The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-04-08
Denominations in United States"
Hartford Courant.

This week, in The Christian Advo-
cate of New York city, DIR. Henry
King Carroll makes his annual report
on the churches of the United States.
He's an expert and authority. He col
lected and edited the church statistics
for the 18th census. He explains That
the returns now made public are in
complete and in spots, unsatisfactory.
For some religious bodies he has no
figures later than his census figures.
The Roman Catholic figures are based
on estimates-not on an actual count.
"They are more or less valuable
guesses,n says DIR. Carroll. "Some
years ago, DR.. John Culinary Shea, as
editor Of Sadler's Catholic Directory,
dropped the column of population as
untrustworthy, insisting that it was
better to have nothing than guesses;
but apparently no advance toward q
better method has been made since
that competent historian and stats.
tician passed away" 1t should be
added that DR.. Carroll's report for 1907
does not cover the missions established
and maintained in foreign parts Tor in
our own outlying territories and de-
pendencies) by American churches.
1.-THE statistics" we are told, "are for
the United States only"
At the close Of last year there were
in the United States, approximst ely,
so, 9S3, 156 church Tor synagogue) MEM
bers, as against 32,355,6l0 a year be.
fore; 161, 73l ministers, as against 1885,
43O a year before; 2l0,199 houses of
worship, as against 2O5, 1886 a year be-
fore. Here we have a net gain, In the
twelve-month, of 627, 546 church Tor
synagogue) members, 2,30l ministers,
and 4,214 houses of worship.
Besides the Roman Catholics, eight
other varieties of Catholics are repre-
sented in the United States, DIR. Car
roll reports-Maronite, Polish, Rus.
sian, Greek, Syrian, Armenian, etc.
We can understand his putting the old
Catholics in the list, but why the IRE
formed Catholics" Surely they are
out of place there. This eighth year
of the both century finds II kinds Of
Methodists in the United States, IA
kinds of Baptists, % kinds of Luther
ans, IL kinds of Presbyterians, 8 kinds
of Adventists, and so on. There are
more than $50 "denominations'' in the
United States. Arranging them as far
as possible in family groups and
Counting the church members ("com-
m~unicants'') only, DR.. Carroll tells US
that the reported number of Catholics
in the country at the close of 1907 was
II, GAS, 495. Methodists $3.50, 7s4, Bap-
fists 1924 ,305, Lutherans 2,022, COS,
Presbyterians 1921 ,504, Episcopalians
protestant and Reformed) $50. $50, Re-
formed Dutch, German, ETC., } 499,45s,
Latter Day Saints $4,000, United
Brethren 2s9, $50, Eyapgelicals 173, GAL,
Jews 143, 900 (surely there must be
more ''ofEthem than that.in New York
city alone), Friends or Quakers 122, 0S1,
Dunkards 121, 705, Adventists SO, 1893
and Mennonites 81 500.
The largest single religious body in
the United States is the Roman Cath
Ollie, with its reported communicate
membership of II, $40, 97O-a gain, az
compared with 1906, of 246, 900. Next
comes the Methodist Episcopal church,
with Its 3,036,667 communicates
gain of 52,4O6. DR.. Carroll thinks it
worth Catholic priests and 1895
Methodist Episcopal ministers to
1893 Roman Catholic prises and
27,965 Methodist Episcopal (local)
churches to about 12,4S2 Roman Cath
Ollie ones. The Baptists (all kinds)
gained 103, 358 members last year, the
Lutherans 65,172, the Presbyterians
40, 1927, the Disciples of Christ 20. 1865.
DR.. Carroll credits Congregationalism
with 699,327 church members, 9l0
churches, and 72S ministers; Unita.
rianism with 7 1000 church members,
473 churches and $40 ministers. DR..
DR.. Carroll learns from an ''authorita-
tive source" at Boston that there are
now IS, 096 Christian Scientists, gath
cred into 868 local churches; "the gains
for the year (19OO were 1880 members,
five churches and 10 ministers" A
year ago the president of the National
Spiritualists' association insisted that
there were 295, 900 folks of bis way of
thinking in the United States; he now
frankly comedies (after personal iuves-
tigation) that there are not more than
$50. 900.
Last year saw the Cumberland Pres
byterian merger. It saw another event
out of the common, viz, the ordina-
ton at Constantinople by the Greek
patriarch of a negro priest for work in
Philadelphia. Besides the Orthodox
Russians, Greek, Syrian and Armen-
ian congregations in cur ci' les, there is
now lat Scranton, Pa a Melchite con-
gregation. "One can now study many
of the Eastern churches and attend
their worship without leaving the
Stato u rom rio DR. Carroll