The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-07-03
CENSUS OF CHURCRMEN.
The Interesting Digest Just Issued by the
Interior Department.

We may assume that Win lne mass
of mankind church membership works
an improvement ofspiritual condition.
There are hypocrites now as there
were in the time when the Sermon on
the Mount was preached. And now
as then their sin is greater in the sight
of God than the open sins of men.
But to the vast majority church mem
bership means something more than
cloak with which to cover up moral
deformity. Such an association exerts
a restraining influence which people
of the most wayward tendensies are
compelled to recognize IN their lives
and conduct. So long as a man is not
lost to all sense ofresponsibility and
obligation the VOWS he has taken in
assuming membership IN any church
congregation viii hold him nearer the
line Of duty than he would walk with
out them. This is not saying that
there are not as good men outside the
church as in it, but it is asserting that
the earnest church member who falls
short CT his whole Christian duty
comes much nearer the performance
of that duty in the church than he
could out of it.
We believe this will be admitted by
any person intelligent and unprejudled
enough to give contention careful con-
sideration. In the church there is a
constant incentive to effort toward a
higher spiritual life. Were this not
true the world would not conclude, as
it always has and will, that the growth
of the chuch is the growth Of the world
to higher and better things. In the
mass of shallow thought which has Of
late years threatened to submerge
landmarks of progress the church has
been assumed to be a waning element
in that progress. The thunders of the
Ingersolls have terrified many with
their noise, but thunders without
lightnings are powerless to destroy.
4 digest of the church census re-
turns of 1890 has just been issued by
by the Interior Department. In the
ten years between 1880 and 1880 the
total membership of the Protestant
churches in this country had increased
from 9.2G3, 3334 to 13, 15S, 1868, or an In
crease Of over AZ per cent.
The total communicates of all de-
nominations is 20,612, sos, belonging
to 165, III congregations. 1t will thus
be seen that one third Of the entire
population are church communicants.
For these congregations there exist
142. 521 edifces, which have sittings
for 43, 564, 1886 persons or two seats for
every member who attends even occa-
sionally. Besides, there are 23,334
halls, schoolhouses and other build
ings used for church purposes, which
raise The grand total of sittings to 40
015, ,721. There are III, ,036 regular
ministers, not counting lay preachers,
and the church property Of the coun-
try is valued at $679, $50, 139.
The church property in the country
almost doubled in value in the ten
years from 1880 to 1890, the increase
being % per cent. The church edifces
have more than doubled since 1870.
In the value of their church property
the Catholics stand first, With sis, 069,-
746. The Methodists follow with $685.
723, ,4OS; Episcopal, sS1, ,220,317 Presby
terians North, S74, 455, 200; Baptists
North, $40, 524, 504; Congregational
lists, s43. 335, 437; Methodist Episcopal
South, SIS, 755, 1862; Unitarians, S1O,-
335, 100; Presbyterians, South, S.
S12, 152: Uniyersalists, IS, O54, 3333.
In number OF communicates the
Catholics also lead, with 6,231, AT, but
the Methodists, with their 2,24O, ,354
mem oers, have nearly two and half
times as many congregations as their
Romanist rivals. Other prominent
denominations number as follows:
Regular Baptists (colored), 1,34S, 9S9;
regular Baptjsts South, 1850, ,066;
Methodist Episcopal South, ,209, 976;
Baptists North), SCOOPS; Presbyteri-
ans North, 7SS, 224; Protestant Episco-
pal, 532, 054: Congregational, 512, III;
African Methodist Episcopal, 452, 725;
Lutheran General Council. 324, SAC;
Lutheran Synodical Conference, 357,-
153 Presbyterians South, 179, 721;
Unitarians, 77,749; Universalists, 49,
194.
\ notable factin this showing is the
apparent decline of the unorthodox de-
nominations which style themselves
intellectual. Subsequent indica-
tons, following the official returns of
five years ago, seems to mark the de
cay of Unit&rianism particularly. y
number of the congregations Of that
faith in New England, the seat of its
power in this country, have disban-
doned during the five years which
have elapsed since the census showed
the numerical strength Of that demo-
mination to be but $500. The doc
trine is as vigorous us ever, and It's
ministry is not declining in power
but the figures are not nearly as en-
cot,raging to it as they are to the
more orthodox churches. The Sara
toga conference of last year was un-
doubtedly a great assembly, represent
ing, as it did, so much OF the lntellec-
tual life OF the time, but nothing has
followed it to indicate that it has
checked what must be called the de-
cay Of the church itrepreSented.
\ reason for the failure Of growth
in Unitariauism. Uniyersalism and
kindred forms Of belief may be found
in the fact that orthodox churches are
growing more liberaly every year. The
old straitjackets are being thrown
aside and the church is finding minis
ters who can preach the Gospel with
out insulting the intelligence of their
congregations. The orthodox demo
no longer draw dead lines
between themselves. The action OF
Westminster College in conferring
degree upon one of the Lutheran
clergy::is evidence of thespirit of Chris.
tan unity which is bridging the gulf
which yawned between Martin Luther
and John Calvin.
The world is growing better. One
sparrow cannot make a summer and a
fool, of diScordant crows cannot Justify