The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-04-23
RELIGION in Roston.

Religion in Boston.
The reporters OF the Boston Advertiser took
census OF the church attendance Of that
city last Sunday. They found total Of
IN, 900 people In the two hundred and fifty
churches. The population Of Boston Is now
somewhere toward 100000, 1t having been
362, b35 In 1880. Making allowances for the
persons who may have been counted twice,
the enumeration having been made at the
different services II Is safe TO estimate that
about one-quarter Of the people Of Boston
were at church last Sunday.
That is large proportion, much larger
probably than would be found In our New
York churches on single Sunday. 1t is
doubtful II the church attendants here num-
Der more than fifth Of the actual popula-
ton Of the city; and perhaps the proportion
is not as large as that.
The four hundred or more churches Of New
York provide sittings for about three hun
dred thousand people; but about two-fifths
Of the seats in the Protestant houses Of wor-
ship arc unoccupied on the average. The
attendance upon the Roman Catholic
churches, however, is large at every service,
and in great part composed OF different in
enough In excess Of the number of sittings
provided in the Catholic churches to go far
to make up for the deficiency In those Of the
Protestant faith. II that is 30, then the
Catholic worshippers Of New York are about
equal to the whole OF those Of the various
denominations OF Professionalism. A COM
plete and accurate census very likely, would
show them to be more numerous.
The enumeration made In Boston last Sun
day showed that OF the l24,9o9 people found
in the churches as o whole. about fifty thou
sand were In those of the Roman Catholic
faith And yet only a portion Of the Catholic
worshippers were counted, for in only one or
two instances were the attendants on early
mass counted At that service, Of course, the
churches are crowded. The Adpertisers
conclusion Is, therefore, that the number Of
persons who entered the Roman Catholic
churches for the purpose OF worship last
Sunday fell only a few thousand below that Of
the gross attendance at all the other churches
| combined. And that Is in Boston, the his
! torical centre of Puritanism.
| Churchgoing has unQuestionably declined
| among Protestants, both there and here. A
| large part Of them are of q very uncertain
religious faith, and the younger generation
are less disposed than their fathers TO regard
attendance upon church as duty or as a
| profitable or An agreeable employment OF
| time m Sunday. Once. remaining away
from church subjected individuals and fami-
lies to uncomfortable criticism In New Eng
land. They were regarded with suspicion,
and suffered In social reputation in many
ways. Now, however, even In little New
| En- Uland nnpnla from
church regularly without attracting much
comment by their conduct. The communi-
ties have grown accustomed to such displays
OF Indifference to preaching.
The greatest attendance among the Prot
cstants Of Boston was in the Congregations
alst and Baptist churches, which contained
about thirty thousand people, nearly equally
divided between the two. The Episcopalians
came next, with over twelve. thousand. This
communion has grown rapidly In Boston, and
throughout New England, indeed, OF late
years, though formerly 1t found there very
stony ground. Now the most popular
Protestant preacher Of Boston is an Episco.
palian, the Rev. PHILLIPS BROOKS. The
Methodist worshippers, white and colored
were nearly as numerous as the Episcopaliap
The Presbyterians had only $500; and the
Unitarians, whose churches were formerly
the most fashionable In Boston, where the
doctrines Of CLAIMING took their deepest
root, numbered less than ten thousand; were
fewer than the Episcopalians by nearly three
thousand
A great change has therefore come over
Boston within this generation, 80 far as its
religious predictions and observanccs arc
concerned. Roman Catholicism has made al
enormous advance. Congregationalism has
not gained proportionately with the growth
OF the city in population, but has fallen back
The Baptlsts and Methodists have perhaps
become comparatively stronger, or at least
have held their own. The UnItarans have
declined, many Of them having passed on to
agnosticism, religious indifferentism, and
utter infdelity, and others having gone over
into the Episcopal Church.
These significant changes in ecclesiastica
relations and in religious sympathles AND
opinions are not confined to Boston. They
are taking place throughout New England
The increase OF the forcign-born population
is rapidly building up the Roman Catholic
communion. Congregationalism is losing
vitality. Unitarianism is passing away as
distinctive denomination Episcopalanism
is gaining. The Baptists and the Methodist
are appealing to the more fervid religious
feeling OF the ordinary run Of Professionals il
the communities Inildelity Is rampant.