The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-09-22
"This Heather Country"

1t ia astonishing how impudently and per-
sistently the Roman Catholics keep up their
boasting about their strength. We have re
peatedly shown that the Methodists and
Baptists each exceed them in numbers; yet
here is the Catholic Review, whose editor has
probably read all of our articles on the sub
iect, asserting in its last number, as it 1t
we're true, that, Gas a matter of fact, the
Catholic population. counting merely all who
have made their first communion, would
doubtless balance the entire actual member
ship of all the orthodox Protestant sects
combined"
The Review makes the first attempt that
we have noticed to answer the facts and
figures that We have 80 often presented as
to the relative numbers of the Roman Cath
olics and MethodiSts in the United States,
and lame one it IS, since it rests on false
representation. "Thus the Methodists, with
membership of about million and half,
insist that they have. "a Methodist popua-
ton of ten millions. This result, we be-
lieve, is reached by counting the number of
sitt.lgs in the aggregate number OF their
churches, and assuming that they either are
or may be filled by those who have received
Methodist training or have friends of that
persuasion.
Not, so the result, not ten millions, but
seven and half millions, is reached by TAX
ing the number of communicates officially re-
ported at the Conference, as the basis OF
calculation, and computing that each COM
municant represents two adherents. This is
the proportion which the best authorities are
accustomed to assume in estimating ecclesi.
astical statistics. The Methodist churches
ia the United States number 100000 com
mnnicants; we have then 1900 900 adhe
rents or Methodist population. The Roman
Catholics claim at tbe highest between five
and six million of population-not "personf
who have made their first communion "-but
persons in Roman Catholic families or Of
Roman Catholic affiliations, or who would
probably be Roman Catholics if they had not
long since ceased to be anything.
As to church sittings, the Roman Catholics
have 1890, 514 and the Methodsts $685.
200, or three times as many. The Roman
Catholic churches, however, by means Of
more frequent services, are expected to &C
commodate nearly as many people in the
aggregate as the Methodist, so that there is
not so great difference in accommodation
as there seems to be, but is actually an ap'
preach to equality.
In the same article noticed above, which
is in excuse of the apathy of American Cath
olics regarding foreign missions, the Reuleu
represents the United States as actually a
heather country and field for missionary
effort, claiming g that the overwhelming ma.
iority of Americans are not in any sense
Christians, as having neither received Chris
tan baptism nor protesting any allegiance
to the truths revealed by Christ" To this
we say: The mass of the American people,
excepting the children of Baptist families,
have received Christian baptism. Though
many of them may not be actually members
of Christian churches, they all, except the
handful of professed in6dels, believe in re-
religion, have respect for it, and intend to
embrace it at some future time. Their spir-
itual state is actually better than that of the
mass of men in the Roman Catholic countries,
who scorn such religion as the Church fur
nishes, and cultivate unbelief in its grossest
forms.-N. Y. Methodist.