The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-04-24

MT. Sill, Rev. MT. Huntington, Rev. MT. Stone, Rev. MT. Wilmington, Rev. MT. Tremaine and the present rector, the Rev. Stewart l.. Means. From the year 1852 until 1883, at which the present rec torship began, there had been 1,04o bap- tisms in the church, 557 combinations, 249 marriages and 557 burials. Since 1883 there have been PA baptisms, 140
 combinations, 65 marriages and 156
 burials. In 1876 the number of com-
 municants was 125. From then until
 1883 460 names were added and since
 then 263 either by transfer or confirma-
 tion. Less than 260 names are now on
 the parish rolls and this is explained
 by two facts. Many people attend the
 services who are not legally transferred
 and in city as large as this there is
 constant changing and shifting of resi-
 dences. People move in and out of the
 city and it is hard to keep an exact
 record of the number of actual members
 of the parish. The financial statistics
 are difficult to make out, as the record
 was not kept in the best condition. As
 near as can be learned the parish con-
 tributions have amounted to about $142,-
 900. Since 1883 almost $90,000 have been
 contributed. This does not include the
 many presents which adorn the church.
 This shows a perceptble growth, but
 we should not be satisfied. In the face of the new conditions what shall the parish be in the future is the question which now faces us all. It is necessary to consider the environments, the con- dition of the religious atmosphere within and without. The necessary thing is to maintain life, There is no such thing as being still. Any parish that allows it. self to drift will drift to destruction and will lose the real thing for which it was created religious spirit What is the real condition of New England, of which we are portion? The colony was cre- ated for religious purposes. Statistics are approximate but founded on the best information which can be attained, show that 40 per cent. of the children of the state never attend Sunday school, never receive any religious training whatever and are growing mp to be the future men and women of the state and This condition will con- tnue until in short time the per cent will be on the other side and less than NV per GbIl. VIII tlAulNi' hV cry always goes that there are too many churches in the city, but it is true that the seating capacity of all the churches in the city is only about twen- ty- three thousand, less than 25 per cent. | of the population. An estimate has been made as to the number of people l who attend church and it is said that the number will not reach 10000. This is ! based on the presumption that the con- l ltions are favorable. There is far arger proportion of Roman Catholics han Protestants and the general aver lge of regular attendants is about one n eleven. About five Protestants out of | very one hundred attend. Another eature of this matter is of serious inn port There are about twenty churches n the city and in all these the number # young men who attend is less than me thousand, and this does not include he young men at Yaie, who are coln- ,elled to attend chapel. Many Protest lnts claims to go to church who do not md only 8 per cent. of the Roman Catholics acknowledge that they don't % to church. In the Eighth ward there Ire about 6,500 people and of these less han 5000 claim to have membership in he Christian church. Seven hundred laim that they have no interest in ,hurch. There are six churches in the yard and the number of people who
 aim to belong to church would more han twice fill the churches but they re never crowded. There are 450 peo- ,le who claim to belong to this church, ut more than half of them have never ,een here. But one-third of the com nunicants are in the habit of coming to hurch What are we to do with this If people don't care to be hankful that Is serious and discour- ging thing. There is a serious and re- ponsible duty on all of us to enlarge he kingdom of God. It is a duty with which we are placed face to face and ou must not neglect it but bring in the oor and the outcast. We must do with the lost. What will appen if we don't? The responsibility greater and larger than ever and there work for us all for whom Christ died nd through whom we may be the mes- engers of salvation.
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