The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-11-27

| II Was uHuer lne llllluGlice VI SUI
serious considerations that the inquir.
was begun, and efforts were made t.
ascertain the facts as to the religion
condition of the New England states
Personal visitations, inquiries from tn
men best qualified to bear witness, ex
animation OF statistics, and compari
son Of data formed but part Of thu
work. Such an examination is O.
couse not exhaustive, and conclusion!
must be limited by conditions, blu
compared with the knowledge, data
and scope Of the writer's who have salc
that parts of New England were laps
ing into heathenism, and that Protest
anism was dying out there, the present
examination has been thorough an6
satisfactory. No differences have beer
drawn from isolated cases; no sweep
ing charges have been made upon in
sufficient or doubtful evidence; there
was no effort for effect or newspaper
sensations; nor was the canvass made
in the interest of any benevolent aSen-
cy or missionary society
Some aspects of religious life as it
exists in Maine, New Hampshire and
Vermont were given in my last letter
| It remains to consider Massachusetts
! and Connecticut. The condition of the
| first of these states was found to be
| as hopeful as that Of either Of the 9TH
| ers. Men who know thoroughly the
| entire situation who do not ignore or
! underrate evils or evil tendencies, who
recognize the need of greater earnest
ness and effort, and. who desire above
! all things the triumphant advance of
! true religion in the state, were unani-
nous in their testimony that the Pro-
| testant churches Of Massachusetts in
| their relation to the Protestant popula-
| ton, were not losing their spiritual
| usefulness. They recognized the men
| ace of foreign and non-Pfotestant
| masses among them, and that new
methods of activity and defense We're,
therefore, required; but they felt no
dismay or encouragement Admitting
perilous changes, they showed that all
the Protestant religious organizations
| were advancing and not retreating
Over against the dangers, they put re-
guar church ministrations, the work
| of home missionaries, Christian assoc
| Citations, Societies of Christian Endeav-
| or, and other organized agencies for
reaching the so-called alien popula-
ton, and they soberly concluded that
even in country regions Professionalism
manifested no degeneracy.
Groups of home mission towns, not
selected to make favorable showing,
proved that with decline in popula-
ton from 1880 to 1890 of Is per cent
tho resident membership of the church.
es had gained upon the total popula-
ton. In nine small towns, in a re-
mote county, where the population had
declined 2S per cent, the resident
church membership had declined only
s per cent. In eleven small hill towns
in another county, the population had
decreased in the same decade by 8
per cent. and the resident church
membership by only per cent. For
the decade just closing, the results
We're even more favorable In one
sparsely settled hill town, which had
been cited as an example of relapse
investigation showed that while the
population had fallen from 800 to 500,
and while, Of that 800, 200 are nom
Protestants, the proportion OF resident
Protestant church members to the
was a generation ago There is also an
endeavor to consolidate churches in
towns which have declined in popula-
ton, and some movement toward de-
nominational cooperation.
Connecticut shows a condition of
things similar to that of Massachu-
eetts. The Home Missionary society
has nearly one-half more home mis-
sion churches now than it had twenty
years ago, fact due to the changes In
the character of the population, but
these churches have faithful pastors,
and the additions to their membership
are larger in proportion than to the
membership of the self-sustaning
churches; moreover, the Protestant
church membership of the state is
steadily increasing, religion is not de-
caying, nor is effort waning. DR..
Moore of Hartford says: Protestant
ism is not losing its helpful power over
the Protestant population" DR.. D. N.
Camp of New Britain says: "There Is
no decrease of life among our Protest
ant churches" These men have been
engaged for years in missionary work
in the rural districts of the state, and
know the condition Of every county.
Special inquiry and observation were
also devoted to the alleged deteriora-
ton Of the county towns and hill COM
munities resulting from the migration
of able and enterprising young men
and women to the cities and large CEN
ters. The queries show that in New
England the farmers are as bright, as
well educated, as public spirited, as
patriotic as well to do, as were the
farmers of either one or five genera
tons ago. The same may be said of |
the country lawyers, physicians, min
listers, teachers, carpenters, black
smiths, millwrights, storekeepers, and |
justices of the peace. OF the children |
born in the Protestant population, as |
large a proportion are on the way to |
college; schools are far better than |
they We're fifty years ago, town libra |
ries are constantly increasing. and |
there Is no evidence that the "stock'
in rural New England is deteriorating |
A thorough correspondence was also
undertaken with reference to, town
centers, and the spaces between where
there are no religious services, with |
the intention of discovering whether |
reports that irreligion, immortality, and
practical heathensm prevail in these
localities, were well founded. The re-
plies are as follows: