Arizona weekly citizen., 1892-12-03
A FEW GEMS.
Dug Gut Of Rev. Mahafie's Sta
 tistical Sermon.
Delivered at the Joint Service on
 Thanksgiving Day.

On Thanksgiving Day Rev. Mahaffie delivered valuable and interesting dis course. His text was "Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning tbis."
 According to this tex5 there were "Pessimists and Optimists' a thousand years hefore Christ. Ancient watchmen stood upon battlements and towers and indicated danger or safety. Generals stood upon the mountain top or obser- vatOry or rose in balloons to watch and direct the movements of contending forces. So history IS the philosophers tower from whose serene summit epcchs are marked. crises discovered, tidal movements traced, beacon lights dis ceTned, Ond national destinies prognos- ticated. The great problems of national life, such as new functions of public opinion, Problem of Professionalism ve. Catholicism, et3., stagger the minds of the best statesmen, political economists. jurists, theologians and students, in this as well as other countries.
 It is not our purpose to discuss these questions but to observe the current of national life and interpret the indica- tons. Man Is a social bsing and must have society. Society must be organ iz d for protection aud government and state are the legitimate eutgrowths of it. Battle with principles develops charac- ter in the individual The moral eleva- tion of character develops conscience. Conscience coming in contact with so- ciety becomes public conscience. Lack of character means decay, morally and civIlly. When we start down grade morally We go towards social and nation al death. Legislative authority forms customs and opinions into codes. The law of custom has a precedence over statutory law. The character of the people determine the government. The crop IS an indication of the soil.
 The cement of national life is our ia thers' blood
 Our foTeIgn born population is now II per cent. Our increase in population last year was 70 per cent native and 30 per cent foreign, The decrease in i'm migration is per cent per year or 4-100 of 30 per cent of the increase. at this rate in ten years instead of having II per cent foreign we will have less than 9 per cent. The indications are hopeful.
 There are in the world 41S universi- ties (nOt including colleges and acade- mics of lower grades) so per cent or 3S4 are in the United States. There are S906 teachers in these universities, 37 per cent or 3343 are in our universities and 1O6,214 students, 45 per cent CT &C., 996 are in our schools. Our universities have within two years increased per rent and the professors have increased F per cent and our students have in creased 160 Der cent. Fifty years ago 26 per cent of our college students were religious, now 5l per cent are. This does not include the 751 colleges we have; nor does 1t include the 350.OOO public school teachers and I6 million scholars.
 There are 122,85O churches, 131,5 ,551 ministers and 20,9l5, l12 members In the United States. The Y. NJ. c. A. has 241. .O00 members and increased last year r per cent; the Kjng's Daughters have les. 200 members and increased 13 per cent; the |. r. $. C. F. has 1857 ,960 mem bers and increased 34 per cent; the E. L. has 5S7, 300 and increased 190 per cent (this is abnormal, its growth will not continue so laTge(. In 1900 there was one church to l7j1 of population and 1 minister to 200l of population and one member to 14.5 population, now there is one church to 510 population and l minister to 40 and one member to of population. The rate of increase has been 300 per cent.
 Two pears ago the national, state and county debts amounted to S46.59 per capita, now they amount to S20.46 per head.
 Last year the increase in business concerns was s per cent and in capital 27 per cent and the decrease in failures was 3 per cent.
 These indications are gratifying and for which we have occasion for the of fering of thanksgiving and praise to Al mighty God.