The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-01-10
'beeIinr Christians.

Editors OF Register:
The attention of the Christian people
Of our city should be drawn to the zast
multitudes in our country and city, who
never attend public worship of any
kind, Catholic or Protestant, and who
may be presumed to be as much in
need of missionary effort as the inhab-
itants Of India or Africa. Statistics are
usually regarded as dry reading, but
they have quiet way, sometimes, OF
opening our eyes to existing evils
that is quite startling. We have set
tied down 10 the belief that We are a
Christian people, and that there is but
little more for our churches to do but
guard against such corruptions OF pure
religion as Ritualism and Romanism.
But a reference to the figures will show
US an enemy far more formidable than
Romauism, and may even awaken the
fear that we are fast relapsing into
heathenism.
1t is, Of course. possible to state ex'
actly the numerical strength OF our
church,going people and Of those who
never enter church but the statistics
prepared by our government will give
us approximately the proportion OF at
tendsnts and non-attendants. A GER
tain per cent. also of our population,
must be deducted, comprising those
who, on account Of age, sickness,
absence, de-, are unable
to attend church. Twenty-Five per cent.
is probably very liberal deduction to
make on this account. The following
table gives the population OF tie coun-
try, the number who are in a con-
dition to attend public worship, the
numbe OF sittings in all our churches,
and the number OF people who are i'm
provided for -. ,
Population ....23, '9l SO Sl,4i3.S2l 49, 1888
Less rs per 1893 9O7 q, 3d., 1856 % 97 23t
Clutch sittip gs IA 23i, S25 10 lbs 75l Fl $685. 62
Unprovided for. S,l5s,Os2 4453,GiO 7,s52,l76
On the supposition that every Pro-
testant and Catholic church in the
country were filled to it's utmost capaci-
ty, (Which we know to be far from the
truth) there would remain eeven mil
lions, or one-fourth OF the whole number
capable of attending public worship,
who could not do go. On the supposi.
ton that our churches are habitiually
only three.fourths filled, (Which is pro-
badly very near the trutb) then the
representatives OF practical heathenism
are nearly one half as numerous as
church.goers. This would not be so
bad, il we were only gaining on this
heathenism; but the truth is. it is
increasing at much more rapid rate
than the population Of the whole coun-
try, az the following table will show:
Increase Of populatlon-from 1850 10
1860, 80 per cent; from 1860 10 1870, "a
per cent.
Increase of non .goers-from 1850 to
1860, SO per cent from 1860 to 1870, Is
per cent.
This proves the fearful fact that in.
difference, or, as prefer 10 term it,
practical hesthenism, is increasing
ihreefold faster than the population OF
the country during the last ten years,
and fivefold faster than church accom-
modatiops
It is fair to assume that Wheeling
can show no exceptions to the general
condition OF things throughout our land.
In fact 1t is our manufacturing cities,
which, by brin giug together masses OF
the laboring classes under circumstan-
ces that put them beyond the reach OF
all ordinary methods Of drawing per-
sons to houses Of worship and OF re-
tanning them there by pastoral over
signt, have contributed 30 largely to the
growth of home hesthenism. 1t is al
most certain then, that from seven to
ten thousand out Of the twenty thou-
sand OF our population who might be in
the habit of attendance upon church
service, are never Inside OF church, or
80 rarely as to be practically ignorant OF
the truths therein proclaimed. We
cannot quote statistics at present, to sus'
tuin this estimate, but we know from
careful census taken in neighboring
town. where church accommodations
are proportionately as large as here,
and which may be reckoned from gen.
eral appearances to be as much OF a
church going place as our city, that
We cannot be exaggerating. Ihers the
average attendance was found TO be
only about one-fourth as large as it
might be. A few years since it was as
certained that only one-ffth OF the
persons who might attesd church, hab-
itually ever entered church protest
ant or Catholic. We may suppose the
proportion to be somewhat larger in our
city, and yet leave no room to doubt
that there is o mass Of heathenlsm
right around our church doors, sutti.
cient to employ all the surplus chris
tan activity and benefcence Of the
christian people Of Wheeling;
We cannot at this time
discuss the course of this
steadily increasing dspropor.icn be-
tween church -goers; neither can we
suggest a method by which it may be de-
creased. But certainly the bare tacts
are enough to excite attention and to
suggest the question to every one who
feels that the safety OF the Republic
and the welfare Of the city depend on
the average morality oil the citizen,
what can l 2" Every good citizen
should do all in his power to prevent
these masses from degenerating, and
to lessen the sum OF poverty and crime;
aud every good Christian should regard
them as needing and deserving saliva