Show Recent Questionnaire Is Indication That America Still Strongly Religious Expression of of Belief Shows Steady Progress Figures On Voting Given Prophecies Turn TurnOut TurnOut TurnOut Out Wrong a By T CHARLES CIL STELZLE Contrary to general opInion nH have hae not departed from the tho religious position of or the tho fore fathers who ho founded this coun coun- coun country irr coun-irr er try or those who ho framed Its con con- con constitution The Tho expression of religIon religion religion ion is today different but even upon a statistical basis religion Is Iss Iss s 54 n n to be making steady progress t tt H Isn't possible to secure ac- ac data datu rc regarding church membership at the time of or tho th he Pilgrim fathers nor during the th period of or the Revolution but 1 It 00 there lie has been a marked Increase In church mont memo b h In this country Taking ite number of or Protestant communicants at various arlous periods we wo find the tho following In 1800 Protest Protest- I int nt church members numbered 7 pm per pr e c c- c nt of ot the population letS In let S 8 0 0 1 l per el cent In 1870 li 17 liI I Hr rr c cn In 1880 20 per cent In it J per cent In 1900 1200 2 24 JI I r c ci cn In 1910 2 21 per cent tn in li 19 9 approximately 26 per pcr cent HALl HALl- HALlAm An Am HI Ut RS InS S 1 i tor for the Roman Catho Catho- i I IlOr lOr Gr r k Catholic and Jewish I lurch Ire ire more difficult to oJ ob- oam am ain am but those these r religious bodies I Ii 1 Uk wise made madG steady pro pros r r i- i v until today the he church meat meat- I b tip imp 1 in the United States aunt num num-DOU num nou 4 43 a per cent of or the en- en ir But nut 15 per cont 01 oui out population Is below the ago agoot agoot ot of h membership In those which require a 0 pi llon of faith so eo sot t 1 ij td actually aclu the churches contaIn contal tout out p r cent of or the tho available l population In II their membership I QU ballot on re re- re titon I e has just lust been en ot 01 i C n fl die s d di i iby by nearly 00 new news ra ap tn In n as many different cities s sn in n 40 status states has again aln demon demon it It lb d S th tb religious character to i of people It has not noto o ot I r pro n that church tp ip p ar ar- arnot not decreasing but that ige 11 who ho are arc not memo men mcm-i mcm rs r ra of or ch churches arc towards religion Many newspapers ne did not report 1 ti II final tabulations but the thA s a returned from papers ct t that ov over r person IW w r r d S the questionnaire which was Ivas prepared by a commission ot of prominent clergymen ot of arlous denominations for the advertIsing nd d department of oft I- I t bat Ini In Advertising J ai- ai ee BS sO 56 s that the campaIn n non on r o bl be conducted from trout to Easter r might night bu by b id 41 upon actual facts HOW no ThEY TilEY YOnD Follo lug mg are the percentages of or r received from all an woo who vol voted d t Yes Yea Xo No Per Per v r Q STION Cent Cent 1 Do Do- Do you ou believe In God 91 Sl 9 Z 2 Do you OU believe In Im- Im It 8 12 3 2 Do you believe elleve lit In prayer as a means or of relationship with God 88 SS 12 1 4 D Do you OU believe that Je Jesus us was divine lne as asno asno asno no other man was r divine 8 85 15 5 S Do you OU regard the Bl- Bl BI BiMe ble Me as Inspired In a enee that no oth- oth othor tr oth-tr or lr literature could be 10 said to bo be In In- In t S 15 6 Art r you rou ou an Don active i member of any church 77 71 23 3 4 11 7 Do you ou regularly at- at attend at attend tend any religious wr 76 7 21 t 1 S Would ouId you bo bG willing illing to have your our family grow up In II a a corn com corn In which there Is no church 13 87 57 3 9 Do you regularly reg havo hao faintly worship Ih iii your home 4 43 2 iS 10 U WT W-rr you brought up In n a religious home 87 ST 13 l n Do you ou send your children to any of or religious I Instruction 72 7 28 25 1 i- i iDo Do you think that re- re religion rc ligion In some somo form formis formis Is a necessary cIa ele- element ele element ment meat of or life lite for the community S 87 ST 7 13 12 However Cr time tile sentiment ro- ro re regarding garding these questions differed In various parts parta of or the United States In the southern states the people were unusually ortho ortho- orth orthodox orthodox dox Indicating the questions merely by their numbers th the ballots cost cast ca t In Alabama l Florida leom-gia leom Mississippi Kentucky I North orth Carolina Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Tuu Tex Vir VIr-ginia VIr gifts and West t Virginia showed the following results according to percentages Per Per PerCent PerCent Cent CentI Cent 1 I Yes 91 No 0 6 2 Yes 92 No 8 S 3 Yes ceSO 90 Nob No 10 4 Yes Yea 88 Nol No Xo 12 1 5 Y Yes 88 Nell NellS No 13 S 6 ceSi 7 8 S Yea Tes Yes 8 S Neil No 92 9 S T 41 ro Nobi 59 10 Yes Yes estil 92 No Jo 8 S 11 Y Yea 75 No 25 1 12 Yes 93 No 7 In 11 the New ew England suto state state- states Connecticut Connecticut Maine New Hampshire the Vermont Vermont votIng was as follows Per Per PerCent PerCent Cent CentI Cent 1 I 1 Tes 93 No 7 2 Yes esSi 89 Noll 3 Y 89 Noll 4 caSS 86 No 15 5 Yes esSO 80 00 No 20 6 G Yes 75 7 Yos 1 76 8 S 9 eel Yes 37 n Xo 61 10 r Ye Yes emiS I 87 No 13 11 ii YM 77 No 23 12 Yes 93 No 7 IDAHO TAH The states from the Roc mountains to the Pacific coast namely n Arizona J California Colo Cole Colorado rado redo Idaho Montana Utah Ore Ore- Oregon Oregon Oregon gon Washington and gave goc the following percentages Per ler Per Pcr PerCent PerCent Cent Cent 1 esil Yes 91 No Xo 9 3 2 Yes Yea 86 No 14 3 Yes No NoH 14 4 B S Yes Y 92 82 No 18 6 Yes Yes Y eSlO 70 71 No Xo 30 7 Yea 69 No NeStS NeSt 81 3 S Y Yes ash 19 NoSi Noll 9 S Yes Yea 44 H No 56 10 esSO Yc 86 Noll 11 Yes Y Yes 63 No 37 12 32 2 Yo Yea esSi 89 No NollIn Noll NollIn 11 In the middle Atlantic states states- slates Delaware District of or Columbia Maryland New Jersey New Tork these PennsylvanIa these results wets were obtained Per roe Per PerCent PerCent Cent CentI Cent 1 I Yc Yos esSi 89 9 Xo Noll 11 2 3 V Ye Yes 84 U Noli No 1 G 3 8 Ye CISS 4 NolT S 5 Yes 80 NoO No 20 6 Ye 76 No 24 7 Yc 73 No 27 j Yes Ye ea 16 lC o 8 84 Y C l 9 I Yen 39 No 61 10 esCO Yes 90 NolO Nob No 10 1 11 Yes y call 71 No 29 12 Yes Yell esSi 89 Xo NollIn Noll NollIn 11 In the central states stale states Indiana Iowa Kansas MichIgan Missouri Nebraska Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin WisconsIn- the percentages were as ns follows follo Per Pcr Ier PerCent Cent Cent 1 Yes Yes 92 93 No Xo 8 S 2 Yes Yes esSi 89 No NellS Nell Noll 11 3 S Yc 89 Noll Nolt 4 Yea Yc 8 85 Nell NellS No 15 5 S Yes Ye-s Ye No 14 6 Yes Yes 77 7 No 23 7 Yes 75 No 2 25 8 S esil Yes 12 NeSS No 88 9 Neil No 7 10 Yes 79 Nol No 21 11 Yes Yes 71 No 29 12 Yes 89 No Noll 11 Taking 16 principal cities In Including eluding New York Tork Chicago Phila Philadelphia delphia St St Louis Pittsburg Man Kansas sac BaS ld City Minneapolis Grand Rap Hal Ids Buffalo Newark N J 1 Washington D C Denver Dim Dim- Tampa Nashville Rich mond mond we w s find the following I Per l lr PerCent r CentI Cent Cent I 1 Yes TesSi 89 Xo Noll 11 2 Yea r 88 Nolt Nol I 3 Yes 84 No 16 4 Yes 82 I G Yes Y eaSt 81 6 Yes 73 Nob No 27 7 Yes 1087 72 No 28 8 S Yes Yea 16 No 8 84 9 Yes lOsli 39 No 61 10 Yes esSi 89 Noll 11 Ii y Yes 69 No 31 12 22 Yes Yes 86 No 14 Among the papers which parti participated In the tho US use of or the tho question question- I alre were the tho New York World orld Newark News Nes Springfield Union Star Baltimore 1 Post Buffalo Express Courier Phila Philadelphia delphia I Pittsburg Ga Ga- Ga Ga zette Birmingham News Non's Chattanooga Times Chicago Dall Daily News Cleveland Plain Dealer In lit Indianapolis News Sioux City Jour Journal nal Grand Rapids Press City Star St Louis Louie Globe Demo crat Toledo News Dec Bee Los An- An Angeles An Angeles geles Herald Denver Post Poet Seat Seat- SeattIe Seattle tIe tle Post and nd The Tho Ogden Standard Examiner It was Interesting that before the balloting proceeded all sll kinds of prophecies were made as os to the results The ch church people Insist insist- insisted Insisted ed cd that the voters oters would consIst mainlY ot or Philistines who would take tako this opportunity to express cipres their hatred o of religion I nd and the church the tile non church people do- do de declared dared that as a the UIG lie church was sO sOwell HOwell well vell organized It would easily ins 1113 the voting th that t group ot of people which has become so wise that It can say neither r yes yea or orno no to any question said th that t tho ho balloting would n not t pro prove anything because moderns hal haJ really given ghen up their belief heller In reo re religion ligion None ot of these things hap happened lap lap- ONLY IV IX CiTIES Even Een though the number or of people who voted was com comparatively para para- small mall they represented I a great horizontal slice of ot the tile pop pop- pop POl population of or the United States Slates This Is evidenced in part by the fIg fIg- fIgurea fig figures ures urea showing the church member member- membership ship ship ot or those who answered the tho questIonnaire The percentage of church members for tor the entire country as shown In the tha 11 was 77 This Is higher than the figure ro al already read given ghen for the ac- ac actual ac actual tuot percentage ot or eligible church membership for the entire couo country coun- coun country tr try namely 51 61 per cent But Dut It should bo be remembered that In t thu rural districts which Include le aS 60 aSper per cent of or the tho population of or the United States only 20 per cent or of orthe othe the people are ore church members member This ot or Itself would Increase enormously tho the of church members who n ho live 11 In the city And the tho questionnaire was ulI d only In the tho cities It should also be bo kept In mind that a very large number of or peo people plo pie living In the tho cities In which the questionnaire was used tu to has has-c church letters from the country or the lie small town front from they theIr came ame Furthermore It It Is In the city that the Catholic church has hILS Its lis stronghold Also It I Is In the city elty that the mimi mimi- Immigrant grant population Is greatest All Allor or of these elements readily account for tor tho the apparently high percent percent- percentage percentage age ago of or church m members living tn n the cities and they justify the figure fig given Ithen In the returns front from the questionnaire It would probably probably probably ably bo be shown upon a 11 close an analysis that the tho figures for church membership In the tho city would ox- ox ex exactly coincide with those given in 11 inthe inthe the answers to our questionnaire FOR ron It Is II a striking tact fact however hoever that while the tho percentage In favor fa favoro or of religion irk 11 In general Is so strong stron much much ab above ve that Indicating church membership apparently the churches have not on this Interest It t proves that In our great cities there tIters Is a large opportunity for the tho church to demonstrate Its value even eren to those who are committed to reo re- religion ligion and ond who naturally should bo be sympathetic toward the doctrines for which the church stands The Tho returns from front the question questionnaire name also alHO show us mis that religion In America Is Ison on the tho whole vecy conservative The Tho people are nOt bothered very nry much b by the tho doubts or of the tho high brows bro and wis guy guys When hen It comes comel to religion they are au as old fashioned as S ever The churches In this country which are making the strongest appeal to the tho people are tho those o which hold held to the old oil time religion much Ion ion much a as this tact fact may die dis disgust gust cust the people who are troubled by so many religious d doubts of theIr own GOOD COOl ACCO There Thero Is Ig no doubt that the tIlO printing of ot the 12 questions day by day for tor a week or ten days In nearly cities created an In- In In Interest crest terest In religious matters such as lIS this country has haa not nat seen en In many nany years ears Many fany of thc tue the editors have Ila written to o headquarters a say say say-Ine log In that their communities have o ever havor-ever never been so stirred as lIS during during- the time that tho the questionnaire was being printed and answered by their readers Hundreds or of minIster have written to these theae editors expressing their g gratification lien tion at the results Even E many did not answer the tha ques quos quos- ions they thought about and die dis- discussed dis discussed cussed the questionnaire so eo that on tho the whole great groat good has hns be been n accomplished I I And what Is of or prime Import Import- Importance once ance the tho churches and tho ho ad- ad ad advertising men In their campaign on religion from Christmas to Easter EasLer now have some ome rather definite definite nite facts upon which to bullS their arguments The Tho churches have more clearly seen their duty In ho attracting attracting- people to their ser seT services vices and tho th people have havo come como to understand that re- re re ligion religion after atter all Is not the dead thing which many or of o them BUP sup sup- posed supposed Bup j It to l be-l that be-that be that hat there are aro actually largo large numbers of or individuals Individuals who bolle ella ta l e e In the old gee gos- gospel gos gospel pel and nib o count It a necessity In modern life |