Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-12-21
Mr.. Summer and his Statistics,

According to the census of 1850, the
value of Churches in the free States was
S67, 773, AT, in the slave States s2l,-
674,2sl.
Such is Mr.. Summers mode of stating
tho religious advantages of the North and
the South, respectively; and he would
have the public infer that because the
church eds6ces in the North have cost
thrice as much as those of the South,
therefore the former is better provided than
the latter with the evidences of the Cos
pei. Now, what are the facts The forth
coming volume of Cotton is King thus sets
at rest all cavil upon this point:
at is my purpose to compare some Of
the most important Of these facts which
have bearing upon this subject l shall
take, for the most part, the Six New Eng.
land States on one sde, and five old slave
States Extending from and including
Maryland and Georgia) on the other side,
/ for comparison =
New England was settled by Puritans, who
were remarkable for orthodox sentiments
in religion, for high-toned religious consci.
entiousness, and rigid personal pie.y
while these five slave States were either
settled or received character from cava-
liers, who rather scoffed at pure religion,
and weEe highly tinged with in6delity.
At the end of more than
two centuries we are comparing the prog
ress which these five slave states have
made in religion with the progress made
by the six non-slaveholding States, whose
subjects, when originally organized into
communities, were in advance in personal
piety and religious conscientousness of any
communities that had been founded since
the days of the apostles, and that have
been in their onward progress from that
time until this, free from all the supposed
evils of slavery. The fundamental law Of
God, for its propagation, requires the gos-
! pei to be preached to every creature be.
cause, in the divine plan, faith in the Cos.
pei was to make men Christians. This
faith was to be originated by hearing the
Goapel. For faith cometh by hearing
Now, all those means which are most like.
ly to secure the ear OF the people are left
by Christ to the discretion OF His friends,
They may use the market place, the high.
ways, the forests or any other place which,
in their judgement, is most likely to get
the ear of the people.
"With these views to guide us in esti.
mating the value of the facts to be exam,
ined, we proceed to the disclosures made
by the census of 1850, We there learn
that the population of New England is o.
72s ,Ol6, and that the free population Of
these five slave STAGES is $3.50, PA, an ex.
cess of only 2,l9s. This fraction we will
drop out, and speak of them as equals
New England, then, with an equal popu.
lation, has erected 4,607 churches these
five slave States have erected S,Osl shur-
ches These New England churches will
accommodate 500, ,45O hearers the church.
es of the five slave States will accommod ste
2,S96,472 hearers. Thus we see that
these slave States, with an equal free pop.
ulation, have erected nearly double the
puUber of churches, and furnished accom-
odation for upward Of million more per.
sons to hear the Gospel, than can be ac-
commodated in New England. In New
England, 934 ,566 of its population (which
is nearly one th:rd) are excluded from .
scat in houses built for enabling persons to
near the uospel while IN these fve South
ern States there is room enough for every
hearer that could be crowded into the
churches ofNew England, and then enough
iolt 10 scat more than million OF slayeS'
lnciuolng slaves these hve Southern
states nave Il population ot ISe14lo more
.lan New hhgiano yet, While there are
rIo,4lo persons less IN New England to
ProVlae ior, tGere are 2oo,oooo more per-
SOUS IN New England VINO can not mad
seat IN the mouse OF God to hear the Go'|
pei 1Ran there are IN these hye slave
etatgs' nT'
me :2 next ,ae' set .or'h IN the census,
%hich %, VIII VIII eHan'lhe,i. equally suggestive
lhesc 4,ou| cRu'ciles Ill New EnEland are