Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-12-31
THE STRENGTH OF CHRISTIANITY.

The annual reports of the various re-
ligious bodies for the year now closing
will doubtless show a substantial gain in
numbers and strength over the previous
year. And if the various forms of I'M
belief were compact organizations in
stead of individualistic units they would
also, in all likelihood, give evidences of
grogress and growth. This is only an
other way of saying that statistical
tables are not in every case conclusive AS
to the real condition of an organization.
The plain man who thinks that two and
two always make four is quite likely to
find his impression corrected by expert
ence. Human nature is strange and
puzzling fact in the universe, and history
shows it often asserting that two and
two make three or five. In other words,
great systems of belief and rules of con-
duet have been built up on falsehoods
quite as palpable.
But, although statistics in themselves
may not settle the question as to the
growth of Christianity during the last
year, they are not without their value.
They reveal healthful activity in the
various Christian churches, and, taken
in connection with other facts less
capable of tabulation, they do prove
that Christianity in this country has lost
none of its vitality and little, if any, of
its power over the heart and the con.
science of the nation. 1t is true that a
multitude of adult men and women are
outside of the membership of the
churches, and that of these some are
living absolutely un-Christian lives,
while Others are active opponents of the
Christian faith. 1t is also true that
many who are nominal Christians ignore
wholly the teachings of Christianity, yet,
in spite of all this, the vital principles of
Christianity continue to impress them
selves on the thought and action of the
nation with all their Old-time compelling
power. In many cases this is as true of
those who are outside of ristianity as
it is of active church members. Without
intending it, and in some cases without
desiring it, they order their life and con-
duct in accordance with the fundamental
teachings of Christ. The phrase Christ
anity outside the church has been rather
overworked by some highly emotional
liberals with minimum of solid and
substantial principles. Yet the existence
today of Christianity outside the church
must be admitted. 1t has become a
factor in the problem that cannot be
ignored. Though the theologlan may be
sadly puzzled in trying to account for it
good men generally will rejoice thai
Christianity has been powerful enough
to make its influence felt outside of it!
organized limits. Yet this influence
great as it undoubtedly is, eludes al
attempts to array it in tables of statistics
and, in point of fact, is often credited
to forces and Ideas that are outside of
or hostile to, Christianity.
There is another thing to be borne il
mind in estimating the strength o
religion to-day. Besides the two grea
classes of religious and irreligious peopl
into which communities have Away
been divided, we are now called upon t.
recognize another class of people-an,
by no means a small one, either-wh
: may be called unreligious. They are no
irreligiOus, because they are not hOstil
, to religion and do not necessarily fran
/ their lives in opposition to its teachings
But they are unreligious, because the,