Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-10-10
CENSUS REPORT
HAS BEEN ISSUED
SUNDAY SCHOOL COUNCIL MAKES
STATEMENT OF WORK THUS
FAR DONE in soTTuMNA

Last spring the Sunday school SUI
Iperintendents of the city formed an as
Esociation which was called the sun
day School Council Of Ottumwa. Al
the June meeting a committee OF nve
was appointed to consider the advlsa-
bility of taking a religious census OF
the city. The subject was brought be-
fore the Ministerial association OF the
city, who appointed q Ike committee OF
five to cooperate with the commltee
| from the Sunday school council. These
| ten formed the executive committee
| for the census They appointed CHAIR
men for each ward, and each pastor
and Sunday school superintendent
were requested to appoint superin-
tendent Of visitation from their church,
which three were then to select the
number of people 20 act as visitors
from their congregation which the ex-
ecutive committee had asked for.
Almost every church furnished the
proportionAte quota, making ABOUT
three hundred people altogether. NOSE
of these received instructions as TO the
details of the canvas at generaI
meeting en- the Sunday preceding the
day of visitation.
Each ward chairman had divided his
ward into several districts and with
the aid Of the superintendent OF Vlsi-
tation for each congregation appointed
two visitors for each district.
On the day of the canvass the visit
ors went to their -vsrd headquarters
receiving their cards with the queS-
ton blanks and proceeded to canvass
their sections.
The object of the census was not to
learn the exact number of people be-
longing 20 the various churches Of the
city. Each church has it's own records
and knows exactly who. and how many
belong The chief objects were first TO
learn the names and addresses OF the
people who were not membrs OF any
church, but who would express their
church preference.
In this the main object of the census
has been very marked success. Less
than one-twentieth If the people said
they had no church preference. All the
cards were divided into groups ac-
cording to the church preference given,
and 1t was found that in the case Of
several churches there were more peo-
pie expressed those churches as thlr
choice than the churches have mem
bers
A second object was to learn of the
church letters in their possession, or
who have had their membership in the
churches where they from but who
have not placed 0, Joined any Of the
Ottumwa churches.
In this respect also the. census was a
great success. The exact number Of /
such instances was not determined. /
but the number was surprising, being
several hundred. These people will |!
doubtless soon receive calls from the Il
pastors Of their denomination. A third
object OF the visitation was to pre-
pare the way for rally day. Most of the
~ ft,n nj r,1o ~
ned to observe Sunday October Is as
Rally Day. Efforts will be made TO
have present on that day the largest |
number of people that have ever been
In the Ottumwa churches on any one |
day.
They will plan to have all their own
members present and great many of
hose stating their church preference.
N order that the several churches may
nave these names as soon as possible II
lid not afford time to compute all the
various items which might be of some
general interest. Below is given a list
# those belonging to the various de-
and Of those giving the
church Of their choice.
The census does rot claim to be
complete as governmental census,
because OF the inevitable condition OF
the, case in that mary houses found
had no one at home, and those taking
the census were volunteers for the
work and many were not as familiar
with the details as was desirable.
Nevertheless the chief objects Of the
have been we'll obtained and
the church given a great opportunity
and responsibility.
In comparing the number Of Cath
olics with the Protestants, 1t should be
that thu Catholics given
were almost all Of them members IF
the Catholic church, while of the
Protestants probably not more than
half. And with some churches good I
many less than half are members Of
these churches. Yet many of the non
members contribute to the financial