Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1917-08-09
Annual Reports Show Ad-
Vances.
The centennial
But America Still Has 40, ,OOO, 900
Persons Out of Religious
Education.

light in connection with the centen-
NAL of the American Sunday School
Union, occurring this year. The first
is that 22,OOO,0O0 persons are enrolled
in the Sunday schools of North Am
erica; the second, that 10000 900 per-
sons in America are yet unreached by
any form of religious education. Fur
the.' statistics show that of the popu-
lation of 90,OoO,OOO persons between
the ages of twelve and twenty-five
years but one-fourth of that number
belong to Sunday schools.
During the last decade the Sunday
schools of the country have increased
in membership nearly forty per cent.
the churches but a little more than
thirteen per cent. Statistics of the
United States Census of Sunday
Schools for 1916 show that the gain
in scholars for the last ten years was
more than 100000 and in schools,
15,500, or an average of 1850 new
PNAOOio ~ y Sol, WAlIG tllt uGW OIuCGrS
and teachers numbered 3O7,271, aver
aging 10000 year.
Roman Catholic schools led in the
ten-years' gain record with an in
crease Of more than eighty-nine per
cent. The percentage of gain in 9TH
er schools included the Disciples of
Christ, nearly fifty; the United Breth-
rem, over forty-two; Methodists, more
than sixty-one; Lutherans, less than
thirty; Reformed schools, over TWEEN
ty-nine and Presbyterians over twen-
ty-seven per cent.
Although ranking first in the per-
centage of new members, the Roman
Catholic schools hold third place in
point Of numerical strength, having
an enrolment of 2,S50,0O0 scholars,
while the Methodists aggregate 7,21S,-
463, and the Baptists, 3,385,S37 schol-
ars. Enrollments for 1916 of other de-
nominations were: Presbyterians, L.
9SO.971; Lutherans, 1,O13,5S4; Disci-
pies of Christ, 94O,767; Congressional,
6S9,493; Protestant Episcopal, 4S2,-
997; Reformed, 455,OO5; United Bretn-
rem, 42S,S01; Evangelical bodies, 279,-
769; Brethren (Dunkards) 144,2O5;
German Evangelical, 194,691; Friends,
69,799, and Menonites, 53,219.
Sunday Schools of the United
States last year numbered 2OS,222 as
against 1922 in 1906. The enroll
ment represents fifty denominations
and 14,50S union and undenomination-
al schools. Officers and teachers last
year numbered 2,O53,345 and scholars
21,454,433, while ten years previous
their respective totals were 1,746,O74
and 15,337,S11.
When the American Sunday School
Union was organized in Philadelphia
in 1917, religious education in this
country was only about twenty-seven
years old. 1t had developed from a
meeting of twelve men, held Decem-
Der 10, 1890. called by Bishop William
White. first presiding bishop of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in Am
arica. Plans for providing religious
educational advantages for American
boys and girls similar to those which
countries abroad were developing,
were discussed and the First Day or
Sunday School Society for the estab-
lishment of Sunday schools was short
ly afterward formed. By 1894 paid
and voluntary teachers were conduct
ing classes in religious education, and
during thes core of years following
various unions were formed which
served as models for those organized
in New York and other sections of
the country.
Started under the title of the Sun
day and Adult School Union, it was
not until seven years later, in 1924,
when it became a national organiza-
tion, that the American Sunday
School Union was given its present
name. During that period it had
grown to be the largest organization
of it's kind in America aSd had affili-
ated with it 700 schools and auxili-
aries.