Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 February 1902 — GAINS BY CHURCHES. [ARTICLE]

GAINS BY CHURCHES.

OUTDOING THE NATION IN POINT *\OF GROWTH. Total Ch 11 roll Membership of Over 28,000,000 —Catholic Leads, with the Methodist - Episcopal Second - Increase the Last Year .2.07 Per Cent. The number of Christians in the United States is growing faster than the total population of the country. This intensely interesting fact, which completely negatives thq contrary claims of agnostics and even of sqme Christian ministers, is not alleged by tire churchmen, but is proved by the religious statistics made up for the year 1901 by Dr. H. K.-Carroll, the expert statistician who had charge of the religious department of the United States census for 1890. Figuring on a total of 77,000,000 there was a gain of 2.18 per cent in the population of the country during the past year, \vhiie the gain in the church membership of the country was 2.07. The religious population is shown in the annexed table. Dr. Carroll says that in the Roman Catholic figures the gain for several years in some dioceses is included, so that the growth for 1901 is therefore out of proportion. The gain iii the number of Christian Scientists, however, he says, is absolutely correct despite claims to the contrary. The table of gains is as follows: Membership Growth at present. 1901. Roman Catholic ... .0,108,741 408,083 Protestant Kpiseopal ... 741,097 31,341 Disciples of Christ...... 1,179,541 29,559 Southern Baptist 1,074,108 20,112 African Methodist 098,354 22,892 Colored Baptist .... 1,510,802 18,140 Methodist North ... 2,702,091 10,700 Presbyterian North 999,815 16,382 Christian Scientist 48,930 13,980 Lutheran general synod.. Congregationalist ........ 034,835 3,475 Baptist North 1,005,013 3,030 Another interesting table furnished by Dr. Carroll is that in which the creeds are placed in order according to their, numbers. In this, as will be seen, the Roman Catholics are nearly three times as numerous as any other body of relig-

ions people in the country. The table follows: Commu- Communicants, nicants. Religious body. 1901. 1890. Roman Catholic 0,1,15,741 (1.2:11.417 Methodist Episcopal 2.702 291 2.240 351 Regular Baptist, 50uth...1,1(54.180 1,280,000 Regular Baptist, eolored. 1.010,801 1.348,989 Methodist Episcopal, 5i>.,1y477,150 1,209,970 Disciples of Christ 1.179,541 641,051 Regular Baptist. North. .1,005.613 8011,450 Presbyterians, North .... 999.815 788.224 Protestant Episcopal .... 750.799 532.054 African Methodists ..V 698,354 452.725 Congregatlonollst (34.855 512,771 Lutheran Synodical Couf. 566.375 337,153 African Methodists, Ztou. 537.337 849,788 Lutheran General Council 346,563 324,847 Latter Day Saints 3061.000 144,532 Iteformed German 248,929 294,018 L'ulted Brethren 240,007 202.474 Presbyterian. South .... 227,991 179.721 Colored Methodist 204,972 129,384 Lutheran General Synod. 204,098 187,432 Dr. Carroll says he finds it exceedingly difficult to get statistics of Mormons. He believes there are 300,000 of them in Utah and adjacent States, and thinks Mormon missionaries in the East, of whom there are said to be 1,400, made 05.000 converts last year. He also finds the smaller religious bodies to be making no headway. Conditions seem to be that the great bodies grow greater, with some exceptions, ami the smaller ones smaller.