The sun., 1903-12-17

had these requisite means and agents at
it's command. 1t is not a sufficiently
authenticated body to make its statistics
at all authoritative. If the. census had
been conducted under the superinten-
dency of DR.. WALTER LA1DLAw, for
example, 1t would have deserved serious
consideration, for the thoroughness Of
his methods in gathering such statistics
has been demonstrated very satisfac-
torily but the Church News Association
has no such standing.
The percentage of the membership OF
each denomination who are churchgoers,
as given in this census, could not be
trusted, even if the enumeration was
correct. Different denominations have
different standards of qualifications for
membership, and among them there is
wide variation in the accuracy with which
they make up their rolls of members. In
some, too, the habit of attending more
than one service on Sunday is greater
than in others.
At best, the so-called census is rather
a rough estimate than an actual enume-
ration; but as the percentage Of church
attendants proportionally to the popula-
tion appears in that estimate to agree
generally with the percentages calcu-
lated in other large cities, it may be taken
as good guess. About one-quarter OF
the people Of New York are estimated by
it to attend public Christian worship.
This is somewhat larger percentage
than was counted in London in the recent
canvass by the Daily Ne,rs of that town;
and it suggests, moreover, that regard for
religious duties is much more extensive
here than in the English capital, for in
New York, according to the high author
ity of DR.. LAIpLAw, there are 875 900 Jews,
while in London their number is COM
paratively insignificant. Throughout
the East Side Ghetto and in many other
parts of the town are great numbers of
synagogues. the attendance on which on
the Jewish Sabbath and on first days was
not counted.
Relatively to it's Christian population,
religious observance in the Manhattan
borough of New York seems to be more
general than in any other Of the greater
towns of Christendom. 1t also appears,
however, that indifference to religion
and persistent neglect Of religious priv
ileges prevail among the vast majority
Of the population, but whether these are
more now than at former periods cannot
be calculated, for we have no compare
tive statistics. 1t is questionable II the
percentage Of church attendants is not
at least as large now in New York as it
ever was.
A computation OF the present religious
distribution Of the population Of the
city as a whole, made in the last Octo-
ber publication of the Federation of
Churches. is deserving Of consideration,
though, OF course, we cannot vouch for
it's accuracy. 1t gives to the Roman
Catholics 1,250OOO, to the Protestants
1.s6373O and to the Jews o75, 900, the
Protestants, therefore, being less than
the aggregate of the others. OF the
Catholics, it computes PCS 900 as 4out
of church. or mot enrolled. and nearly
the whole Of them are classified rs Of
the English speaking races. The "out
of church" Protestants are computed at
IA, ,OsO, OF whom four-fifths are attrib-
uted to those races. These estimates
are suggestive at a time when much
dread of the immigration Of people Of
alien tongues is expressed.