St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-11-07
Fifty Years of COngregationaIism in
Vermont.

l, 1900. by Rev. {. II. Merrill
There are two WAYS of dealing wit
this subject tonight The one is statist
cal, and the other dynamical. In the OF
way there would be a marshaling {
figures, and the endeavor to draw lesson
from their comparison. In the otbe
there would be an endeavor to shoN
what COngregationalism has stood 70
in the religious life OF the state, and tn
manner in which it has fulfilled its mis-
sion.
When this church was organized fit,
wears ago the population of the stat
was only 1902 less than it was at thu
census OF 1890, 314, 100 against 332 400
Probably the new census just taken will
show very little change. But curiou!
fact is that each one of the four decade.
save one shows a very slight gain upor
the preceding. At the taking OF no cen
sus hitherto has Vermont shown a loss
in population. Another curious fact is
that the most OF this gain OF IS 600 was
made in the decade from sixty to seventy,
the decade OF the civil war. Over IS, 600
was gained then, leaving the other three
to gain only about a thousand each.
Several movements in population have
been patent during this period OF time.
One is the emigration from the state OF
the native born. This has gone on until
at the last census there were found to be
forty-two per cent, nearly one half, oil
the native stock living outside our
boundaries. And it is the best blood
that has gone. Another is the move
ment within the state. That has been
from farms to villages, and from the
southern and eastern portions to the
northern and western. The first move
ment Of population you doubtless are all
aware Of the latter may perhaps have
escaped your notice. But the condition
OF Windham county illustrates both.
Two towns in this county have largely
increased in population, Brattleboro and
Rockingham, the latter containing the
village OF Bellows Falls | have not
examined carefully, but it is safe to say
that all the other towns have diminished.
Yet even the large increase of these
two towns has not made up for the loss
of the rest.
Windham county in 1890 showed a
population OF only 26 SAT over against
20 O62 in 1850, a loss OF 2,415. Now
what Windham county lost, the other
parts OF the state made up. The move
ment has been west and north because
the large cities like Burlington and Rut-
land are west, and because the newer
and richer farming land is north. As
evidence that this latter fact has been
potent, it may be noted that the single
county OF LamOille, small and having no
very large villages when the last census
was taken, gained nearly the 800 that
Wlndham county lost. 1t was largely a
gain in farming population.
Another factor in the changes of the
last fifty years, not to be lost sight OF, is
the foreign immigration to the state. A
part OF this has been from Canada, some
from Wales, some from Sweden and late
ly some from Italy. AS compared with
other states this immigration has been
very small, yet as compared with
our own nearly stationary condition it
introduces an element that is not to be
dsIegarded.
Bearing in mind all these conditions,
look for moment at our Congrega,
tional churches. In 1850 we had 1913
churches with membership of Is O13.
Today we have 210 churches with
mem bership OF 21,823. A gain of II
churches and 1910 members. That last
gain OF nearly 1000 is apparently to be
diminished about one halt by the increase
in non-residents. Although it is uncer-
tain how much OF this increase of non
residents is due to a more careful keeping
OF the rolls. In any case when you con.
slider the nearly stationary population of
the state, and the large growth of the
Roman Catholic church, wholly from
immigration, the showing is a favorable
one. A close examination OF changes
shows that the movements in the church
have kept pace with the movements in
population already noted. The growth
has been in cities and villages, and in the
farming sections of the north, while the
loss has been in the rural portions of the
state especially in the south and east.
In 1850 the FIVE largest churches were:
Mddebury 372, Burlington 348, Mont
peier 33S, Springfield 332, Rutland 300.
The largest of these YOU will notice
had only 372 and the smallest 300.
Today the five largest churches are:
Rutland 745, Burlington, list, $50, Barre
494, Bennington, End, AGA, st. .Johnsbury,
North, 431.
The largest of these you will observe is
more than double the largest in 1850
and the smallest is over 400. But it is
to be noticed that in two towns, Bur.
hngton and St. Johnsbury, there are
now two churches instead of one Put,
ting the two in each case together, those
towns stand at he head of the list, Bur
l,ngton with S66 and St. Iohnsbury with
1854, | have not time to show where we
have gained inrutal places. For a single
group, however, take Lamoille county
again, where our churches increased
from to 10 and the membership from
BAL 10 1913 In 1850 there were 20 Con.
gregational churches in Windham county
with a membership OF 1,941 where to.
day there are "a churches with a mem.
bershIp OF 2,032. And mark you this is
IN territory where the population has
diminished nearly $500. These figures
need modification slightly from the fact
that in 1850 the ull list of churches did
not report membership. Some were
morlbund, Others negligent. If we go
back to the years when they did report
and take the figures then and divide by
two for probable loss and add we find
out that the membership in 1850 was
slightly larger than it is today. But the
startling statement is that with the ex-
ception of Westminster East which
gained only from 102 to 11S, all the
gains in the county are to be put down
to the two churches in Bellows Falls and
BrattleborO East. Bellows Falls gains