Morning journal and courier., 1889-11-25
Monday, November 25,18B9
AN INTERPRETING srArEmxnr.

AN ANAnnksSAANG STAGEMBNT. Religious Work in New Haveu .v Seminary Students. Of the 128 students in the three under. graduate classes of the seminary, 7e are at present engaged in some religious work in the city. Many of the remaining members preach either regularly or occasionally out side of the city.
 The variety of work open to students, and the comparative number of men engaged in cash kind of work are shown by the follow ing facts:
 Thirty eight men are engaged in s. 8. work.
 Eleven men are engaged in Y. F. s. O. E. work Three men are engaged in evening prayer meet
 Two men are engaged in Y. MICA.
 Nine men are engaged in music (singing play
 Twenty five men are engaged in pastoral.
 One man is engaged in jail.
 Eighteen are engaged in speaking.
 Twenty-six men are at work in the follow ing missions of the city viz: English Hall, Oak street, Gofe street, Lebanon, and the mission of the Calvary Baptist church on Howard avenue.
 The advance over last year has been in the pastoral and mission work. At the begin
 
 very few men. This year, as seen above, twety-hve are SO engaged, most of them in connection with the missions, but some in connection with the churches. Pastoral work is a much more prominent feature in the mission work than was the ease last year. The work then being more closely limited to Sunday school instruction and speaking.
 It is desired that the work of the students should supplement more and more the work of the churches, that the students though working in behalf of the churches should work in some measure as it were outside of the churches aiming to bring into connection with the churches, people not so connected. It is believed that in this way their assis- than would be possible if they engaged only in that work which church members them selves might we'll do.
 The canvass of last year made clear the fact that there is quite large proportion of the people not reached st present by the churches, who undoubtedly could be reached if the proper agencies were set at work. What these agencies are, Is, of course, the problem in all our cities.
 The Boston Herald, in an editorial of Feb- ruary ii, 1889, says of the then recent canvass in the city: ''It was found that 16 per cent. of the whole Protestant population was out side of church connections, and hundreds were found to be simply nominal attendants and unknown to the pastors. It would, per- haps, not be unfair to say that 40 per cent. of the Protestant population is practically outside of the existing churches. The value of this statement is that New Haven is a typical New England city and probably rep- resents Protestant religious interests at their best in this part of the country. The meth- cd which supplements this canvass is the calling upon these people. Connecting them with the congregations which they pre- fer and giving them personal and social reo- ognition. The social element in Protestant churches has been too much neglected, and it is the enlargement of this instrumentality, quite as much as direct spiritual manifesto tions, which will increase the influence of the churches among the non-church- going, especially among those who, for the sake of distinction, are called the active laboring population"
 The pastors who were able to avail them- selves of the information given by the cans vass, report that it was of value to them. One church was brought into relation with seventy five or one hundred families who claimed to be attendants at that church, but who were unknown to the pastor. Many of these cases were very interesting. Some of the pastors have been unable to utilize the material furnished by the canvass. Is it not true that either, as one of the pas- tOfS HAS SHlu, tuo larger CAuISAoS oAoNAh hoSe assistant pastors, or else that there should be greater activity in church work on the part of lay membersa Undoubtedly very much more could be accomplished by lay members if work were so organized that they might cooperate with the pastors in the missionary work of the church.
 During the present seminary year meet. ings of the students will be occasionally held for the consideration of practical work.
 Rev Graham Taylor, D. D., of Hartford has already lectured before the seminary or "City Reorganization" Archdeacon Mackay- Smith ot New York will address the students in December, an9 in January Rev. Justin B Twitchell, DD., df the Dwight Place church will speak on Pastoral and church work. Methods of church and mission work will b discussed by the students, and papers will D presented on Sunday school work, Y.P.S.C E.. work and the work among the coloret people of New Haven.
 Thus it Is hoped to enter more closely into relation with the religious work of the city and to become more familiar, practically a' we'll as theoretically, with the problems be fore the church.