Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 December 1878 — The Churches in New York City. [ARTICLE]

The Churches in New York City.

New York lias not so many churches as is generally supposed. The common notion of the number is about 500, which would not be many for a city containing over 1,000,000 people. While churches have steadily increased here, it is thought by many of the orthodox that they have not increased nearly so rapidly as they should have done—not, indeed, in proportion to the growing population of the metropolis. The churches at present number 375, divided among the following sects: Protestant Episcopal, 73; Roman Catholic, 54; Methodist Episcopal, 50; Presbyterian, 41; Baptist, 31; Jews, 25; Lutheran, 21; Dutch Reformed, 20; African Methodist Episcopal, 9; United Presbyterian, 7; Congregational, 6; Reformed Presbyterian, 5; Universalist, 5; Unitarian, 4; Friends, 3; miscellaneous, 21: among the last, 1 True Dutch Reformed, 1 Swedenborgian, 1 Greek Catholic. It often has been said that there is a Mosque here, and also a Josh temple, to which the Mohammedans and Chinese resort; but this seems to be one of the facts of imagination that so abound now-a-days. There may be a place where the Manhattan Celestials worship, but it is not worthy the name of a temple. The churches give, according to the population, about one to every 2,800 inhabitants; but a very large proportion of these do not attend church at all. It is said that there are in the city well nigh 2,000 licensed liquor or beer shops, or one to every 500 of the population, which would go to show that bodily thirst for alcoholin or malt liquors is near six great as hunger of the soul. But in great cities the worst is always on the surface, and appearances frequently fail to represent reality,—New York Times.