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Show CATHOLICS GAIN MOST. United States Religious Census Shows Catholics Are Actual. Last week the government issued its so-called "Census of Religious Bodies," in which (as we understand) children are not listed as eligible to church membership. It is stated, that in all Protestant bodies the membership is practically adult membership. In the Catholic church all baptized persons, including infants, are returned as members. "In order to render the figures more nearly comparable, 15 per cent has been deducted de-ducted from the membership returned for the Catholic church to cover those under 9 years of age." In a Nutshell. A glance at . the proof sheets shows that males formed but 43.1 per cent of the total church membership; that eight new churches were erected every day during the sixteen years from 1890 to 1906; that in sixteen states the Catholics Cath-olics formed a majority of the church membership; that the percentage which church members formed of the population popu-lation was larger by 6.4 per cent in 1906 than in 1890; and that of the total number num-ber of church members reported, 61.6 per cent were returned by the Protestant Protest-ant bodies and 36.7 per cent by the Catholic church. The total church membership for 1906 was 32,936,445, of which number the Protestants were credited with 20,287,-742 20,287,-742 and the Catholics with 12,079,142. Of the Protestant bodies the Methodists numbered 5,749,838, the Baptists 5,662,-234, 5,662,-234, the Lutherans 2,112,494, the Presbyterians Pres-byterians 1,830,555, and the Disciples or Christians 1,142,359. Catholic Majority in Sixteen States. The figures show that in twenty-nine states a majority of church members belonged to Protestant bodies; in sixteen six-teen states, to the Catholic church; and in one state, Utah, to the Latter-day Saints. The states and territories for which a majority of Catholic members were reported with their respective percentages per-centages are: New Mexico, 88.7; Rhode Island, 74; Montana, 73.1; Massachusetts, Massachu-setts, 69.2; Nevada, 66.7; Arizona, 66.2; Louisiana. 61.3; Connecticut, 59.6; California, Cal-ifornia, 58; Vermont, 55.9; Maine, 53.3; New Jersey, 51.5; Wisconsin, 50.5; and Michigan, 50.1. In two states, Wyoming Wyo-ming and Colorado, the largest proportion, propor-tion, although not a majority, of the members, were Catholics. Women -Outnumber Men. Of the total church membership reported re-ported by the various religious bodies and classed by sex, 43.1 per cent were males and 56.9 per cent were females. Among the Protestants the difference was greater, 39.3 per cent being males, while in the Catholic church the males formed 49.3 per cent of the total membership. mem-bership. Fewer males than females were found among the Latter-day Saints, the Lutherans, Disciples, Methodists, Baptists, Bap-tists, Presbyterians and Protestant Episcopalians, the percentage of a male-member male-member decreasing in the order shown and there being but 35.5 per cent among j the Episcopalians. Among the Christian Chris-tian Scientists only 26.7 were male and the Shakers only 21.3 per cent, but in the Greek Orthodox church 93.9 per cent were males. Other salient features of the report show that there was $1,250,000,000 invested. in-vested. in church edifices and that every day eight iew churches sent theiV steeples skyward. Of the total estimated population in 1906 the church members formed 39,1 per cent, as against 32.7 per cent for 1890. Of this 6.4 per cent increase the Catholic church is credited with 4.4 per cent and the Protestants with 1.8, the remainder being divided among all other denominations. The increase shown by the government govern-ment figures bears out former estimates esti-mates of Catholic gains by competent authorities. |
