The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-08-19

J months Dence- MeanLlNe tne IOuOWln1
conclusive figures are given:
He goes back to the beginning of the
century for comparison. Then the
population was $500. 600 in round mum
bers, and the evangelical church mem
bership was 800, 900, or little less than
one to fifteen. Between 1900 and 1886
the additions, rs shown BY the printed
returns, were $500, 600, or more than
ten times the memembership in 1900.
This gain in ratio outstripped the Ma
tional increase. In the next twenty
years the increase was about the same,
S,200.000, which was still gain in ratio
greater than the gain in population.
From 1870 to 1879 the additions were
1920, 900, more than two-thirdS as many
as in the two decades before, or from
1900 to 1850. As nearly as DR.. Dor
chester could learn at the beginning of
1879, the membership in the evangelical
churches in the community WAS $780,
600. If the total population then had
been 49,500,000, which, according to
the present census indications, it WASH t
by any means, then the ratio of men,
bership to the entire population would
have been one in five. So the fact
is that the evangelical churches
have grown from ratio to less than
one in fifteen to one of more than one
in five, including in the non-members
all infants and young persons, as well
as those who are old enough to think
for themselves. During this century,
membership in these churches has in
creased twenty-Seven times. whereas
the population of the country has in
creased nine times. This settles all con-
troversy as to ratio of growth.
Now apply another test--activity in
evangelical work. Statistics are not at
hand here as in the other case; but the
records and human memory do not
show in the past such well-directed,
constant activity as there has been in
recent years. Mr.. Moody's work in
st. Louis is said to be without paral-
lei in modern church history, in the
thOroughness with which all classes
were reached. Preachers in several
languages contributed their services.
and much was done by laymen. Meet
ings were so planned that every class
and profession should find them ac-
cessible. In the work among the In
dams and freedmen is another proof of
the recent vital growth of the mission
airy spirit. Years ago, especially
among the Indians. a similar work
might have been done, but it was not
in mems hearts to do it, as it is to-day.
Hampton Institute has become a fact,
because of the spreading spirit of work
for others which marks recent evan
gelical history. Lay preaching is more
common than formerly, and the in
creased interest of the public in relig-
ious news is illustrated by the fact that
men living can remember when the
secular New York papers would not
publish the reports of the May ami
versaries, unless they were paid for
like an ordinary ad vertisement.
Again, benevolence in the churches
has fuIlykept pace with the modern pro-
pOrtionate increase of personal wealth
over the private fortunes of the early
years of the century. For religious and
purposes, for educational,
phiIanthrOpic and eleemosynary institu-
tons, the giving was larger than it was
fifty or even twenty years ago. For
inc ldSu ten years Iue record Is un-
usually good. In the foreign mission
field the facts show that the evan
gelical denominations have gained
rapidly, though the statistics inclu lie
stations sustained by churches in En-
gland and elsewhere. In foreign coun-
tries evangelical churches sustain 637
stations, and 300 of these
report membershipof 60, 900. If the
other 337 have as many more, then
there are over q million members
Of evangelical churches in the mission
field. Summing up all the depart
ments of church membership and !
activity, then, the evangelical churches
IRE found to have nude solid and great |
advance in recent years, and to possess |
now great vitality. Cor. Cjncj,1-
1dtj GGzette.