Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1836-01-05
For tho Cheraw Gazette.

ljsh that part Of my correspondence with
the Rev. Silas Mckeen, which relates to the
religious statistics Of our slave population
allow me to render that statement still mor~
complete by little alteration.
It is much more difficult to ascertain Sec
,onal, than aggregate, numbers, and csPe'
cialy where, as in this case, the State il'cs
differ from the boundaries of eccleslastIca!
bodies. In the Methodist Church, tor IN
stance, the South Carolina Conference, SO
called, includes more than 10000 members
in North Carolina, and on the other hand
several thousands of the Holstein confer
cnce reside in S. Carolina. These circun'-
stances led to mistake in assigning 2l'ooo
instead Of about $4,000 members to the
Methodist church in this State. OF this
urnber about 10000 urc blacks, instead OF
10000 rs stated before. And the aggre.
oa.e number Of commandments IN the four
principal protestant denominations is sa,-
900, instead Of G7,ooo.
The returns from the Episcopal Churches
arc very complete. They have 1890
members, Of whom GOT arc blacks, accos-
ding to the record of their annua! conven.
ton in February last.
The aggregate Of commandments in the
Presbyterian churches is about 5000. l
believe am fairly within the truth when |
2tdown 5000 Of these to the black popula-
ton.
The aggregate Of members in the Bap-
list Churches, is $4,000. The returns Of
two Associations, the only ones in which
the number of blacks is separately stated,
I find 2,767 whites and Ait Macks.-
from these facts, and some opinions OK.
pressed by intelligent ministers in that church'
I have supposed come near the truth when
I assign 10000 to the black population in
the Baptist communion.
have neglected to state the number in
the Lutheran Church, in few Methodist
churches not connected with the Conference,
and some other fragments OF other demon.
nations, in regard to which have no re-
PORTS and no means Of accurate knowledge
1T hand.
Tic correction here made increases in
The aggregate the proportion Of church
members in the whole population; and
while i: shows majority Of blacks in the
churches, cqualizcs the proportion Of the
blacks and whites. $4,000 communicants
is one screnA Of 5sl 900, the whole popu.
lation of the State. With population OF
$4,000, the blacks have about $4,000
communicants, exactly one sercnh Of the
whole black population. With popula'
..on of 100000, the whites have $4,000
commandments, exactly one screnth of the
whole white population. Its believed that
the addition Of oil the evangelical churches
no. here included, while it would increase
the aggregate number, would produce very
little alteration in the proportion Of blacks
and whites.
It is to be considered, however, that
have taken the population of the State from
the census Of 1880, while the other calcu-
lations have been made from reports rcn'
dercd by the churches within the present
gear. flany judicious men suppose tina
the immense emigration to the west for the
last five years, and which has embraced
many of our large planters, has reduced the
slave population at the present time to nu'
merical equality with the whites. If this
be correct supposition, and the natural in'
crease of the whites be supposed TO be G.
oual to the emigration, VIC have a white 20.
pulation still of $4,000, and black popu.
lation of the same number, making an az
crcgate of $4,000 instead Of $4,000
On this calculation, which may be rc.
near the truth, VIC are reduced to the con
clusion that one seventh of the white popu
lation and one sirth OF the blacks arc com
,nunicants. 1t will be noticed that / have
proceeded in these calculations on the sup
position that all the black commandments ar
syaves. They arc so, almost without ex
ccpton, so far as know. We so rarel!
find free man Of color in the church, tha
it is believed all necessary accuracy doc
not require the separate consideration 0