Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-09-13
GROWTH OF OUR CHURCHES

That the church members in the
United States numbered nearly thir-
ty-three millions in 1906; that there
were billion and quarter dol
lars invested in church edfices that
every day eight new churches sent
their spires skyward; that males
formed considerably less than half
the total church membership: that
larger percentage of Catholic males
than Protestant males were members;
that in | 6 states the majority OF the
total church membership were Ro-
man Catholic; but that of the grand
total of church members reported
for the United States 61.6 per cent
were Professionals and 36.7 per cent
Roman Catholics; these are the salt
ont and conspicuous facts appearing
in the proof sheets of United
States Sensus Bureau bulletin, pre-
pared by Chief Statistician William
c. Hunt of the division of population,
of the United States Census Bureau.
The bulletin is in the nature of an
abstract of the comprehensive report,
giving the results Of the fifth census
of Religious Bodies in the United
States.
Il is stated that United States Gen.
sus statistics of church membership
by sex were collected for the first
time in 1906. or the total number
of members reported by the various
religious bodies and classified by sex,
431 per cent were males and 500
per cent females. Among the Pro-
testants the difference was greater.
only 1913 per cent being males. In
the Roman Catholic Churches there
were relatively more males, the
number forming 49.3 per cent of the
total membership.
Fewer males than females were
found among the Latter-day Saints.
the Lutherans, Disciples, Metrodists,
Baptists, Presbyterians, and Protes-
tant Episcopalians, the percentages
of male members decreasing in the
order shown, and there being but
35.5 per cent male among the Epis-
copalians. Among the Christian
Scientists, only 27.6 per cent were
males: and of the Shakres but 21.3
per cent; but, in the Greek Ortho-
dox Church, S3.9 per cent were male,
as practically all Greek immigrants
have been males.
OF the total estimated population
of continental United States in 1906,
the church members formed 39.1 per
cent, as against 1921 per cent for
1890, amounting to Ga per cent
more in 1906 than in 1890. or this
GA per cent increase, the Roman
Catholic Church is credited with "A
per cent, and the Professionals with
is per cent; the remainder being
divided among all other denomina-
lions.
1t is stated that the total num-
Der of members reported by the vari-
GUS religious bodies for 1906 was
32,936,i45, Of which number the
Professionals were credited with co.
2S7,7i2, and the Roman Catholics
with 12,O79,l42. or the Protestant
bodies the Methodists numbered s.
749,S3S; the Baptists, 5,662,234;
Lutherans, 2,l12,494; the Presbyte-
rians, 1,s30,555; and the Disciples
or Christians. 1,142,359.
OF the total OF 32,936,445 church
members, GIG per cent were Protes-
tants; 36,7 per cent, Roman Catho-
lie; and IL per cent, members of
other religious organizations. The
rate of increase shown for the Ro-
man Catholic Church is 93.5 per
cent, which Is more than twice that
for all the Protestant bodies com
bined. The Methodist reported IFS
per cent of all Protestant church
members; the Baptists, 17.2 per cent.
The total number of local religious
organizations in 1906 is given as
212,230, an increase since 1890 OF
4TO79, or 2S.5 per cent. The Pro-
testants are credited with an increase
in this particular amounting to 27.S
per cent; the Roman Catholic
Church, 2l.9 per cent; the Jewish
congregations, 2319 per cent; and
the Latter-day Saints, 1913 per cent
The Methodists reported the larg-
est number of local organizations
64,701; the Baptists reported 54.SSO;
the Presbyterians, 1896; the Lu'
therans, 1903; and the Roman Ca,
tholics, 12,4S2.
Other Interesting features Of thu