Evening journal., 1903-01-09
MINISTERS
Do NOT AGREE
WITH CARROLL
Who Says That There Has
Been Decline in Church
Membership I
DENOMINATIONS CLAIM INCREASE

Options of Some Of the Wel-known
Preachers, Of Wilmington. Who
Were interviewed on the Subject
Today
Wilmington ministers do not agree
with the statement OF Dr. II. X. Carrol,
Government statistician. that there has
been a decline in church membership
DIR. George G. Hail. rector OF st.
Johns Church. and Archdeacon of Will
mington, does not agree with DR. Car
ROLL He says:
Il am very positive that there is no
decline In some of the church bodies. It
Is true that some of them are barely
holding their own. yet others are in
|creasing rapidly-the Lutheran Church,
for example. There may not be as
manifest a growth in actual COM
munion in the church bodies at large.
but our church is holding its own
here in Delaware. as elsewhere. Ny
general impression is that there is no
decided falling OF or decrease"
Bishop Monaghan of the Diocese OF 1
Wilmington, says that. while he has
not read the report OF DR. Carroll care
fully, 1t is not borne out by the state
ment given ont in the Catholic Direc-
tory which is the official record OF
the Catholic Church. He added that
Cardinal Gibbons. in the sermon he
preached in the Cathedral In Baltimore
on Sunday. estimated the number Of
Catholics in the United States as be-
tween twelve and fourteen million. The
bishop added that there has been no
falling Off in the church membership
in Delaware.
This is in decided contradiction to.
the figures OF DR. Carroll. who credits
the Roman Catholic Church With
gain in membership last year Of only
l71 554, which is only 76-i00 Of one per
cent He estimated the number OF
Catholic at 100000 i'm round figures.
A Methodist View
The Rev. W. L. s. Murray. D, d.. OF
st Pauls Church. and one Of the best
known Methodist preachers of the
State. says positively that there has
been no falling of in the Method sm
in tho country. and particularly lii Eel
aware. He says that Dr. Carroll isNa
trained statistician. rather than an 0raA
tor and that mathematics and figures
lin his hands do not lie. Dr. Carroll
gives comparative statistics. summing
lup the growth Of the nation and the
growth of the church. He gives the
Igrowth of the nation at two and frac-
tion and the growth OF the church
at one and q fraction, but in the
church statistics he does not count the
influx of foreigners, as in the popula-
tion. Subtracting the number of i'm
migrants from the growth of popula-
tion. says DR.. Murray. and the growth
Of Methodism would be- equal to the
growth OF the native population
In speaking of the growth of Method
ism in Delaware. DR.. Murray said;
There has been an increase Of Meth
cdism in Delaware during the past
year. although it must always be said
about Delaware that IL does not retain
its population and few people come into
the State. DelaIwareans go to swell the
the populations Of other States. as the
various Delaware societies OF the large
/ cities will testify. Delaware is a trans
] planting State. and produces men and
women for other States"
In conclusion he said:
"The Methodist Church gained more
in membership last year than some de-
nominations have done in their entire
! membership"
The REV. Frederick Lewis said that
there was a gain in the membership Of
: Presbyterian churches
The Rev. o. G.. Buddington, pastor OF
, Bethany Baptist Church. says that his
: denomination has appreciably in
creased in membership the last year,
n and that the church never was in a
= more fourishing condition.