Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-10-04
Paying Preachers.

A bulletin issued by the governmen t
gives facts never before collated about
christian ministers in American cities
in the class of New York. their num-
Der and salaries and about the mort
gage debts of churches in New York
and other principal cities. The figures
are for the year 1905. but have just
been made public, and are in more ex-
haustive form even than religious
bodies themselves have ever attempted.
There were 164.S30 christian min
listers In the United States, besides
.0S4 Jewish rabbits. and they increase
at the rate Of nearly 1000 a year
Their average salaries are now so
small. as many suppose. for the sum
is s663, and there was paid TO them in
1905 a total of ss9.6S7,5S7. Baptists
and Methodists have more than half
the whole number OF ministers in the
country, due to their very large number
of small churches, especially in rural
districts.
The government shows the average
salaries of ministers in the cities hav
ing 100000 population and over for the
principal religious bodies to be Zap
fist, s1.793: Congregational, s1.93s:
Methodist s1,642: Presbyterian, So
fOV, IolCSirtIil r<piSNoPdi' |A'S'"' ~
formed, s193S: Roman Catholic. 1884;
and Jewish rabbits. s1.4el. Curiously
in Baptist, Methodist and Presbyter-
ians all bodies that are divided north
and south having populations exceed
ing 100000 receive higher average SAL
aries than do ministers Of the same
demon nations in the north. The
figures just given for the bodies named
are for the south Tho Sc for the same
bodies north are 5000 year lower. the
Presbyteriars being $500 lower.
In the same bodies In the smaller
cities and in the rural districts min
isters' salaries run away down. the
Baptist average IN the south being
1894 a year; colored Baptists in the
south 1927 year
The average salaries of Church of
Christ Scientist readers is only 1924
for the whole country. with s5es As
the average is cities having 100000
population or more. The government
explains this curious fact, stating that
readers are practitioners as rule and
are expected to earn their own sup
port.
In actual money received Methodist
ministers get mos. cf all. their salaries
amounting annually to $16,150,00O. The
Baptists receive the next largest sum,
sl0,323 600; the Presbyterians get ST.
10000. the Roman Catholics s6779.-
90. the Episcopaiians s4,Ss7,ooO, the
Congregationalists s4154000. the Re-
formed s1,6s2,o0o and the Jews only
sS0l coo.
1t is estimated on the basis Of these
reports that in 1910 the sum of $780,
100000 is being paid to ministers of
the United States in personal salaries
and that congregational expenses.
missions AMI extensions involve an
outlay this year of s200.000,000 more.
These outlays are higher than ever
before
The government finds the value Of
church property in New York to be
s153, 953,740. This does not include
parsonages, or hospitals, or asylums,
but only churches-buildings used for
public religious worship. 1t finds the
debts upon all OF them to be $19.062,-
419 or about 1873 per cent. In New
York City the proportion of debts TO
valuation of properties on which mort
gage debts rest is very much higher
among Roman Catholics and Jews
than among Protestants.