The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-24
BIBLE soc1ETY's CANVASS.
Shows That Many in New Haven Ar

Shows That Many in New Haven Are
 Outside the Church-Interestlng
 Statistics Gathered by the Society in
 This City-Many Families Without
 the Bible-Bibles for Ornamental
 Purposes.
 In the Investigation of New Haven by careful canvass of the Connecti- cut Bible society, a large amount of additional information has been gained since the report published in June. The facts are of exceeding importance. The wards now reported are the Fourth, bounded by the northwest side by Washington street, and the lower end of Congress avenue, on the northeast by Meadow street, and on the other sides by the water; and Wards six and seven, which together include the en- tire territory lying between Mill river on the east, and the two streets Chapel and State, the Seventh lying towards the north.
 Thus all the wards radiating from Ward One, the central square, have been reported, excepting Ward Three,
 
 the next to be undertaken. The com- parison of these wards with those whose data have been previously pub lished, viz: the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and Second, reveals some interesting facts. This last mentioned group, lying north of State street, on the one side, and Davenport avenue on the other, including a side of each, and traversed by Whitney avenue Goffe, Chapel etc., is in way homogeneous and we will designate it for convenience, as Group A, The other wards lying south of Ward One, have likewise a certain common resemblance, and Four, Six and Seven, now under consideration, will be designated as Group B. We will note some characteristics on these groups as they are compared.
 Different Nationalities.
 First, as to the nationality. The en- tire population of the northern group, Group A, is 31,37S, of which number 2O,679 or 66 per cent. are Americans, and 10,679 or 34 per cent are foreign CTS. Group B contains 2S,S75 persons of whom 7,774, or 27 per cent, are Ameri- cans, and q, ,101 or 7S per cent, are for clgners. Of the foreigners, 93 per cent. are of five nationalities, viz: French 370, or per cent; Russians 949, or 4 per cent; Germans 9,147, or 15 per cent; Italians 3,5S9, or II per cent; Irish 1f,6S7, or 55 per cent. The two groups united have, in the seven wards 0,253 persons, the Americans number ing 2S,253, or 47 per cent, the foreign CTS 91,S00 or 5S per cent.
 As to Religious Beliefs.
 Secondly, as to forms of religious be- lief, Group A, to the north, has 22,693, or 72 per cent. Protestants; While of the remaining S,6S5, or 2S per cent, the Jews have S44, or per cent, and the Roman Catholics 7,S41, or 25 per cent. Group B has 9,117 or 32i per cent. Prot estants: of the remaining 19,75S, or 6S per cent, 2,164, or per cent, are Jews and 17,594, or 61 per cent, Roman Cath olics Taking the groups together, the Protestants have 31,S10, or 5S per cent; the Jews 3,0OS, or per cent. the Ro- man Catholics 25,435, or 42 per cent. It may be noted as a coincidence, that in the two groups united the number Of Protestants almost exactly equals that of the foreigners, and of course the Jews and Roman Catholics together just equal in number the Americans.
 Church Affiliations.
 Thirdly, as to church. relations EV- cry observer of social conditions knows that this topic gees more deeply than mere externanties or religious observ- ance; that it has to do with the re- ligious and moral condition of the peo- ole. In Group A 5,256 declare them- selves to be on-attendants at the churches. or these 4,706 are Protest ants, 21 per cent. of all the Protest ants. In the southern group B, 2,206 Protestants, or 24 per cent, are non-at- tendants; together, 6,912, or 22 per cent. of all Protestants. While these num- bers include many who through age or infirmfty are unable to attend, they fall to show the unquestionably larger number who in fact absent themselves from choice. Light is thrown on this matter in a different way.
 In group A GA Protestants families. and in group E 61O, together 1,254 fami- lloS, ClISS lLGllStINSo GlltNl piiS oi ''ii other denomination, but say they do not attend any particular church of their denomination. Every one knows that as a rule such families do not at tend the church of any denomination. Using the average to Protestant faml- lies in the city, (slghtly over 3,93 per cent.) these 1,254 families of msre de nominational preference" contain 4 93f persons. Some of these, but by no means all, coincide with some of the above "non-attendants." Somewhere between these two extremes, 1000 and 12 GOO, lies a certain number of Pro- testants who usually or always spend the Sabbath without visiting any church. How many more are to be add ed who consider themselves church at- tendants, but through pressure of bus mess or household duties, social at fractions, weariness, indifference, and chruch it is not easy to say. Certainly this class is a very large one.
 The number of children of "school age," that is between 4 and Is years, is in Group A 5,964, and 22 per cent. of these, or 1908, are not in the Sunday school. In Group B, out of 5,S21 or school age, 35 per cent. or 2,059, are not in Sunday school. Such children as re- ceive religious instruction on week days in the Roman Catholic parochial cobon1c ara reclyoppd oc ir, Gurdo "