The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-11
Religion in City and in Country.

Religion in City and in Country.
A very significant article In the Methodist
Repiep presents and discusses the census
and other statistics OF the comparative
strength Of the Roman Catholic and the
different Protestant Churches In the cities
and In the country districts Of the Union.
The article divides the cities into three
classes: Those with population OF more
than 100000. In which only New York.
Chicago, Philadelphia. and Brooklyn are
included: those with more than 100000 and
less than 500. 900. and those with from $4,000
to 100000. In all these classes the Roman
Catholics comprise about one-quarter OF
the population. In the four cities OF the
first class the Professionals. all told. are only
one-eighth: in the second. one-ffth; and In
the third and In the rest OF the country.
about one-quarter.
The circumstance that the Roman Catho-
lies outnumber the Professionals 80 greatly
In the urban population. is the more star
Ting In the view Of the Methodist writer be-
cause the cities are now growing much
faster than the rural districts. and appar-
entity the time is not far of when they will
contain the majority Of the inhabitants Of
the entire Union.
The Churches In which the great majority
of Protestants are included. the Methodist
and the Baptist, are strong In the country
but comparatively weak In the cities. where
their proportionate strength has been de-
clining rather than increasing. The Pres
byterians are proportionately somewhat
stronger In the cities than In the country. and
the same Is the case with the Lutherans.
Taking together the three classes Of cities.
according to the division Of the Methodist
writer. the Congregationalists are little
stronger In them than In the country. The
Episcopalians alone among the Protestants
are far more numerous In the cities than
In the country. In the country they are
only five in 1000 OF the population. but in
the four chief cities they are twenty-eight
In the 1000.
The general cause Of the vast preponder-
ance OF Roman Catholics in the urban pop
ulation Is obvious. They have steadily and
greatly increased by reason Of the immi-
grafton. which tends in far heavier volume
to the cities than to the country. They
have also expended their efforts chiefly in
keeping their own people. rather than scat
tering them by going outside OF their
ranks TO win accessions. Very many
Roman Catholic immigrants tend toward
| Indifference to their Church when they
come to this country: and more particu-
larly their children. brought up here. are
likely to drift away from Its influence
unless the watch over them Is close and
| constant. The Roman Catholic priest
| hood In this country. accordingly. have
their hands full In looking after their own
children: and the converts from Protestant
| ism who come to them are chiefly people
| who have made their own way into the
, Roman Church rather than been drawn In
by the insidious proselytism so much feared
and reprobated by Protsstants.
| The greater strength and growth Of the
| Episcopal Church In the cities are due to
the increasing taste OF the Protestant urban
| population for its ritual. to influences
which are wholly OF largely social. and to
| the remarkable energy displayed by Its
| parishes OF late years in pushing forward
their religious and charitable enterprises.
In their aggressive policy they have fur
nished an example which is now followed
by the Protestant Churches generally. The
Baptists and the Methodlsts are zealously
striving to bring boys into their Sunday
schools by giving them military drill dur
ing the week. The PresbyteriAns are spend
ing money freely in supporting philan-
thropie enterprises. and are strengthening
the clerical force OF their churches In
imitation Of the Roman Catholics and the
Episeopalians.
II. then. the comparative weakness OF the
Protestants In the great centres OF urban
population continues, 1t will not be due to
any supineness on their part. They are do.
ing all they can TO hold and TO strengthen
their position. working In the cities as never
before; and the large proportionate mum
Der OF virtual pagans there afford them q
wide field for the expenditure Of their mis-
sionary efforts. Even II they are unable tC
overcome the pTedominanee OF the Roman
Catholic Church. there IL a vast urbaI
population outside OF its fold from which
they may draw recruits. who would multi
ply their strength.
This Methodist writer. as We have
said, thinks the situation Is alarming
because OF the rapid increase OF thu
urban population. among whom the RO
man Catholics are SO much more numer
GUS than the Protestants; and the Church
maA. an Episoopalian paper OF this city
agrees With him; but really the only alarm
ing feature OF the situation for both Protes
tants and Catholics Is the vast multitude
either wholly irreligiOus or persistentll
Indifferent To religious Obseryances- 1t I
host which includes 4 large minority o
! | the population. II not an actual majority