THE STATISTICS OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN NEW YORK.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume X, Issue 496, 13 October 1882, Page 5

THE STATISTICS OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN NEW YORK.

(From the New York Times.) Among thoughtful ministers there is a feeling, frequently expressed to the writer in his contact with them while engaged in gathering data for this article, that the Christian world is passing through some very remarkable but not unhealthy experiences. There is also an impression that the worst is over. The Rev. Robert Collyer presented the case in this light : " This is a transition period, the spirit of doubt and scepticism once let loose had to run to the end of its tether. But our friends when they get to that end find there is nothing there. They are beaten out with the scamper and have nothing for their pains— nothing to satisfy the longings of the heart, the spiritual aspirations given us by Almighty God. My good friend Fothringham led the wa,y hereabouts, but we n>w have his confession that this spirit of doubt when allowed to run away with itself brings one to no good end. I think the reaction from wholesale denial is already begun. But the only thing I fear is that some superstition or other will take its plac°. When people return from these wanderings in the desert of scepticism there is never any telling in what they may take refuge. I shouldn't be a bit surprised if the Catholic Church finally picked up a good many of these wayward children. When they get well tired of the struggle with doubt it will be so nice to fall int» a place where everything is ready to order and weary mortals are relieved of all responsibilities of settling these knotty problems for themselves." By consulting the recapitulation and tables of comparative ratios of growth at the end of this article, the reader— be he Catholic or Protestant, Jew or Gentile, mystic or sceptic— will be very apt to find food for reflection. These figures tell a curious story. They indicate, so far as New York is concerned, that Prott stantism has been brought almost to a stand still, while Catholicity is rapidly becoming the dominating numerical influence. ****** In the year 1845 the city had attained to a growth of 400,000 souls. The membership of non-Catholic churches at that period was, in round numbers, 40,000. The city's population now is at least 1,300,000, a gain of 225 per cent., while the non-Catholic church membership is 90,000, a gain of only 125 per cent. How, on the other hand, does the case stand with the Catholio Church ? When the city had a population of 400,000 there were at the outside 50,000

Catholics within its borders. Nor there are 500,000— and while the non-Catholic bodies can show an increase of only 125 percent, during the last thirty-seven years, and the city only 225 per cent., the Catholic Church can boast accessions amounting to 900 per cent. Of course, there should ba taken into account — membership in a Protestant Church stands on a very different basis from membership in the Catholic Church. In the latter even the child at the breast counts, if baptised. But, after making all reasonable deductions, the proportion that remains is of a most formidable character, and the ratio of growth is really what the figures make it appear. Catholicity is a recognised power in New York, and its importance from any point of view can scarcely be over-estimated. It is always a unit. There are never any divided councils. There is none of that feeling of responsibility to a something wbish in politics would be called a "constituency " that is observable in the governing affairs of other denominations. It is more than is understood by a close corporation. It is an aggregate in which none may transcend his own business, as defined by a higher authority, the fountain of which is in Rome. Each cog in this vast and complicated mechanism knows only itself, and this knowledge it generally keeps to itself, except it be called upon for information bj a superior in Orders. Many of the " institutions "of this world are almost overanxious that everybody should know how they are flourishing, and in one form or another they are always parading real or imaginary figures. Catholicity does not fall under this category. It is a mighty but a silent force, and seldom parades in print. Besides, its " make up " is such that the statistician finds it difficult to bring the details under dominion. Indeed, he is extremely fortunate if he pecures anything approaching trustworthy aggregates. Under Episcopal definitions, in a city like New York, a " parish " is an abstraction. In the Catholic understanding, however, it has definite geographical proportions and lines of demarcation, generally determined by the capacity of the church-edifice and the characteristics of the population for which it form a religious centre. Thus, one parish may contain 25,000 Catholic souls, while another can muster scarcely a thousand. The number of " good " Catholics in any parish is nearly alway a matter of guess-work, determining factors being the attendance upon the various services, the births, the deaths, etc. From these data, if the priest be so inclined, he can make up pretty trustworthy estimates, and snch estimates are from time to time sent to superiors. The reporter for the Times, in quest of Catholic data, determined to get his figures as near headquarters as possible, and accordingly sought an audience with the secretary of the Cardinal. He was courteously received, and all available information placed readily at his disposal. "I am sorry," said this urbane officer, " that it is out of my power to furnish any details regarding the membership of our parishes. Upon this point we have no accurate information ourselves. The best we can do is to draw inferences from the data at our disposal. These enable us to make some pretty close estimates, and according to these we place the present Catholic population of New York city at 500,000 souls." " Have you any means at hand for determining the number of Catholics in the city ten years ago ?"' " I think the best way to determine this point is to compare it with certain details of an exact nature. In 1872 the number of priests in New York was 229 ; now the number is 384. There were then 121 churches ; now the number is 190. We then had 12 academies ; now we have 26. These methods of determination give us an average of about 60 per cent." It is no doubt true that certain allowances should be made from the result derived from these comparisons. With the growth of any Church like the Catholic there is a preponderating ratio of increace in ecclesiasticism. Because of the establishment of a Cardinalate in this city there has been caused an increase of ecclesiastics not justified merely by the increase in the number of the faithful, and it was the opinion of the secretary that the actual increase dnring the past ten years would be represented by about 150,000, which number, deducted from 500,000, the estimate for 1882, would leare 350,000 as the Catholic population in 1882. This would fix the ratio of Catholic increase during the past decade at over 40 per cent., while the increase in the entire population of the city for the same period is only a trifle more than 20 per cent. The Catholic population of the entire diocese, which includes several contiguous counties, is estimated at 600,000 souls, and its statistics are as follows :—: — Priests, secular ... ... ... ... 262 Priests, regular ... ... ... ... 113 Ecclesiastical students... ... ... ... 68 Churches ... ... ... ... ig2 Chapels ... ... ... ... 47 Convents ... ... ... ... 35 Seminaries ... ... ... ... 1 Pupils or Numbers. Inmates. Colleges for boys... ... ... 4 §75 Academies for young ladies ... ... 22 2,202 Academies for boys ... ... 4 549 Parochial schools for boys „. ... 53 15,285 Parochial schools for girls ... ... 56 18562 Orphanage schools for boys ... ... 6 '9189 18 Orphanage schools for girls ... ... 7 969 Industrial schools and reformatories ... 9 3,675 Orphanages ... ... ... 10 1)947 Hospitals ... ... ... 4 490 Asylums ... ... ... 15 4,743 According to the figures presented above, nearly 40 per cent, of New York's population is Roman Catholic. At the* present ratio of increase another decade will see this proportion increased to 50 per cent. That it will one day dominate all other influences in combination is more than probable. Compared with the status or growth of other denominations, that of Catholicity during the past half century

is most extraordinary. It is really among the late comers, every one of the leading Evangelical denominations antedating it. It secured its first foothold less than one hundred years ago. As far back as 1635, under James 11., Sir thomas Dongan, a Catholic, was governor of the province, and it is to be supposed that Catholic services were then temporarily in vogue. Bat under late ~ governors the Romish (!) service was vigorously suppressed, and it was not until the United States had secured their independence that Catholicity was allowed an abiding-place in New York. The first congregation of which there is anj record, was formed in 1783, and worshipped in a small hall. It was not until 1786 that the first church (bt. Peter's) was built in Barclay, corner of Church street. This remained the only Catholic church in New York for neaily thirty years. In 1838 St. Peter's was rebuilt and consecrated by Bishop Hughes. In the meantime, however, other churches had been erected, and notably the first Bt. Patrick's Cathedral. This edifice was built in 1815, at the corner of Mott and Prince streets. St. Mary's was built in 1826. In 1845 there were sixteen Catholic churches in the city, and since that time the increase has gone forward at a rate no less prodigious than significant. COMPARATIVE RATIOS.

♦Decrease. The following table exhibits the aggregate rates of growth on the part of the city, the Catholics and the combined Protestant denominations, from 1845 to ISB2 : City of New York Population Population Percentand its or Member- or Member- age of Denominations. ship in 1845. ship in 1882. increase City cf New York ... 400,000 1,300,000 225 Total Protestant church membership ... 51,000 90,579 76 Total Catholic church membership. ... 50,000 500,000 900 The following note signed "K. L.," appeared in the Times of 11th July :— "In your editorial article this morning, commenting on the religious statistics of New York, you do a grave injustice to the converts from Protettant denominations to Catholicity. You say the Catholic increase in population 'is doubtless due in a large measure te vigorous proselytising, especially among the poorer and more unfortunate classes ... ; ' and lower down you say : ' The Catholics gather in many recruits from the ignorant and the outcast classes.' In these remark* you are mistaken. What worldly inducements have the poor to become Catholics ? None. And if any such do become Catholics, it is the more intelligent, who do so from pure motives. But it is to the last assertion I most object. From a life-long acquaintance with all classes of converts from Protestantism to the Catholic Church, in all parts of the United States, I assert without fear of contradiction that not one-tenth of 1 per cent, are what you call • ignorant. 1 On the contrary, they are men (and women, too) of the highest intelligence, persons who would adorn any society. I do not like to mention names — for a man's religion is his own sacred right, and should not be slightly spoken about. If you will look into this matter more seriously it will be easy for you to account for the increase of Catholics. Catholics have large families — I am the father of thirteen myself. Now non-Catho-lics have no families at all, or very small ones, and this falling off in the size of non-Catholics families has occurred principally within the years of your estimated Catholic increase, and it will grow worse until your ministers preach up the sacredness of the maniage tie, and the outrage committed against God and nature by those whose high intelligence tells them how not to have large families." Two pilgrims from the Holy Land applied for lodgings at a Chicago police station last Sunday evening. Each wore short trouserß and upon his head an Arab fez. The elder of the two, a man of venerable appearance, said in broken English that they were from Jerulalem, and that they were on their way to see Archbishop Feehan. hey understood very little English, but when the name Mahomet was spoken they crossed themselves and exclaimed in unison, " He bad man." They then refused to talk further.— Catholic Review. Recently a violent rain storm, accompanied with a strong wind, came up and made its way across John's Island, Cal., blowing down trees and deluging the country with water. J. Wilson Glover upon the approach of the storm, went into his house and took a seat by an open window. He took his little three- year-old daughter on bis knee and held his little six-months-old infant in his arms. While sitting in this position pla.) ing with his little ones, lightening struck the building, tearing out the whole end of the house and killing him instantly. His little girl received so severe a 6hock that she died in about an hour, and the infant was also so much injured that it was cot expected to lire.

Jity of New YoTi and its Denominations. 3ity of New York [)utch Reformed episcopalian Presbyterian Methodists Baptists Jongregationalists Catholics jutherana Jniveisalists Jnitarians Quakers Sweden borgians Spiritualists Fewa Miscellaneous Population or Membership in 1845. 400,000 4,773 8.000 18,460 9,695 8,744 1,087 60,000 1,500 600 200 1,200 200 1,200 1,200 Population Percentor Member- age of ship in 1882. Increase 1,300,000 252 4 984 4 25,275 215 18,155 34 12,814 32 12,686 45 2,466 126 500,000 900 7,500 400 1,200 100 500 150 600 100* 400 100 1,000 3.937 145 4,000 100