The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-08-27
RELIGIOUS BODIES
U. s. CENSUS BUREAU BULLETIN
GIVES INTERESTING STA
TlSTIcS FOR 1906.
Catholics Have Majority in Sixteen
States But Protestants Consti-
tute 81 Per Cent of Church
Membership.

Washington, Aug. 26,-That the
church members in the United States
numbered nearly thirtythree millions
in 1906, that there were a billion and
quarter dollars invested in church
edifees; that every day eight new
churches sent their spires skyward;
that males formed considerably less
than half the total church member,
Catholic males than Protestant males
| were members: that in Is states the
majority of the total church member
ship were Roman Catholic; but that
Of the grand total of church members
reported for the United States els
per cent We're Professionals and 36.7 per
cent Roman Catholics.
Fewer Male Than Female.
1t is staed that United States Cen
sus statistics of church membership
| by sex were collected for the first time
| in 1906. OF the total number of mem
beers reported by the various religious
bodies and classified by sex, i3.1 per
cent were males and 500 per cent fe
males. Among the Protestants the
difference was greater, only 1913 per
cent being males In the Roman
Catholic churches there were rela-
lively more males, the number form
ing 49.2 per cent of the total member.
ship.
Church Members to Population.
OF the total estimated population
Of continental United States in 1906,
| the church members formed 391 per
cent. as against 327 per cent for 1890,
amounting to ga per cent more in
| 1906 than in 1890 OF this GA per cent
increase, the Roman Catholic church
is credited with "A per cent, and the
Protestants with is per cent; the re-
nainder being divided among all other
denominations.
1t is stated in the bulletin that the
total number of members reported by
the various religious bodies for 1906
was 33.936,it5, Of which number the
Protestants were credited with 90
| 2S7,742. and the Roman Catholics
| with 10,079,t42 OF the Protestant
bodies the Methodist numbered $40,
S3S. the Baptists, $685. 34; the Luth-
Grams 2,l12,494; the Presbyterians, I,
S3Q,555; and the Disciples or Chris
tians, ll42,359
OF the total Of 32,93G4i5 church
members 61G per cent were Protest
lnts, 367 per cent Roman Catholic
md IL per cent, members of all re-
igious organizations The rate Of IN
crease shown for the Roman Catholic
church is 93.5 per cent, which is more
than twice that for all the Protestant
bodies combined The Methodists re-
ported IT'S per cent Of all Protestant
church members; the Baptists, liz
| Dcr cent
Increase in Organizations.
The total number Of religious or
CARNATIONS in 1906 is given as 2t2.230,
an increase since in 1890 of 40079, or
2S5 per cent. The Protestants are
credited with an increase in this par
ticular amounting to 27S per cent;
the Roman Catholic church 21.9 per
cent; the Jewish congregations, 23l9
per cent; and the Latter-day Saints.
1873 per cent
The Methodists reported the largest
number of local organizations, 64,70I;
the Baptsts reported $3.50; the Pres
byterians, 1896; the Lutherans, IL
703; and the Roman Catholics, l2,4S2
other Interesting features of the bull
Ietin are those showing that tae total
seating capacity of the churches was
| $685. $50, an increase over the 1890
| United States Census figures Of 3Ii
per cent that the rate of increase
was practically the same for both
protestants and Roman Catholics and
kept pace with the increase in popd-
lation, and that $l,257,515,867 was in.
vested in church editices in 1906 The
total amount of debt was sos, 49,
or Sc per cent of the total value: Of
this total the Protestant bodies owed
S53.301,254 and the Roman Catholics
$49 1888, 055, In l6 states majority
of the church members were Roman
Catholic; in - states, Protestant;
and in |. Utah, Latter-day Saints.