The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-16
WORLDS CHRISTIANS.
Statistics Showing in What.
Proportions the Various
Sects Stand to One
Another.
FOURTEEN MILLION CATHOLICS
Improvement OF Mankind
Since the Advent of Our
Savior--Among the
Churches.


future prospects of the world. That fact
is the rapid expansion of the territory
held and governed by the ~nominally
Christian nations and of the populations
under their sway. At the present time
the Christian races, themselves number
ing less han 800. 600. 900, hold sway, as
England, for example, does IN India,
over 500, 900, 900 of pasans and Mohamme-
dams, making a total OF about LEGO. 600. 900,
or two-thirds of the population of the
globe. This does not include the 10000, 000
Of the population of M~anchuria, which,
in the course Of current changes, is pass
ing under the sway of Russia. nor does
it include the 20.G00, 900, more or less, of
Africa, which is being partitioned among
the Christian powers, but whose respee-
tive spheres Of influence have not yet
been well defined.
The predominance of the Christian
this about II, 500, 600 square miles are un-
der the rule Of the Protestant nations
strikingly seen when we study the area
of the earth apart from the population.
According to the "Statesman's Year
Book" for 1894 the area under he rule
of the various governments of the earth
was about 40, 0o0,0 600 square miles. OF
and a little over IA, 600, 000 are unde Ro-
man Catholic rule, S,500,600 are under the
Greek powers, while only about the same
rea-or. exactly, S,7S2,s 500 square miles
are under the sway of non-Christian
nations. Still more remarkable do these
facts become when we see that his ire
mendou disparity is almost wholly the
result of the changes of the last three
centuries. In the year 1900 all the Chris
tian governments held way over only
about Z per cent. of the earth's surface.
In 1883 they barely rule over 50 per cent.
In A. D. 1860 the non-Christian govern
nents. such as they were. swayed the
destinies Of men over 90 per cent. of the
earth's area, but in less than three UNI
bred years they have receded to IS per
cent.
This relative progress of C~hristendom
has been greatly aided by the more rapid
growth of population under Christian
rule. Most people lave a general i'm
preston that population is increasing
under the more benign conditions Of
modern civilization. but few have amy
crease OF how it compares with former
centuries. Taking England and Wales
as an amp we find that the popula-
ton which, speaking roughly. had
about doubled itself every 200 years
since A. d. 1400, had reached a total in
1901 Of a little less than 100000. From
tina date it rose to 12,090, GEO in 1921, all
most 5000 coo In 1S41, 20,O00,O 600 in 1861 and
races and their governments is still more
80, 900, 600 in 1891. In 400 years it increased
from less than 5000, 900 to less than 9.000.-
900. or three-fold. In 80 years more it
increased more than three-fold. These
figures tell a pathetic story of the Sc
verify of the struggle for life in the for
mer centuries and of the amelioration of
that struggle in our own day. Com
parative peace and plenty, increasing in
te"lligence, growing freedom from the
ravages of crime and vice and pesti-
lence and war, are the explanation of
these figures. These tendencies will
continue to manifest themselves more
and more and will lift the Christian ma
ions more and more into control of the
destines of the world.
Another factor in the gradual improve
ment of the condition of mankind is that
the nonlinally Christian Governments are
not only extending their sway, but are be-
coming better governments. Of all
things which have been bettered, civil gov
rnment has improved more than almost
anything else. Contrast the present Gov
eminent OF India with the rule of the East
India Company during the two centuries
after Elizabeth, or our own government
in the days when one man out of every
eight was a slave, and we were prosecute
ing a ceaseiess war of determination
against the Indians, with our present pol
icy of freedom and justice and phil
anthrophy. This fact is universal. All
the Governments of Christendom are inn
proving. and the condition of their sub
jects is growing better. The one UNDER
lying, transforming and uplifting force in
all these changes is the Christian re-
Iigion.
How the actual condition OF the masses
has been affected by the moral and spir-
itual uplift Of modern Christianity Is
wildly presented in a recent article by
Sir Walter Besant on THE Higher Life
Of London The artisan and laboring
classes Of London during the eighteenth
century "lived chiefly in the suburbs
outside of church influences. They were
wholly i~lliterate. If they could read.
there was nothing for them to ead-no
cheap ~wspaper no cheap books, no
free libraries. After their days work
they went home and drank; in the in
tervals Of drink they fought-with cocks,
with dogs, with fists. The craftsman's
greatest pleasure was a hanging, con-
Quoted. as it was, with the pomp and
ceremony of a triumphant procession all
the way from Newgate to Tyburn. There
was generally a 'bateh'-half a dozen
men and women-taken out to die to-
gether. They rode in carts sitting on
their own collins. The Ordinary went
from cart to cart praying fer them.
They laughed and jeered at him. The
crowd cheered them as they passed.
Young men ran beside the carts shaking
hands with them. Stalls were erected
all along the line for the sale of gin.
The crowd and the excitement were
greatest at the scene Of the hanging.
When the victims were turned Off. their
friends pulled them By the feet to shorten
their agonies. What lessons in civiliza-
ton and humanity were thus offered to
the london mob,'
..otv uaanr rrHsrrrau dlTEc