Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-06
ii ElTPMIS APPEAL
Nrw YORK CHURCHES.


The Boston Advertiser and New York Times
have been furnishing some valuable statistics
in regard to the church life of these two
cities. The facts developed are interesting.
The Roman Catholic takes the lead in point
OF numbers in both cities The statistics
show that, of course, in Ne" hork Ine
zehurch il richer than in Brooklyn The
widesS contrast appears in the religious
makeup OF the different Protestant bodies,
and this difference ia chiefly based upon the
difference of social conditions between the
1Eo cities. In New York the people who
attend church belong mostly 10 the wealthy
and aristocr attic class; in Brooklyn they are
largely confined to the middle sfzss. The
Episcopal Church in the former city takes
the lead among the Protestant bodies, and
the Presbyterian Church stands second; In
the latter city the Methodist leads, the
Presbyterian stands second, the Episcopal
third, the Baptist fourth and the Congrega-
1ional 9th. The religious bodies that
In their history and growth have taken the
wealtbier class are largest in New York, and
those that have depended most upon brains
and labor are largest in Brooklyn. In thls
respect the two cities are the anhpodes
OF one another. The cause OF the change
is not so much due to the difference OF
creed as to the difference in social lie The
Sunday attendance in Brooklyn is better than
in New York, and the non-Cathollc mem
bership is also better. 1t stands there In
proportion to the non-Catholic population
nd two-tnfrds; n New York
as one to eight and one-half. In the former
city the most successful churches are those
given up to the people; in the latter, those
that have the heaviest financial backing.-Ihe
two Brooklyn parishes that have the largest
membership are Mr.. Beechers (2549) and
DIR. Talmage's (2471), and all the Leading
churches exceed the leading New York
churches in point of members and regular
attendance. The local church life in Brook
Iyn did not reach point of decided numer-
icaI strength till 1862, while that of New
York wss stirring and active as early as
1915. but in activity and popular force the
younger city Is now far ahead of the older
city, although the population of New York
is more than twice as large. The strength
of the Brooklyn pulpit is in the Congrega-
York pulpit is with the Presbyterian and
Episcopal organizations. In both cities
there is a considerable number of miscella-
neous places of worship that do not count
for anything, and it is singular fact in these
days of growing liberality of religious opin-
ion that with the Universalist, Unitarian
and other free-thinking bodies there seems
to be no adequate power to gather into their
organization, in large numbers, the people
floating in the community who are nearest
them in belief or in the want of belief. The
largest bodies in both cities appear to be do
ing the most for positive christianity, and to
be doing it on the broadest scale, though by
somewhat different methods. The result of |
the study of these statistics, so far as the |
Protestant population is concerned, is to re-
veal the large dependence of the relative |
progress Of this or that phase Of christianity |
upon social conditions and experience.
Where these differ the creeds are apt to /
differ also.