New-York tribune., 1907-11-09
CHURCH AND RELIGIOUS NEWS ANN N0TFS
SUNDAY SCHOOLS FALLING OFF HERE-LEsSON
FROM ST. GEORGES YEAR BO0K

Game Protestant bodies find new causes for alarm
= +be Sunday school situation in New York and
caIlv on Manhattan Island. The superinten-
sart Of St Georges Episcopal School. In stuyves-
" p e,,are. Henry H. Pike, says in the St. Georpa,s
~ hook Just issued shat the number in his
sbooI has declined 80 during the year This
l.,,tne he further points out. is IN the younger
s.,artments. and says IT viii have its effect on the
tssr departments. wherein II has always been
stmcult to hold children. st. Georges has been for
us a foremost Sunday school of the whole
souu+ry having had money expended on K when
ber schools have had TO get with volunteer
49,, and its superintendent is known as a fore
,os+ Sunday school worker.
1fr Pike says: our loss of membership is d.
.s5.d between the junior department. now 55 as
reinst Gs2 last year, and the primary department
COW 2l3 against 26S last year. Usually the loss OF
s-,bership has been after graduation or the last
,,,o wears before graduation, and sometimes among
,ha bovs Just after confirmation. but now we note
decline Of % per cent in those under fourteen
,sars of age. The smaller membership of the
.rn,or and primary departments shows much more
clearly than would q like loss in the senior depart
snt this being due the exodus from this local
,-v 10 the Bronx, Brooklyn and Jersey. which is
attributed IN great part. If not altogether TO the
Isux Of nationalities into this neighborhood with
,rbono our people will not associate or live
aAs the senior department is dependent for least
to-thirds, If not threefourths. of its member
r,n mon the promotions from the Junior grade. and
,ta t,nIor for probably one-ttird upon promotions
,orn the primary It IS clear that the membership
the senior department Will also hereafter fell off
!, proportion 10 the decline Of the Junior"
7, nav be pointed out that the report of the
state Of the Episcopal Church Issued by a commit
.sa Of the General Convention n Richmond last
month showed that the number Of Sunday school
nuplls In the whole Episcopal Church did not grow
evpreciably during the last three years, although
church membership grew So per cent. Hence, while
sa-ne OF ST. Georges pupils may remove with their
families 10 The Bronx and 10 Brooklyn. they DO
not enroll there. In the Episcopal Church there IS
- growth IN Sunday school pupils. and on Man
haitian Island there is decline, as shown by these
figures from st. Georges parish. Hence the worry
N Protestant leaders.
G. CeorEe's Parish on the Whole IS shown by tho
rear book in question to be than holding its
own under a change Of rectors from the Rev DR..
VS. Rainsford Il the Rev Hugh Birckhead. This
IS the first full year 70 be reported on under the
new order Of things
NJ Birckhead points out with some show of
satisfaction that the income during the year was
r0sss6, and that apart from income from endow
rnent which latter amounts 10 almost $4,000
year These figures outstrip most OF the best years
under the Rev. DR.. Rainsford, although this fact
the present rector does not mention. The parish,
!t IS said led all Others the amount given to the
recent mems thank offering at Richmond but there
IS included in this claim but not in the parish IN
come Just mentioned, $4,000 which J. Pierpont
Morgan, St Georges senior warden contributed to
the fund named. The communicate list OF 4,S4I
reported last year is now 5,N55. Speaking of East
SIDE conditions the rector. the Rev Mr.. BiTckhead,
says: I'VE Of ST. Georges have gained from the
facilities OF rapid transit The Il o'clock service has
Increased IN attendance. But there are tremendous
changes making on the East Side. The Italians
ere moving snto the district about stuyvesent
Square and they inevitably drive before them the
strong German element from which our parish was
principally made This Is q problem which must
be faced frankly n the future"
s.. Georges mon are organized !nto a club that
Is now .ust nineteen years old. While for social
PURPOSES chiefly !t nevertheless does some church
work II has q membership exceeding nve hundred
and IS steadily increasing