Page:Psychology and preaching.djvu/324

 306 PSYCHOLOGY AND PREACHING

yielding to the silent and continual pull of the considerations we have been discussing? And no man should assume that as a matter of course he is not being swayed by them. Theoretically it is probable that the majority of ministers are thus more or less influenced; and a close and un prejudiced study of them seems to confirm the theoretical probability that these influences contribute to the formation of the ministerial type. &quot; Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.&quot;

II. THE WAGE-EARNING TYPE

The term &quot; labouring man &quot; needs exact definition. In the more narrow and definite sense a labouring man is one who is engaged in handling, for a wage, the implements or machinery of industry belonging to others. In a somewhat more indefinite sense of the words, the labouring class in cludes all who do manual labour for a wage. In a yet wider and more indefinite sense, all are included who work for a wage. A wage, of course, must be distinguished from a salary. A &quot; wage &quot; is the remuneration given those who do those forms of work which we feel to be more menial, and paid at very short intervals. A salary is a more dignified form of compensation than a wage. Many a sal aried worker whose work is far less important and respon sible than that of the wage-earner would nevertheless scorn to be classed with the latter.

In this discussion the phrase, labouring men, is used in the narrowest and most definite sense, though much that will be said applies just as well, perhaps, to the wider classes of labourers mentioned.

The importance of the labouring class is increasing with the growth of industry, the more extensive use of machinery and the more highly complex and varied forms of machinery. The class is growing fast in numbers notwith standing the fact that mechanical invention is striving con tinually to reduce the number of operatives required for a given output of production. The rapid differentiation of

�� �