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Show I: FEWER PERSONS ! ! JOIN GHURGHES Small Increase in Protestant Membership Takes Place in i i 5 1919, Figures Show ' - NEW YORK, April 7. The smallest! increase in Protestant membership lu 'Ibirty years is recorded for 1910 in! statistics compiled by Dr. H. K. Car-j roll, who prepared the first official t t'ensus of religions, and made public' The Christian Herald. The increase Cor 1919 was only 56.000 as compared! with the average increase for the ten jtrars .previous of 771,947. The slump) parted, he said, in 1918, which show-: tl an increase of only 155,000 mem-J hjrs. Tho hitherto most prosperous de-1 de-1 nominations in the United Stales ; Showed the following decreases for the year: Methodist Episcopal C9,9in, Presbyterian (U. S. A. Northern) 32," OS: Disciples of Christ 17,6lo; Mc'.h- odist Episcopal (south) 1B.010; North-An North-An Baptist convention .0156; National i Baptist convention 35,007; Prcsbylc-; rjan (LT. S. A. southern) 8S11; United i : Presbyterian 29S6; Cumberland Pres-I Pres-I byterlan 1645; Welsh Calvlnlstic I'rfM-i I'rfM-i lyterians 992; Norwegian Linn era n 201 0. Among the reasons assigned for' tho! decrease were the interruption by sud-. pension of regular work of many parishes par-ishes by ihe war. calling of pastors' from their pulpits by the concent '"a-' Mon of efforts in centenary and other Sigantic drives for funds and a giva: . increase In deaths, due partly to MiC' Influenza cpidonilc. ' s nn |