The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-01-21
CATHOLIC STATISTICS.

One of the most encouraging feat
ures in American Catholic activity is
the interest being taken in social work.
This field, it is true, is as yet hardly
surveyed, much less adequately culti-
waited, but start has been made; la
borers, few but energetic and deter
mined, are taking up the work, and the
future is bright with the prospect of
an abundant harvest. At the outset
many difficulties are naturally encoun-
tered. These should not be fruitful of
disbursement, but rather indicative
of the kind of work most required. Of
these initial difficulties one Of the most
battling is our woeful lack of proper
statistics. 1t is imperative that from
the very beginning we should get
clear idea of the nature and magnitude
of the work before us and of the means
at our disposal for performing it. With
out this knowledge our efforts are apt
to be haphazard and misdirected, re-
sulting in great loss of energy and
other resources.
There is no need of dwelling on the
scarcity of reliable figures bearing
upon Catholic activities and needs.
this direction knows how difficult it is
to find out, with any degree af accura-
cy, what Catholics are doing and what
they ought to be doing. That we do
not possess suitable statistics would
seem to be obvious, but it may not be
quite so evident to some that we suf-
fer from this insufficiency A little
reflection, however, or, better still,
little practical experience, should con-
vince even the most skeptical that, if
we are to deal efficiently with the great
social problem, we stand in need of
extensive and trustworthy statistics,
which will show us where we are
strong and where we are weak, where
we can find resources and where we
can best apply these resources when
found.
AS convincing proof of the power
of accurate knowledge deduced from
good statistics, we have the famous
rescue work undertaken years ago by
the late Cardinal Vaughan. At that
time the Cardinal was Bishop of Sal
ford. He had been doing splendid
work for his people, when his atten-
ton was called to the sad leakage
from the faith going on among the
young. Investigation showed that Pro-
testant institutions were taking in
large numbers of Catholic children
and, while providing for their temper
al wants, were roofing out of their
hearts the religious principles they
had learned at home or in the Catholic
school. How did the Bishop meet the
problem? By search for statistics.
They were not to be had, so he set to
work to gather them. Instructions
were issued to every parish priest to
make the rounds of his parish and col
lect the necessary information by TAX
ing house-to-house census. The re-
sulting figures revealed a condition of
things that staggered and aroused the
Bishop, but he knew they would have
like effect upon his people. Armed,
then, with his numbers and facts, he
made stirring appeal to his flock,
showing them how the Church was be-
ing robbed of her children. Such was
the might of this appeal, based, as it
was, on undeniable evidence, that an
effective method was soon devised to
stop the leakage.
Who can say how many American
cities would have equally shocking
at hand? This is only one corner of
the field. In how many other sections
of the Lords vineyard are we inactive
because ignorant of prevailing condi-
tons? Frequently some hard-working
pastor raises a cry of warning, point
| ing out some grave evil threatening
Catholic welfare, but he is only an in
dividual, and too often his voice is
Il Sra Il - Ill, S,o+~ rs+rS
Again, there is hardly a section of the
country but presents the pathetic pic
| ture of some heroic soul struggling
with issues too vast and intricate for
his unaided strength and no one comes
to his assistance because his need is
unknown or because he is thought to
be laboring under an exaggerated idea
of the Importance of his own particu-
lar work. Provide the Catholic body
cleric and lay-with definite knowl-
edge of real needs and you will see an
awakening similar to that caused by
the statistics of the Bishop of Stafford.
What are we doing in our hospitals
What in our schools, colleges, univer-
sites and seminaries? What in our
missions? What in caring for the poor,
the orphans and the aged? At present
/ IL WOulQ De d n0fcul6aQ TASK TO get
accurate information on any of these
points Most of our organizations keep
records of their work, but they are
widely scattered and hard to get at.
The annual report of one great relig.
ious order laboring in the Middle West
has recently been published. It is in
MIGRATING to see there tabulated the
immense amount Of work successfully
accomplished for the glory of God.
That splendid record of converts bap.
tized, children and youths instructed,
missions and retreats given, etc., ETC.,
is duplicated perhaps in other sections
of the country by other religious or
ders or by other members of the same
order. But where is the record that
would put all this before the investiga-
tor? And where are the compilers to
digest this mass of information not
only for the serious student of religious
advance, but for the great army OF
priests and laymen who would draw
new courage and inspiration from the
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