The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-25
MINISTRY NOT POPULAR
IF ATTENDANCE At THEOLOGICAL
SUMMARIES Is AN INDICATION.
Candidates for the Pulpit Growing
Fewer in Numbers. Except i'm
Two Denominations

Special to the indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK, Oct. 24.-There appears TO
be no Improvement this fall i'm the attend
ance of men at theological seminaries For
some years candidates for the ministry
have fallen off i'm numbers. Some have
claimed that the quality is improved. but
results attained i'm church membership
growth and in revival of spiritual interest
do not, it is said, bear out the claim. In
complete figures to date show in all Protest.
ant bodies, save Methodist and Lutheran,
a falling off from last years numbers. These
figures are from thirty-one of the sixty
nine seminaries. One Episcopal seminary.
that of the Western, at Chicago, shows
students entering. Local causes are given in
explanation. The seminary is under the di-
rection Of the High Church Bishop McLaren.
formerly Presbyterian minister, who has
long been the Nestor of the ritualist party
in the Episcopal Church. There were but six
students entering in 1902, and this year none
at ALL the number of students holding over.
and still in the institution. being but ten.
The General Seminary. the only official one.
has only thirty-two i'm its entering class
this fall, the lowest number in many years.
The total Episcopal registration for 1865,
lOi last year. 101 in 1901 and seventy-four in
1900. The only seminary so far heard from
that has held its own. not to mention gain.
is Nashotah House. the extreme partys
Wisconsin institution. Three Presbyterian
Summaries, including Union, Of New York,
made famous by Professors Briggs and Nc
Giffert, show forty-two students entering
| this fall as against seventy-two in 1900 and
| ffty-one in 1901. Congregational seminaries.
| including Yale. lose Is per cent. this year.
Methodist seminaries, which have generally
held their own. while some have gained. fall
off slightly, although full reports are not
| yet to hand. Garrett had eighty entering
students i'm 1900 this year seventy-fve. The
| Reformed seminaries. returns from ALL show
no gain. Baptist and Disciples seminaries.
not all in, just hold their former numbers.
| although Grocer falls steadily from forty
| four i'm 1900, to thirty this year. The show
| ing of Lutheran seminaries, ten OF the twen-
| ty-three, show entering students this year
| 267, with total I'm attendance of SO. as
| against 271 entering and total Of SCI last
year. Famous Wittenberg Seminary shows
slight decline, and so does Concordie.
while Chicago just maintains its record.
| So far as can be ascertained at this early
| date the colleges show no increase in the
number of students in them who announce
| themselves as future seminsrians. This is
| the more remarkable IN view Of all Of the
| agitation. 1t is worse for the churches as
well, since larger proportion than formerly
are being absorbed by the missionary So
| cieties for service in the foreign fields. Nine
principal religious bodies, including the
| Protestant Episcopal, the Disciples of Christ.
| the Congregational, the Northern branch
OF the Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian.
the Reformed and the Synodical Conference
of the Lutherans, absorb each year about
| 900 new ministers, TO take the place or
those who die or are dismissed, and 10 man
newly organized work. OF course some men
enter the seminaries who do not come from
the colleges. but making allowance for
them, men in sight this fall, IL further re-
turns are not more favorable than those AL
ready in hand, are hardly more in number
than will supply 40 to IS per cent OF the de-
mand- Various explanations of this condi-
! ton have been advanced, and In some re-
| ligious bodies remedies have been applied
| Either they are wrong remedies, or il Is al
| yet too early to look for results.