Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-06
BOOTH IN PALESTINE
Tour of the Head of the Sal
walton Army.
SACRED PLACES VISITED
STATISTICS SHOWING GROWTH
OF CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA.
Oldest Churches in the United States-
That at smithfe1d, Va, the
Most Ancient.
By WILLIAM Z. CURTIS

By WILLIAM +. CURTIS
written Tor The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
friend in Jerusalem gives me an ac-
count OF rather sensational and theatri-
cal tour OF General Booth of the Saliva
uoii ARMY through the Holy Land few
weeks ago. Early in March Colonel Rousel.
under secretary for foreign affairs of the
salvation Army at London. and Colonel
Long. an aid-de-camp of General Booth.
arrived at Jaffa to make preparations for
MS reception and to arrange a suitahle
place Tor him to hold a series of meetings (,
accompanying them was a Captain House
also OF the army, with stan of photogra.
phers' cameras, acknowledgements and other
paraphernalia for making permanent rec.
ords of the tour
The general followed a few weeks later
ana visited most of the sacred places In
Palesune. Everywhere he went he was
accompanied by the photographers who
pictured him in dramatic attitudes where.
ever he stopped. The cinematograph pic.
lures are to be used by Salvation ARMY
teachers throughout the world to illustrate
this pilgrimage. which the venerable gen.
eral frequently remarked was likely to he
the last he will make on earth. He will be
shown at the birthplace of the Savior at
the tomb of Rachel, climbing Calvary and
the Mount of Olives. beside the Holy Sep
ulchre at Gethsemane and at a hundred
other places sacred to the entire Christian
world because of their association with the
life of Jesus
General Booth held four meetings on con-
secutive evenings in a corrugated iron
tabernacle which was erected year or
two ago by the Christian Alliance and
they were attended by cosmopolitan audi
ence most of whom could speak nothing
but Hebrew or Arabic, and hence the effect
was practically lost. A fifth meeting was
arranged by the consuls of the several
Christian nations at the Grand Hotel
Where ne outlined the plan and scope Of
the work of the Salvation Army and ar
ranged for the organization of a perma-
nent station in Jerusalem. A number OF
officers and privates will be sent on from
London to learn the Arabic language so
that they can work successfully among
the poor and destitute people of the Holy
CITY. At the close of his tour General
Booth took steamer for Australia.
Growth of Christianity.
Statistics compiled by the Rev DR.. III.
*. Carroll and the Rev. DR.. D. l.. Leonard
upset the popular impression that the peo-
pie of the United States are not as reli-
gious as they used to be. and show that the
membership of the Christian churches is
increasing more rapidly than the popula-
ton of the United States, Notwithstanding
the enormous immigration, which now
amounts to three-quarters Of million
year.
According to the calculations of the CEN
sus bureau. the annual increase in popula-
ton is ST per cent while the increase
in church membership. for the year 1904
was trifie more rapid. being % per cent.
The net gain of all Christian denomina-
tons was SIS communicates. a slight
falling off from the gain in 1903. There
was an increase of 2.3I0 churches and
GA clergymen during the year.
The increase in communicates from 1890
to 1904 was 11oo4, Al. or 1886 per cent.
while the increase in population was H.
749, 40, or 2S.34 per cent
Where the Gains Were Made.
The Catholic Church shows the largest
numerical increase and the Lutheran the
largest percentage, both being due to the
enormous number of immigrants from
Catholic and Lutheran countries. The
Methodsts made the greatest gains in min
listers and the Baptists organized the larg-
est number of new churches. The Dunkards
and the United Brethren show falling
off in membership, the Episcopalians. Uni
versalists and Swedenborgians in the NUM-
Der of ministers, and the SWedenbosg ans,
Dunkards, United Brethren and Friends in
the number of churches. 1t will surprise
people to know that the Method-sts have
five times many churches as the Catho-
lies and the Baptists nearly as many,
though the Catholics have 40 per cent
more members than the Methodists and 30
per cent more than the Bapt.sts- The
more ministers in proportion to their MEM
bership than any other denomination. and
show a larger increase in the number OF
churches and the number of ministers in
proportion to their numbers.
The Christian Scientists show the largest
gain in every respect during the last four
teen years. That denomination did not
exist or was not large enough to figure in
the statistics in 1850 but ii now Las GIL
churches DID ministers and 66022 MEM
bers an increase of - churches. 10f min.
listers and s. 739 members during the year.
Oldest American Churches
Speaking of churches, Mr.. E. NJ. Rogers
calls my attention to mistake in one Of
my letters from New Orleans, in which I
said that the little chapel of Sainte Marie,
built by Bienvlle, the oldest church
edifice in North American, except little
chapel in Santa Fe. Mr.. Rogers reminds
me that the church at Snithfield, Va, in
Isle of Wight county, was built nearly a
hundred years earlier, which is true. In
front of the altar is a marble tablet mark
ing the resting place of the Rev. Mr.. Whit
craft who dedicated this edifice TO God
in 1881 and died in 1885, leaving one sor-
rowful wife and two mournful children"
The Smithtied church fell into decay during
the civil war and restored roof WIN
dows floors and seats, with money solicited
by the wife of Senator Malone of Virginia.
Senators Don Cameron, Quay, Stanford,
Hale and others subscribed all that was
necessary. Once a month the people of
that parish assemble for worship at the old
church.
Rock Creek Church. in Washington. is
older than the chapel in New Orleans for 1t
was built in 1719. of bricks brought from
England for ballast in ships that came over
for tobacco. There may be other churches