Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-06-02
CONGREGATIONAL CHANGES.
S iqht Growth During the Past Year-Fewer
Theological Students.

The congregational Year Book" is
just ready for publication from tn
Rev. DR.. Henry A. HaZen Of Auburn
dale. and it has Alaska in its list for
the first time. for a church has been
established at Cape Nome with forty
three members. Of whom eight are wo-
men. The first church in Havana is
entered by the people in Florida. but it
is not counted in the official total. The
churches in the Hawaiian islands arc
not YET in til" list hut are expected to
be soon. The summary Of the statis-
ties fnr the year shows that LOG
churches We're added to the 5.62O Of 4
year ago ana 122 We're dropped. leav-
Ing 4 net loss Of 16. In 81 states there
was a gain Of LOSS church members.
ana in ~ states there was a loss Of
244S. making Il total gain of 1.640 The
total membership now is 629.S14 In y
states there was Il gain of IA 30
scholars in Sunday schools. ana in "A
states th,rr Was il loss If IL 93S. leav-
ing nc; gam "f 294. If there ~
added G67i! for 700 independent sun
day-S,hnui~ in II states. there is Il total
nf 1860. ur 4 net gain for the year ut
2 l3". IN - states there was an in
crease Of $257. .652 in benevolent contri-
buttons. ana a decrease in % states Of
S4H. l5S. making the net gain $2l1 .4g4
ana the total, $2.1l0.4l@. In 80 stat )
there was an increase in home cXprn-
diturts Of $404. .367. ana i'll u states 4
decrease Of So, Ia. making a total NIT
increase Of S2s72l3. ana a total Of home
expenditures Of 81 ,023l24.
The obituary record Of the year in
cIudes l02 names. The average age nf
the deceased congregational ministers
was SiXty-nine years and two months,
and their average length Of service
was thrty-seven years and nine
months. The average age Of all who
have died since 1879 was siXtY-eigh, /,
years ana one month. and the average
length of service was thirtysiX years
ana nine months. or these l02 there
was one over ninety years. 20 between
eighty-one and ninety. and "a between
seventy-one and eighty. Only Il We're
under fifty. showing how long lived
the profession is. OF these l02 there
We're s graduates Of Amherst. Of
BOWdoin Of Dartmouth 1 Of Middle
bury. 6 Of Oberlin. . Of Williams. and ?
Of Yale. while p had no college
diploma. AS To their seminary train
ing. p We're from Andover. from Ban
gur. from Chicago. 4 from Hartford.
> from Lane. 9 from oberlin. :; from
Princeton. 10 from Union. and from
Yale of the total there We're Il who
were without charge. showing how far
they had passed by the active period
Of life
Three new Congregational clubs are
reported for the year-at Lincoln.
Neb.: Cincinnati. ani Red River. y. u.
Five failed To send reports. and are,
therefore. open to the suspicion nf sus
pended animation or total deadness.
The most surprising feature Of the
statistics is under the summary Of the
students in the theological seminarleS
In the seven seminarieS under the con-
troll OF the denomination in AndoNer
Bangor Chicago. Hartford. oberlin
Oakland. tcAID and Yale there is a
total Of 342 for the last year But in
1895 there We're 371: in 1897 there We're
AZ: in 1896 there were 4S6. ana in 1891
there We're 562. The last number is
the highest in the list since the begin
ming Of the statistics in 1913. out ~
the 342 in the semnares this year. thr
largest numbers from respective col
Ieges are as follows: Amherst 81,
Beloit College 10, Colorado College !.
Dartmouth 6. Dlane College Neb.. I.
Harvard g. Iowa College $. Mount Hol-
yoke college g. Oberin p. olivet 8,
Princeton :. Washburn College. Kan.
!. Williams 6. Wilton CCiermam. Iowa.
n Yale II.