The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-02-06
RELIGION IN AMERICA.

EDITOR OF THE Dear Sir
In your issue of Jan. 23d appeared an arti
Gle well calculated to mislead your read
ers. The one | refer to was copied from
Dem0rest's Monthly, and was copied by
them from a fictitious statement instiga.
ted by the Catholic plenary council lately
assembled at Baltimore. 1t is a universally
admitted fact that Catholics are the great
est diplomats of the age, and it was they
alone hat inspired some writer of elastic
arithmetic and morals to prepare for the
world the astounding figures which ap-
peared in your issue Of that date. They
should be scrutimzed with the greatest
care and taken with a myriad of grains of
allowance. There is undoubtedly a dex-
ferrous stroke of diplomacy hidden in it
somewhere. Let us compare some of the
statements with facts.
In the first place the Methodists are es-
timated at about Is, 600, 900. Turn to the
official Year Book published by Phillips &
Hunt, official publishers for the Methodist
church, and read that the Methodists number
1903, 724. Quite a difference. surely, and
yet no one will assert that the Methodists
are in any way modest about their claims
when they nave grounds for making any.
The Baptists are then put down at 49,
900, 900. Their own estimates. which in
clude all Baptist congregations without re-
spect of ecclesiastical or denominational
affiliations, makes their number {, 552, 129.
The Presbyterians are put down $780,
600. Official figures show them to nave
1,002, 944. Big fall off.
The Lutherans are said to have increased
sixty per cent. II Dem0rest and you had
quoted in full you would have said that
they numbered 2 1000, 900. Official figures
make them 800, 1S9.
Congregationalists you have put down
at 1, 800, 900. You do wrong to flatter them
thus when they number only 1897, 619.
E~piscopalians are reported by you at the
fabulous number of I 200, 900 and stated
that they had gained 333t per cent. Off
cially they number 313, $3.50.
The number of Hebrews is grossly ex-
agerated by you at 700, 600. Congressional
Librarian Spofiord puts the number at
10, 683.
The Friends do not fare SO hard at your
hands when put down at $50. 600. Mr..
Spofford puts them at 67,643.
Dem0rest leaves out one denomination,
mentioned in the original report, for what
reason | cannot guess. 1t is the Christians
or Disciples of Christ, which number. ae-
cording to Spofford, 567, 44S, while the orig
inal article puts them at 800, 900.
As to the startling figures of the Catho-
lies there is some error and also some al
lowances to be made. Nine and one-half
millions is too much to allow for them.
There is no doubt, however, that their in
crease is greater than any other sect and
also very alarming. Their number, accord
ing to Sadlier's Catholic Directory for 1882,
puts the number at G, 370,s Some well
posted Catholics, however, claim 1000, 900,
which includes children, and at the present
time is probably a very correct estimate.
Still there is considerable room between
that and {, 800, 900.
Dem0rest says that there no figures given
as to the number Of skeptics or unbelievers.
If they had not quoted a purely Catholic
article they would very probably have told
an entirely different tale. There are about
1000, 900 avowed unbelievers in this coun-
try. From an orthodox stand point, and
especially in the hands of one with such an
elastic Imagination as the author of the ar
ticle referred to, they would like to make
out that not less than As, 900, 900 of our in
habitants were religious devotees (Which
no one would believe on a moments refiee-
tion) when there are only a little over
16, 900, 900.
Speaking ofthe increase in these churches
or religious denominations, Beeeher, in a
only about a year ago, said that the
church was waning in its power. About a
year ago Talmage said that the increase
was only about two to each parish, or
charge. or church throughout the country,
and tina the losses by death and otherwise
amounted to more liar that.
Yours for facts, SKINNER.