Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-03-19

It's benign Influence. The rapid growth
OF America during the century, moving
the frontier westward from the Allie
ghanies to the Pacific, and brinoine
forth great nation. increasing from
5..S6, ,331 In lsJ0, 20 -, I55, 7s3 in $50, b,
ofhcial reports. basking In the sunshine
OF religious freedom, and declaring
themselves IN favor of An enlightened
vigorous, spiritual Protestantlsm. turn
ed the scale OF civilization in its favor
Whlie the multiplication of differen,
denominations stagQers many unbeliev
ers, their aggregate growth is astouish-
ing to all.
twenty OF the largest denominations
OF the United States have a list of SO 3.3Ol
churches, and o.469,6l9 members; while
twenty smaller COMPANIES swell the
Protestant membership to over 1900, ,0Ol
conmnnIcants, OF nearly one fifth the
entire population. The four bodies re-
presented in this association number
according to the Peosie's Cyclopodia
page 1884, 7.620,8ll COMMITMENTS. ol
over one seventh tue entire popsl tion.
while the children and families Of these
communicates would probably swell the
number to over 1000, 600. or one fiji
NfAS POB1lhtiOu l<-t uS lDOh III
the growth OF some of these. In 1875
the Regular Baptists numbered 200 min
listers, and about 800 congregations
which might possibly average 20 each
aggregatinR II 600 raembers. Today
(ls52) they have 26,373 ministers, Year
Book, 1882 and 3,:sS6. .022 members, with
4,&0,l ,l35 slttinRs, and al ,6Os, 1873 ol
property IN 1870, Comp. Ninth Census
page 5l9).
The Methodists claimed but ls,OO(
members, and l04 preachers in 1875
Today their official records, published
in Daniels History of MethOdlsm, il
1880, give of eight different branches o
Episcopal Methodists, q, 1853 ministers
and 2.263, 73S members, page 1927 anc
the Gel sus Of 1870 gives them 6,523, ~.
sittinRs. and *GO.S5i,l2l of property
Comp. Ninth Census. page 5l9).
The Presbyterians had then but abou,
400 ministers, and probably 10000 mem
bers. Today, by the n-PresbyteriaI
Assembly, the Presbyterians are cred
itea with ,Ul7 ,S4S members, and 2, 1873,
800 sittings, costing $47. $40, ,732, Prince,
ton Review, SchOff TreAtise). DR.
Schoff, in his summary of religious sta.
tistios III the Princeton Review, gives, in
1870, of all denominations, ~. AS organ
izatlons, 63.Os2 edifices, 2l,G65. .O62 sit.
tIngs, and f3Ji, 1881 Of property,
page 2l6).
The growth Of wealth in the churches
may be seen by comparing statistics
In 1880 the property was estimated al
$o7 ,32S, sol; in 1860. $l7l ,397 ,g'2. while
In 1870 1t had doubled. though probably
partly due to the inflated currency
1t must be remembered that these are
the free gifts of an uutrammeled
church. Men are not forced upon n
community as ministers, nor are houses
built by taxation. All the figures ex-
cept the last are of Evangelical Protest
ant churches. From the last must be
deducted for Protestant statistics 4l27
Roman Catholic organic atoms, $3.50, ,5l4
sittings, and f60, ,9S5, ,!66 of church pr op-
erty. tSee census aI above.) America
Is the birthplace Of religious freedom
From the first her sturdy sous have re-
PEELED any tyranny and all denOinina-
tions have endeavOred to maintain
Freedom of speech and action. A.
Schoff has nobly said: "She has 1T
pyramids like Egypt; no colosseum like
Rome; no venerable cathedral like West.
the Vatican and museuD no univsrsi
ties like oxford aud Berlin no art col
lection like Paris and Florence nc
poets like Shakespeare and Milton, or
Guthe and Schiller; no philosopher
like Leibent, and Liant no historians
like Glbbon aid Mauaulay no theoiog-
Ians like Augustine and GOWN" Gods
church, Gods book and Gods day are
4 it.ar Nf inf " -
PA Princeton Review "Despotism may
govern without faith" Says De Toque-
vile, " but liberty cannot" 1t is the
orowning glory of free Professionalism
AZ we'll AS of America, that here where
no State law coiupels church member
ship or attendance no establishment
colnpels rich or poor to pay for an un
welcome religion, that just here free
Bible Christianity has had It's greatest
growth and most popular success. Free
thinkers NAV cry out oppression, but
tho only oppression they have here is
the atmosphere of Christian love that
seems too dense for their weak lungs
and too unlve. sal to be escaped. In
less than u century oar republic has
spread from thirteen to thirty eight
States and Zen Territories, from AZ, -.
square miles to 3,O26 .49f Schotf, 2l2
From 3,OOO,0O0 to 50.O00,OUO people, oi
seventeen fold in population, while
Christianity for the first time since til.
days of Roman persecution stripped ol
establishments, of all perquisItes, ex
cept freedom from taxation, has more
thar kept pace with the wonderful
growth OF the country rising from les:
than 100000 Protestant Christian pro
fessurs in 1900 to 100000 i'll 1880. oI
thirty fold. DIR. Schoff gives a list o1
ministers and churches for 1850 %. al
follows:
Chnr,h a