The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-10-05
The Pulpit Discussion Of The Higher Grill
clsm Is Partly 10 Blame.
SOCIAL SIDE OF CHURCH WORK
Toe G.eal Emphasis Upon I Has Tended 10 Ne
lard Growth Churches Secured Ony 5SJU
Msmb.rs Out Of 81, 900 New B'Ookgnliss

New York. oct. 5.--The statement oi
the Rev. John +. Carson Of the Cehtl"i
Presbyterian church Brooklyn, al tne
fail meeting of the Brooklyn FresDS
tery On Monday that there were 4"
that borough some 100000 people aDso-
lutely untouched by the church, either
Protestant or Roman. was quite
shock to his fellow members OF the
Presbyterv and was a matter OF much
discussion among clergymen OF other
denominaticns Tuesday The first I'M
preston gained was that Dr. carson
had exaggerated the matter. Which was
precisely what that clergyman expect
ed.
He admits himself that when he nm
igbed figuring on the matter some days
ago NE was amazed at the results ana
reaIzed that il would be hard TO make
anyone believe that there was so much
religious apathy in community so
long and widely known as the city OF
Churches. The large amount of work
before the Presbytery on Monday MADE
II impossible for DR. Carson TO go into
the subject as lengthy as he would
have liked. When he was seen by a
reporter he talked freely on the mat
ter.
NOT A PESSIMIST.
II don't wish TO be understood as
taking a pessimistic view of the ques-
tion," he safd, because the action OF
the Presbytery i'm appointing commit
tees to make plans for the widening
of the church's influence in Brooklyn
shows that we are waking up TO con-
ditions, and preparing to cope with
a ID D 4
than this waking up on the part OF
the--eorStitutprf HuTf1UTtt1aS or rna
Church. for / am convinced that the
conditions | referred TO Monday are
as much a result of apathy on the part
OF the ministers and church people as
anything else. | look into the future
with hope. for now that we are going
TO stir ourselves | haven't doubt
that we will reach the vast majority
of the enormous non-church going pop.
ulation In a very snort time.
Despite my optimistic view OF the
future do not hesitate to say that the
present conditions are absolutely ap
palling / think that many minister
realized as i did that there were to
many non-churchgoing people il
BROOKLYN and that the class was grow
ing, but there wasn't a suspicion Il
my mind or anv one else's mind tina
IL had reached such an enormous tig
ure. When / finished my calculation
based on published statistics. an
found that there are nearly 600. 600 pee
pie in our borough who do not go
church and are not under church In
fiuence in any degree. ] was s shocked
ed that l thought | must be mistaken
CALCULATIONS ALL STRAIGHT
"But when went over IL two {
three times ] saw that IT was a
4 straight and / felt the sooner my fe
low clergymen knew of IL the MOI
chance for a change there would b
1t is no wonder they were shocke
and skeptical. II was 20 be expecte
but If there are any who doubt the az
curacy of my reckoning, l think | ca
convince them that it Is all right
There are 10000 persons i'm the men
bershiD Of the Protestant ard JEWS
churches In BROOKLYN and there m
2s1 900 in the Roman Catholic churche
These figures do not indicate the r,
1ative strength of the Roman and Pre-
testant Churches. because i'm the fol
mer are included all who are baptfze
az well Is children. while in the Pre-
testant Church we only include adult
These figures show a total OF about AZ
600 church members I'm our borough.
"A careful study OF the Sunda
school statistics shows that there an
10000 Protestant children who are
the Sunday Schools. In addition the,
are about $4,000 persons Indirectly cor
nected with the churches Sunda
Schools and mission stations. wsbir
leaves $4,000 people out OF a populat
ion OF 100000 who are absolutely mr.
touched by anv church or it's worI
Just think of that. one-half Of the pee
pie OF BROOKLYN not reached bv an
Catholic or Protestant church. Am
not right TO say 1t is appalling"
NO IMPROVEMENT
II want TO say that | have All M
calculations on the published reports :
the Protestant and Catholic churche
and Sunday schools OF Broollyn IN :
January /. 1899. | have looked in vai
for some, Improvement since then. The,
has been none. The Church OF Brookly
since nh beginning Of the year n
just been holding it's own. | mean h
that thsI IL fs as well off now as 1t W,
at the time OF issue OF the last annu
reports. AS a matter of fact. howeVe
Il IN not holding it's own I'm proporti,
10 the increase of population and HI
not since the beginning OF 1898.
1.-THE increase i'm population last ye
was betw $4,000 and 100000. T
actual Increase i'm the membership
the Roman Catholic Church was 2ll