The Newtown bee., 1897-12-03
Fairfield County News
BETHEL.
BErHEL's RELIGIOUS CENSUS.

toWh seNou WeCAS uuuNE buS ulICCbioh Va
the Connecticut Bible society, gave re-
port OF the work done and brought out
many facts of interest and profit.
Every family has been visited and
many have been revisited, they having
made $50 extra calls, making 1850 visits
in all. They have not only taken re-
ligious census, but have carried Chris
tlan greetings into every home, and as
far as possible, have done personal work
with individuals, besides conducting sew
quiet one, yet many Impressions for
good have been left in un-Christian
homes, and many Christians have been
stirred to a more Jealous effort to reach
the unsaved. They have supplied the
Bible at a low price to those desiring to
purchase and have given many copies in
other homes. They found 7l5 families
In the borough and lS2 families in the
out districts, making S07 IN all. The
borough has 27S8 people, and the out
districts no people, making 1868 in the
town. This census shows a gain of 1877
people in the town since 1890, There
we're then 340l.
Dividing the people into denomina-
tions they find: One Adventist family of
seven persons; 23 Baptist families of 70
2Ol Congregational families of 764; 1875
Episcopal families of 676; Is Lutheran
families OF 1877; 235 Methodist families
of 002; one Presbyterian family of six
l73 Roman Catholic families of $50; 2G
Disciple families of 90; two Universal
lists families of nine; one Salvation Ar
my family of one; 81 families Of 80 per
sons OF no religious preference.
The different denominations are repre-
sented in church as follows:
Adventist: one family of seven, Ad-
ventist, Danbury.
Baptist: Two families of five, Colored
Baptist, Danbury; 16 families of AZ,
Baptist, Danbury; five families of 26,
Methodist, Bethel.
Congregational: One family of four
Swedish Congregational, Danbury; two
families of 10, Congregational, Redding !;
one family of ,, Disciples, Danbury; 1872
families of 1876, Congregational, Bethel.
Episcopal; two families of eight, Epis'
copal, Danbury; 1873 families of G68,
Episcopal, Bethel.
Lutheran: Is families of SO, German
Lutheran, Danbury; eight families of 10
Swedish Lutheran, Danbury; two fam.
lilies Is, Congregational, Bethel.
Methodist: two families of IL, Red
ding, Methodist; three families of 16,
Long Ridge, Methodist; i've families 30,
Danbury, Methodist; 225 families of $40,
Bethel, Methodist.
Presbyterian: One family of six, at
tend no where.
Disciples: One family of four, Bethel,
Methodist; one family of four, Bethel,
Congregational; "a families of 88, Dan.
bury, Disciples.
Universalist: one family Of three, Dan
bury, Universalist; one family OF six,
Danbury, Disciples.
Salvation Army: one family of one
person, Danbury.
No preference: 81 families of 81, no
place.
Roman Catholic: 173 families of $50,
Bethel.
Divided into nationalities there are
6GS American families of 2497 people; II
colored families of 90; II English famil
ies Of So; two French families of eight
five French Canadian families of 10; Al
German families of 1913; 126 Irish fami.
lies of COZ; two Italian families OF four
one Danish family of four; one Swiss
family of three; Is Swede families OF
&C; II Scotch families of 60; one Chi
nese family of 2.
There are 126 Protestant families il
the town not represented in church or
Sunday school, and $50 people who new.
er attend church, making IA per cent OF
the families and 25 per cent of the Pro
testant people non-church goers. There
are four Roman Catholic families anC
14S people not attending church. There
are 813 children between four and II
years old; 5S1 are Professionals, 1872 arr
Roman Catholics. 456 Protestant chill
dren are in Sunday school and 125 arr
not; ITO Roman Catholic children are il
Sunday school aud 62 are not. Their
are 155 Protestant families with M
church members. There are 149 fami
lies In which every person is a church
member; $50 families have one or NOR
church member and 324 families hav,
over two church members. There wer,
IL Protestant families found without
Bible. All were Supplied; SO Roman
Catholic families were without a Bibl,
and five we're supplied. There were 49,
copies Of the Bible sold, value $l0S.66
115 copies we're given, value, $40. %
making 449 copies distributed; 400 care
fully selected Protestant tracts and 1OI
Roman Catholic tracts have been left T.
the homes. The workers leave with eac'
pastor Of the town book containing
record Of every family who are membe 4
or attendants of his church as well as q
all who express preference for tina
church. They also report to the out-of
town pastors. These records will be o.
much value in following up the work OF
the visitors. They say they have beer
very courteously received throughout
the town by all classes and denomina
lions. They have found much of encour
agement In the town, yet there Is much
TO be done to bring the mass of the PEG
pie into right relations with the church
OF Christ. Some results are seen in an
increased interest in the Bible in many
homes; In family affairs set up; soms
new facts In the church and an increas
ed thorghtfulness about eternal things
Twenty or more have expressed their
purpose to live Christian life.
The society Is doing large work In
tha .fata r.,ss.,sx ~ Ia ~ ffsoa1 war ffo