The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-26
A RELIGIOUS CENSUS.
Oaly One in Three of the Population 10
Church Member.

Only One in Three of the Population 10
Church Member.
According to the statistics presented by
the Independent, the membership OF the
Christian churches OF this country now ag-
RreRates 81, 757.171, and the gain since last
year has been loss, 1853, says the New York
Sun. OF the increase about three-hfths
was among the Protestants and two-ffths
among the Roman Catholics. More than
two-thirds of the Protestant gain was made
by the Baptists and Methodists alone, or
Az, 061 out of 668, 1O8.
Tho great religious communions of this
country are, therefore, the Catholic, the
Methodist and the Baptist, and they stand
numerically in the order in which they are
named. Together they include more than
four-hfths of the Christian believers OF the
Union, the remaining one-hfth being d.
vlded among fifteen scots or denomina-
tlonS, with their various branches. The
beers to the Baptists and Metbodists COM
| bined, having population of S,277 OBS, as
! against 9,272, 531, made up of 1850, 24O
Methodists and 1882, 81 Baptists. The
ratio of increase among the three was also
about the same for the year, or something
| over i've in the hundred.
The independent explains that the Ro--
man Catholic census includes the whole
Catholic population. while the Protestant
enumeration gives only the actual commu-
nicants. Hence. if all those belonging to
the families of the Baptists and Methodists
were likewise counted the numerical
strength of each of the three great COM
munions might be about the same. Doub-
ling the number of the other Protestant
membership on the same principle, we find
! that those in the Presbyterian denOmlna-
ton and under its influence are less than
one-fourteenth of the population. Protes-
tant and Catholic, and Episcopalians are
reduced to a very small fraction, or less than
three per cent, though in reality their
church attendance is proportionately prob
| But the most striking fact about this cen
sus is that it counts less than one in three
of the population in the churches. Even
if we make very liberal allowance for
those not enumerated among Protestant
communicates, but who attend Protestant
worship, and also include the jews the-e
remain at least IL, 600 600 of the population
altogether who are without religion, who
are paRans, agnostics, unbelievers, scoffers
infidels and atheists. If we include all
who reject faith or are Indifferent to It,
though they keep up nominal and out
ward conformity, the total would be vastly
greater.
This country. therefore, is great mis-
sionary field for the propagation of Chris
tianity. Here in New York half the people
are outside the churches every Sunday.
w. C. T. u, Convention.
The seventh annual meeting of the Mon
tana Woman's Christian Temperance Tn
ion convenes at Livingston August Is. u,
%. Railroads offer one and one-ffth rate
to delegates paying full fare going and pre-
senting certificate from the convention for
return. A state gold medal contest will be
one of the interesting features. Children
desiring to compete should apply at once
Rev. NJ. j. Hall. Bozeman.
LAURA E. HowEY,
State Pres. w. G.. T. q.
ALOHA KIRKPATRICK, Rec. Sec.