The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-06-07
Is Maine Barren SpIrI.u aIIy2

The statement Of Rev. Dr. Kincaid, Seere-
tary OF the American Home Missionary So
clety that In many places New England is
spiritually as barren as the rocks that crop
out from the surface" and that portion of
Maineis yet pioneer ground, is startling
assertion; and yet it conveys an idea not en-
tirely new. The plain truth seems to be that
religion as operative in chur :hes and church
organizations, is having a constant struggle
to hold its own in Maine; and Maine is not
much different from the other New England
States. Not long ago one of the Oldest cler-
gymen of this city called attention from his
pulpit to the fact that, while fifty years ago
there was scarcely respectable family in
the city that was not connected with some
church, today scarcely one-half Of the people
go to any church. He pointcl t. this as IAN
astounding change for the worse;" and few
there are who will not agree with lIim
Portland is not worse than other cities of
nj In this respect but rather better
One Sunday in 1888. when ther. was an aver
age attendance at the churches, census was
taken of the church goers of Lewiston and
Auburn. 1t was found that o a Protestant
population of $4,000 In the wo cities, but
oOOO persons attended church that day. or a
catholic population of 1900, about $500
were at church. In the country regions the
habits OF the people as relates to church 60
Ing are not very different. Many churches
have died out In country places, where the
decrease of population has been an import
ant cause of decline. Take for instance the
Baptists, very old and very vigorous de-
nomination. In 1847 they had 300 churches
In Maine; in 1886 they had but 247 Rev Dr.
Allen. of the Methodist church, not long ago
complained In letter to lions Herald, that.
whereas, the early successes of Methodism
In Maine were achieved In the rural neigh
borhoods, where the ablest ministers felt
honored with appointments, now the cir
cult Is considered degradation rather and
Is left reduced in territory and with a labor
er OF less ability and of course less power.
The figures of the canvass of the Bible So
ciety of Maine show that these Indications
are true indexes OF the state of religious ac.
tiyity throughout the State. Out of 7O.61o
families visited by the agent of that society,
33,447 or about one-half were not attendants
at church. 1t was estimated at the Sunday
School convention at Gardiner two wears
ago that the per cent of the enire popula-
ton of the State in Sunday schools was if
teen and one-half, collected in about thir
teen hundred schools. The trouble seems to
be, not wholly that the field is so difficult of
cultivation here in Maine as the comparison
of DR.. Kincaid might imply, hut that the
laborers are two few. For the last ten years
there has been a deficiency OF about twenty
four pastors in the Maine Methodist Confer
ence in this State and it was tie complaint
of the Home Missionary Magazine year ago
that during the last fifteen years the aggre-
gate number of students in Congregational
seminaries has increased only c." With the
great fields opening up in other States 1t is
not probable that there are any superfuous
Congregational clergymen ia this State.
Whether from these few facts the COMPARE
son Of DIR. Kincaid is justified or not so far
as Maine is concerned, is point on which
persons win differ. There are laboring in
Maine hundreds of able and devout men and
womeni and, if there is an appalling spiritual
Darrenness, it is only an emphatic call for
more laborers