The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-05-31
RELIGIOUS CENSUS
D|SCLOSES FACTS
Comparisons Appearing In the Census
Bureaus Report on Religious
Bodies For 1906.

Washington, d. c., May 31.-The
aggregate number of 32,936,445 COM
munieants or members of all religious
denominations in continental United
States was reported for 1906, accord
ing to the United States census of
religious bodies for the same year, as
detailed in part of the United States
census bureaus special report on the
subject, now in press. OF this grand
total the various protestant bodies re-
ported 2O,2S774 and the Roman Cath
olic church 12,679,142
For purposes of comparison the cen
sus authorities divided the principal
cities into four classes, those having
in 1900 a population of 100000 and
over, constituting the first class; those
of from 100000 to 100000 forming the
second; those Of from $4,000 to 1OO,-
900 making the third; and those of
from $4,000 to $4,000 forming the
fourth class.
OF the protestant aggregate there
we're 1,47S.145 or 7.3 per cent in the
first class cities; Al per cent in the
second; and IA per cent in the third
and fourth classes combined, while
500 per cent were outside the prin-
cipal cities.
OF the Roman Catholic church's
total membership there were 1876, ,453
or 279 per cent in first class cities;
1861, 1872 or 11.3 per cent in the Sec
ond; 1,570,944 or 13 per cent in the
third and fourth classes combined;
with 5,771, ,613 or AIS per cent outside
the principal cities
1t is seen, therefore, that the num-
ber of members of the Roman Cath
olic church reported in cities of the
first class was considerably more than
double the number reported by all the
protestant bodies, while outside of the
principal cities the number reported
by the Catholics was only little over
one-third of the number credited to
the protestants. 1t is pointed out in
the report that the strength of the
protestant bodies, as compared with
the Roman Catholic church, is greatly
understated.
Only two of the protestant bodies
reported a majority of their member
ship in the principal cities, i. e., the
Church of Christ, Scientist, S26 per
cent, and the Protestant Episcopal
church 512 per cent; while of the
membership of the Jewish Congrega-
tions, SS.7 per cent are in the prin-
cipal cities, and of the eastern Orth-
odox churches 70.7 per cent
OF the total number of communi-
cants or members reported for the
principal cities by all denominations,
6,307,5 or 60 per cent belonged to
the Roman Catholic church, and g.
935,341, or 37.4, to protestant bodies.
Comparison with the report for 1890
shows that in general there has been
an increase in the proportion of COM
municants or members in the princi-
pal cities as compared with those out
side of these cities. In 1906 the per-
centage of the total number of COM
municants in these cities for all de-
nominations was 31.9 as compared with
25.7 in 1890.
OF the total number, 10,511,17S, of
communicates or members in the prin-
cipal cities in 1906, there were 7949,-
403 or 699 per cent reported by the
3S cities of over 100000 population,
and, of these, 2,4s2,6SO or 33.1 per
cent, belonged to protestant bodies
and 4,736,535 or 64.5 per cent to the
Roman Catholic church. The latter
denomination had in these cities about
75.1 per cent of its entire member
ship in cities of over $4,000 inhabi-
tants.
In thirteen of the cities more than
one-half of the communicates or mem
bers reported belonged to protestant
bodies, while in 23 the majority be-
longed to the Roman Catholic church.
The cities showing the largest pro-