan- tages, yet the increase of general education, and the ne- cessity for more thorough study on the part of minis- ters, were thought to demand the establishment of a class of institutions specially devoted to ministerial prep- aration and the cultivation of sacred learnuig.
The history of this class of institutions in the United States is limited to the present century, with the single exception of a Roman Catholic seminary in Baltimore, founded in 1791. The first theological seminary of the Congregationalists, that of Andovcr,Avas founded in 1807. The dates at which the other principal denominations followed these examples are as follows : The Presbyte- rians at Princeton in 1812 ; the Protestant Episcopalians at New York in 1817; the Baptists at Hamilton, N. Y., in 1820; the Methodists at Newbury, Vt., in 1843 — con- solidated with Concord, N. H., in 1847.
The extent to which institutions for ministerial edu- cation have since been multi]ilied is indicated by the following summary, given in the report of the United States commissioner of education for 1870 :
Denomination.
Number of Institutions.
Number of Instructors.
Number of Students.
Roman Catholic
10 13 15 12 4
13 5 4
10
64
47 45 50 26 31 23 9
36
737 505 480 380 SOT 304 243 61 4T 262
Protestant Episcopal. Methodist Episcopal.. Coucfie^ational
Reformed
United Presbyterian..
Total
93
339
3,326
Of the influence of this class of institutions as a whole, it may be said that it is greatly conducive to the ad- vancement of sacred leairning. By the accumulation of libraries, by the classification of studies, by the devo- tion of able men to special departments, more thorough instruction is provided, and students are enabled to se- cure, Avithin limited periods, a more thorough acquaint- ance with the various branches of theological science than would be possible by any form of isolated or indi- vidual effort. (D. P. K.)'
Educational Aid Societies.— In this connection a word must be said about the many educational societies
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MINISTRY
founded by the various religious bodies to aid young men financially during their preparations for the sacred office of the ministry. The amount of work accom- plished by these agencies may be estimated by reference to the following items: The American Education Soci- ety (including tlic parent society at Boston and its Pres- byterian branches), since its formation in the year 1815, has raised and expended in the work of ministerial edu- cation not far from 82,000,000. It has afforded aid to over .5000 yoinig men in their course of education for the ministry. Tlie amount raised by this society for one year was $38,914, and the number of young men assisted for the same j-ear was 432. The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions since its formation has sent out into the great foreign mission field not far from 500 ordained ministers. Of these over one half have been beneficiaries of the American Education Society. About one third of the Congrega- tional ministers of New England at the present time were aided in their education by this society, while more than one tliird of that large body of men who have la- bored so efficiently in connection with the Home Mis- sionary Society were raised up in the same way. The Board of Education of the Presbyterian Church (Old School) has since its formation furnished aid to about 2200 young men. How many of these men have been employed in foreign and home missionary sen-ice we have no means at hand for determining. The amount raised by this board from year to year for the purposes of ministerial education is not far from $50,000, and the number of young men now assisted yearly is but little less than 400. There is also an Education Societj' in connection with the Baptist churches, which has ren- dered efficient aid in the same great work. In the Methodist Episcopal Church this agency has assumed such vast importance that special provision was made for a " Board of E(kication" during the American Cen- tennial of Methodism, and there is now (1874) a finid of 8100,000, the interest of which is annually expended to aid candidates for tlie Methodist ministry There are also educational societies for the same purpose in connection with most of the Annual Conferences. Even the non-evangelical churches support such agencies. See Knight, I'/i/i/// <>/' 'I'liiol. Seminaries; Kentish, Iin- poi-tuucc of Mill. JaIi/ciiHoii ; Clarke (Adam), Letter to a Preacher; JIason, Student and Pastor; Kaike, Ee- marks on Clerical Juliicalion; Xeir-Jinff lander, i, 126; Eclectic Rev. (new series), i, 99; Princeton Rev. v, 55; XV, 587 ; Christian Examiner, xi, 84 ; A mer. Bible Re- pository, ix, 474; xi, 187; 2d series, viii, 444; x, 402; Evangel. (Luth.) Qii. Rev. 1868, Jidy; Meth. Qii. Rev. July, 1845, art. ii; Jan. 1872, p. 94; Theol. Medium (Ciimherlaiul Preshijt. Rev.), Jan. 1873, art. i.