BV 638 .G52 1913 Gill, Charles Otis The country church THE COUNTRY CHURCH THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO • DALLAS ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO MACMILLAN & CO., Limited LONDON • BOMBAY • CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd. TORONTO OCT U THE COUNTRY CHURCH THE DECLINE OF ITS INFLUENCE AND THE REMEDY BY :/'^ CHARLES OTIS GILL AND GIFFORD PINCHOT PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE FEDERAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN AMERICA N?m fork THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1913 All rights reserved Copyright, 1913, By the MACMILLAN COMPANY Set up and electrotjrped. Published June, 1913. ACKNO WLED GMENTS Several hundred individuals have given valuable assistance in this investigation. Many men and women have spent hours at the tiresome task of going over long lists of names in the work on church attendance. In addition to these, church clerks, treasurers, and pas- tors have done much in looking up and correcting statistical data. So large is the number that all who have helped cannot be mentioned by name, and it is hoped that they will accept this as an expression of the authors' appreciation and gratitude. To the late Prof. D. Collins Wells, of Dartmouth College, the authors are particularly indebted for his assistance in determining the changes in the cost of living in the different towns and for many valuable suggestions. INTRODUCTION The investigation whose results are here set forth had its origin in the work of the Commission on Country Life. The study of rural conditions conducted by the commission emphasized the importance of the country church as nothing else has done, and led at once to the inquiry whether in size and power it is growing or de- clining, and whether it is doing effectually the work which belongs to it. That inquiry could not be answered merely by collecting opinions. Many men whose con- clusions were entitled to respect were found to believe that the country church was losing its hold upon the people and failing to fill the place it ought to occupy. Others whose judgment was equally entitled to consider- ation maintained that far from failing to perform its mission, the country church was as prosperous and efficient in rural communities as the city church in the towns, and that no extraordinary or unusual need could be shown for its improvement. There is no single factor in the advancement of right- eousness and civilization which can be more influential and effective than the country church. Therefore the viii INTRODUCTION sharp divergence of opinion as to its working condi- tion, among men who ought to know, called for prompt and serious attention, and all the more because these differences often concerned the same States, the same counties, and even the same rural communities. Since authorities disagreed it was obvious that the first step toward solving the problem of the country church must be to learn the facts about its past and present condi- tion, its needs, and the needs of the people whom it serves. Only a little study of existing records was required to show that these facts had never been brought to- gether and that an investigation was badly needed. Accordingly, the present study of the country church was planned during a series of conferences between Charles Otis Gill and the writer of this preface, be- ginning in the summer of 1909. It was based on the evident proposition that the first step is to establish the facts, and that the remedy cannot be found until the true nature of the difficulty has been disclosed, and it proceeds on the theory that exact results are more im- portant than generalizations less firmly established. In order to be thorough the investigation was thus undertaken within an area no larger than two counties, one in Vermont, the other in New York. The facts it INTRODUCTION ix presents were ascertained, and are here given, in some detail, and the effort is made to let them speak for themselves, with as little explanation or comment as the nature of the case will allow. The shares taken by Mr. Gill and myself in the work were as follows: Both were concerned in the preparation of the general plan. The field work was done entirely by Mr. Gill or under his immediate supervision, ^nd the method of ascertaining the facts needed to compare past and present church attendance and expenditures was developed entirely by him. He also worked up in the office the results of his studies in the field. Dur-* ing the progress of the work my part was that of ad- viser, and I am responsible for the final revision of the manuscript for the press. Mr. Gill's peculiar fitness for the work of this investi- gation arises in part from his long and intimate per- sonal acquaintance with the problem of country life. For fifteen years he has been a country minister. One of his tasks was to establish a church in a country com- munity in Vermont which had been without one for more than twenty years. When Mr. Gill came to it, the moral and social laxity of the whole community was flagrant. Disbelief in the existence of goodness appeared to be common, pubUc disapproval of inde- X INTRODUCTION cency was timid or lacking, and religion was in general disrepute. Not only was there no day of worship, but also no day of rest. Life was mean, hard, small, selfish, and covetous. Land belonging to the town was openly pillaged by the pubHc ofl&cers who held it in trust; real estate values were low; and among the respectable families there was a general desire to sell their property and move away. Then a church was organized. The change which followed was swift, striking, thorough, and enduring. The public property of the town, once a source of graft and demoralization, became a public asset. The value of real estate increased beyond all proportion to the general rise of land values elsewhere. In the decade and a half which has elapsed since the church began its work, boys and girls of a new type have been brought up. The reputation of the village has been changed from bad to good, public order has greatly improved, and the growth of the place as a summer resort has begun. It is fair to say that the establishment of the church under Mr. Gill began a new era in the history of the town. It was with such a record of practical success in the country church that Mr. Gill undertook the study whose results are here set down. GrFFORD PiNCHOT. ERRATA Page 78, Note 6, read 7850 instead of 780. Page 151, Line 6, read "The rural population in every township of the eight has declined 25 per cent or more below its maximum," instead of "Every town- ship of the eight has declined 25 per cent below its maximum." TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgments v Introduction vu I. RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION 1. The Need of Facts 3 2. The Plan of the Investigation 7 3. Summary of Results 11 4. Church Attendance 19 5. A Method for Studying Attendance . . . .23 6. Comparison of Expenditures 24 7. Ministers' Salaries 28 8. Educational Equipment of Ministers . . .31 9. A Successful Church 33 10. Remedies 37 Improvement of Country Life . . . .38 Schools -41 A Program of Social Service 42 An Effective Country Ministry . . . .46 Church Cooperation 50 Organization for Social Service . . . .52 11. Organization in Vermont S3 11. WINDSOR COUNTY 1. The Locality and the People . . , . . .63 2. Membership 72 3. Attendance 74 Records of Attendance 84 The Gill Method 98 The Method Tested loi 4. Attendance and Membership Compared . . .110 xi xii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 5. Income and Expenditures 115 The Change in Prices and the Cost of Living -115 Total Expenditures 122 Benevolences 128 Ministers' Salaries 133 Other Expenditures 138 6. Educational Equipment of Ministers . . . 139 7. Activities of the Denominations .... 140 8. Over- Churching . . .143 III. TOMPKINS COUNTY 1. The Locality and the People 147 2. Membership 152 3. Attendance 156 4. Membership and Attendance Compared . . . 163 5. Income and Expenditures 166 The Change in Prices and the Cost of Living . 166 Expenditures 170 Benevolences 175 Improvements 179 Ministers' Salaries 183 Donations 186 6. Educational Equipment of Ministers . . . 189 7. Activities of the Denominations .... 190 8. Larger Villages Compared with Smaller Villages AND THE Open Country 193 Membership 196 Attendance 198 Income and Expenditures 200 Individual Churches 204 Rural Attendants of Rural Churches and Rural Attendants of Larger Villages .... 206 Relative Importance of Rural Churches and Churches of Larger Villages .... 209 9. Over-Churching 211 10. The Church on Good Land and on Poor Land . .214 THE COUNTRY CHURCH I RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION THE COUNTRY CHURCH I. THE NEED OF FACTS The ability of a nation to maintain the integrity and vigor of its rural population is the real test of its vi- taUty. It was to the decadence of country life, not of city life, that the fall of Rome was due; and it is the rush of the best people of the country to the town that to-day presents the fundamental question of rural life as affecting the welfare of the whole nation. The rapid growth of our cities has brought us two great sets of problems: — the first concerned with the social and industrial conditions of city life; the second with the country, both for its own sake and as the source from which the city draws not only its supplies of the raw materials of food, clothing, and shelter, but also the vigorous manhood and womanhood from which its power is chiefly derived. The removal of the best young people from the country to the city necessarily produces a decline in the quality of the country popula- tion which must be followed by a decline in its social 3 4 THE COUNTRY CHURCH and industrial life. This in its turn accentuates the rel- ative attractiveness of the cities, and so the evil grows. Among the institutions available for the great task of restoring country Hfe to its proper and necessary place in the life of the nation, the country church holds or should hold the commanding place. It should vi- talize all the forces of education, experience, and social and industrial organization for the general good. It has done so in the past, and it can do so again. His- torically the country church has exerted a determining influence upon the religious, moral, and social life of rural communities in the United States during whole periods in our national development. This was no- tably true during the century which followed the land- ing of the Pilgrims in New England. At times not only the intellectual and moral leader- ship, but the agricultural and industrial leadership as well, have belonged to the country church, and it has been the most important agency in promoting civiliza- tion in rural life. This is no longer entirely true. From being an active uplifting force it has become a conserv- ing influence merely. What the rural church is now doing cannot be measured by positive advance, but only by the amount of deterioration which it helps to prevent. This is a condition that cannot lightly be THE NEED OF FACTS 5 suffered to continue. The country church must be restored to its old-time vitality and influence as an in- dispensable condition of the revival and continuance of a wholesome life in the open country. The penalty for failure to do so will be the continued general de- cadence of rural life. If, then, the country church is an important institu- tion, whose prosperity is essential to the welfare of country people and yet is in question, its situation when this study was begun called for investigation: First, because knowledge of the facts must precede knowledge of the best way to meet them. No investi- gation of the facts of rural life could be complete with- out a knowledge of the country church. Any survey of rural life would be fatally defective if it failed to include a study of the country church, and any study of the country church which treated it merely as one of many things to be investigated would not be thor- ough enough to meet the actual needs of the present situation. Second, because available statistics as to the condi- tion of the country church were found to be misleading, inconclusive, or altogether lacking. The facts as to membership, expenditures, and income needed to be understood with a degree of exactness which was 6 THE COUNTRY CHURCH not possible in the absence of an investigation such as is here described. Third, because there was no general consensus of opinion as to the actual condition of the country church, or as to the causes which operate upon it. An effort to learn the condition of the country church from the best known authorities established at once their failure to agree as to the facts, while the difference of opinion as to remedies required was equally radical. Pastors of successful and influential churches were found to believe, as a rule, that all was well. Some of their parishioners agreed with them. Pastors of un- successful churches and members of country churches generally held the opposite view. Officials of home missionary societies were usually confident of the flourishing condition of the country church, while officers of the Y. M. C. A. were equally firm in the con- trary opinion. Some who held that the country church was losing ground attributed its retreat to economic conditions, others to racial decline, still others saw in it the result of an inferior ministry, while some assigned as its cause a general lapse in religious faith. The reme- dies proposed were equally various. This disagreement as to the facts and the needs has made it impossible for the church generally to realize PLAN OF INVESTIGATION 7 that the condition of the country church constitutes an emergency, and thus has altogether prevented con- certed action to meet the actual situation. No effect- ive united action in favor of the rural church can be expected until the essential facts as to its condition and its necessities have been established beyond dispute. 2. THE PLAN OF THE INVESTIGATION To ascertain whether the country church is increasing or decreasing in effectiveness, a basis of comparison between its present and its past conditions must be found. This basis should be of such a character as will show not only the relation between the present and past of the church itself, but also between present and past conditions in the community of which the church forms a part. The church does not exist for itself; it is an agency for the service of social needs, and must not be considered as though it stood alone. The im- portant question is how effectively it produces re- sults. Any attempt to answer this question for the whole country church at once would necessarily result in mere generalities. Hence it was decided to limit the inquiry to a single county at a time, and thus make 8 THE COUNTRY CHURCH possible a knowledge of the situation sufficiently de- tailed and exact to supply a sound foundation upon which conclusions might safely rest. The first county chosen was Windsor County, Ver- ^ mont. It was selected because it is typical of agri- cultural New England, and because Mr. Gill was al- ready well enough known to its people to make them willing to cooperate with him in the difficult early stages of the work. Tompkins County, New York, was chosen next, because its northern and southern portions are s/ representative of large areas in northern and southern New York, and because a careful agricultural survey of the county by the Agricultural College of Cornell University had just been completed. The natural question to ask first was: How effective is the church in the lines of activity upon which the church itself places most emphasis? All doubt as to what these lines of activity are was removed by obtaining from the ministers of Windsor and Tompkins counties answers to printed questions and by personal interviews with many laymen. The church in these counties lays most emphasis upon (i) membership, (2) expenditures and activities de- pendent upon them, (3) attendance and activities de- pendent upon it. The latter includes attendance at lo THE COUNTRY CHURCH Sunday Schools, church societies, and other gatherings as well as at regular church services. Available statistics for Sunday Schools and young people's societies in the two counties are so incomplete, and in many localities so clearly misleading, so different from the results of observation and inquiry, that it was decided to ehminate them entirely from the stated conclusions of the investigation. Nevertheless, such facts as could be learned by personal interviews were gathered in each county. This volume presents the results of a careful study of the facts as to gains and losses, over a period of twenty years, in attendance, expenditures, and mem- bership, first in Windsor County, Vermont, where every Protestant Church was covered, and next in Tompkins County, New York, where every Protestant Church outside of the city and township of Ithaca was included. Certain other facts necessary for an under- standing of these results are presented also. The specific points upon which information was gath- ered were as follows: 1. The changes in church attendance and member- ship in twenty years. 2. The change in contributions, measured both in dollars and in purchasing power, in twenty years. SUMMARY OF RESULTS II 3. The change in ministers' salaries, measured both in dollars and purchasing power, in twenty years. 4. The equipment of ministers for their work. 5. The effect of too many churches upon the general activities and prosperity of the country church. 6. A comparison of churches in the smaller com- munities with the churches in the larger towns and villages, and of churches in regions of good soil with churches in regions of poor soil. 7. A special inquiry into the methods of work of the more successful churches. 8. Changes in the population (including Protestants and non-Protestants), and in the agricultural and in- dustrial conditions of the two counties, in twenty years. 3. SUMMARY OF RESULTS In the mvestigation thus originated and planned, the conclusions from the earlier study in Windsor County are confirmed by those of the later study in Tompkins County. The results so checked and supported are be- Heved to be accurate. If true, they are certainly im- portant. They show that in these counties the country church has suffered a decline which proves beyond question that it is losing its hold on the community. 12 THE COUNTRY CHURCH The statistics which were already available at the beginning of the investigation did not point to this conclusion. Neither did certain preliminary figures secured in each county. The actual facts were found only after special methods of research had been de- vised and applied. These methods are described on pages 23 and 24. In making the comparison of conditions at the be- ginning of an interval of twenty years and at its end, for Windsor County the years 1888 and 1908 were chosen; for the later study in Tompkins County the years 1890 and 1910. Tompkins County has nine townships. Except where otherwise stated, the figures for that county do not include the city of Ithaca and the township in which it lies, but only the eight rural townships of the county. To compare expenditures for any two particular years twenty years apart might well be misleading, because of accidental variations in one or both of the years selected. Therefore, figures were gathered for two five year periods twenty years apart and the aver- age for one period was compared with the average for the other. For Windsor County these two periods ran from 1885 to 1889 inclusive, and from 1905 to 1909 in- clusive. For the later study in Tompkins County, SUMMARY OF RESULTS 13 the periods 1886 to 1890 inclusive and 1906 to 1 910 in- clusive were chosen. The principal facts developed by the investigation are briefly as follows: Church membership in Windsor County increased in the twenty years 4 per cent, and in Tompkins County 2 per cent. These figures on their face point to hopeful conclusion concerning the churches, which further study ' shows to be unwarranted. One of the important re- sults of the investigation was to show the wholly mis- leading character of statistics of membership as a meas- ure of vitality for the churches in Windsor and Tomp-' kins counties. The truth of this statement appears the moment we compare membership with expenditures measured in purchasing power and with attendance. When expressed in dollars, the expenditures of the churches in Windsor County increased 23 per cent, and in Tompkins County 7 per cent in the twenty years. But when measured in purchasing power, or in their ability to produce results, church expenditures in Wind- sor County declined 2 per cent, and in Tompkins County 9 per cent in the twenty years. This decline is still more significant when it is contrasted with the rapidly increasing scale of expenditures in nearly all departments of human life, and with the further fact 14 THE COUNTRY CHURCH that in the two counties there is a general feeb'ng of good will toward the churches, which results in money contributions for their support by those who are iden- tified with them in no other way. In Windsor County, also, important contributions are made to the churches by summer residents and by non-residents. The churches of both counties are giving less and less pay to their ministers. Reckoned in dollars, there was an increase of i6 per cent in Windsor County, while in Tompkins County the increase was less than i per cent. Reckoned in purchasing power, less real pay was given in each county during the second period than in the first. The amount of real pay declined 7 per cent in Windsor and nearly 16 per cent in Tompkins County. In Windsor County 64 per cent and in Tomp- kins County 72 per cent of the ministers were receiving less real pay in the second period than were their pred- ecessors in the first period. In Windsor County 34 out of 53 ministers, and in Tompkins County 2 1 out of 29 ministers received in purchasing power smaller salaries than those of twenty years before. In view of such facts as these it is but natural that in both counties the educational equipment of the minis- try should be inadequate to meet the needs of the present day. In Windsor County 75 per cent and in SUMMARY OF RESULTS 15 Tompkins County 85 per cent of the ministers have never had a full course of seven years' preparation in col- lege and theological seminary. In both counties the proportion of ministers who are foreign born is so great as to raise the question whether enough American young men enter the rural ministry. In Windsor County 25 per cent, and in Tompkins County 33 per cent are either foreign born or sons of foreign born, yet in both of these counties the Protestant population is of nearly pure American stock. But it is neither membership nor expenditures, but attendance, which furnishes the best measure of the' hold of the church upon its people. . It is true that attendance at Sunday worship is not the main object of the Christian religion. Neverthe- less, there is no other index of the place of the church in the life of the people so reliable as the attendance. Our investigation has abundantly confirmed the truth of this statement. Men and women go to church be- cause it is their duty or because they want to. In either case, it is the hold of the church and what the church stands for which suppHes the motive power. Church attendance in Windsor County fell off in twenty years nearly 31 per cent, and in Tompkins County 33 per cent. Making allowances for the de- i6 THE COUNTRY CHURCH cline in Protestant population, the loss in Windsor County was more than 29 per cent, and in Tompkins County more than 19 per cent. Furthermore, there is evidence that church attendance in Windsor County has been declining in relation to membership for fifty years. This is doubtless true in Tompkins County also, but we lack sufficient records to prove it except for the last twenty years. In the twenty year period in Windsor County, out of 49 churches for which the facts were learned as to both attendance and mem- bership, it was found that in no less than 37 the at- tendance had decUned in proportion to membership, while in Tompkins County out of a total of 36 churches all but two were similarly affected, so that in the two counties together the attendance declined in propor- tion to membership in 71 churches out of 85. But the situation is more serious than even these facts would lead us, to suppose. The investigation shows that the condition of the churches in the strictly rural districts is very much worse than in the large villages, although there is reason to fear that in a decade or two the condition of the churches in these larger communi- ties also will become acute. In Tompkins County there is a gain in the churches of the larger villages of 9 per cent in membership, a SUMMARY OF RESULTS 17 gain of 8 per cent in expenditures reckoned in purchas- ing power, and a loss of only 12 per cent in attendance, while in the churches of the smaller communities there is a loss of 3 per cent in membership, 20 per cent in expenditures, and 40 per cent in attendance. In the strictly rural districts in Windsor County there is a loss in church attendance of no less than 53 per cent. In a very large part of the churches of both counties, the congregations have been decreasing so rapidly and are now so small as to make the conditions and *' prospects most disheartening to the church-going people. Statisticians do not commonly make distinctions be- tween the two classes of communities here considered. Thus in the figures of the United States Census, towns of less than 2,500 inhabitants are grouped with the strictly rural districts. It is evident, therefore, that the country church problem and the country Ufe prob- lem for the area investigated is far more acute than statistical data would have led us to suppose. In both counties the church encounters little or no hostihty, and in most communities enjoys the more or less passive good will of the people. Yet it has been losing in prestige and influence, while the persons iden- tified with the church as a rule constitute a less influen- l8 THE COUNTRY CHURCH tial part of the population than was the case twenty years ago. The great decHne in church attendance in the open country is the most alarming fact developed by the investigation. Important evidence was found to show the evil effect of over churching. In the smaller communities the more numerous the churches the greater the loss in attendance in the last twenty years. In the two town- ships in Windsor County which had each but one church, each of the two has held its own in the twenty year period better than the churches in other townships. In the smaller villages and open country of Tompkins County, in almost every case it is true that each church which has a field to itself now prospers better than com- petitive churches in other communities. Thus in the small communities with only one church there has been a loss of total church attendance of 30 per cent in twenty years, while in the small communities with two churches there was a loss of 50 per cent and where there were more than two churches a loss of 55 per cent. To sum up: While in the twenty years church ex- penditures in the two counties expressed in dollars indicated a gain, when expressed in purchasing power they showed a loss. While membership was making a CHURCH ATTENDANCE IQ trifling gain, church attendance was suffering an alarm- ing reduction. In a word, the vitality and power of the country church in these two counties is in dechne. 4. CHURCH ATTENDANCE Before the present investigation was made there existed no considerable amount of recorded evidence bearing upon recent changes in church attendance. Such records as could be found bear out, however, the conclusions reached through the investigation. In Vermont, the ministers of such Congregational and Baptist Churches as are assisted by their state home missionary organizations, commonly count their con- gregations and make reports. Of the seven aided Con- gregational Churches of Vermont for which there is a record of attendance for periods of about twenty years, in all but one attendance has fallen off. The loss for the seven is from 64 to 45, or an average of 35 per cent. The aided Baptist Churches, more than twenty in num- ber, are shown by the records to have sustained a loss in attendance of 37 per cent in 14 years. During the investigation in Windsor County, records for counted congregations were secured for 34 different churches. Of these only 9 gained in attendance, 20 THE COUNTRY CHURCH while 25 lost. Seven of the records do not extend into the period of the investigation and may be disregarded. Since 1888, or the closest year preceding or following that date for which attendance was recorded, the records show 4 churches which gained in attendance as against 23 which lost. Records of church attendance and membership in Windsor County were found in considerable number for the years 1856 to 1864. During these years the average congregation was invariably larger, and as a rule very much larger, than the membership. In i860 for example, the average membership for 36 Congrega- tional Churches was 46, while the average congregation was 99, or more than double the membership. In 1865 the total membership of this denomination for the State was 17,136, while the average attendance was 22,274. In that year the total Congregational membership in Windsor County Association was 2,788, while the attendance numbered 3,380. In 1874 the attend- ance was less than the membership. In nine years attendance had changed from 17 per cent greater than membership to 3 per cent less, while in the State the corresponding change was from 29 per cent greater to 6 per cent less. Reports of aided Baptist Churches of Vermont from 1886 to 1902 show the same tendency. CHURCH ATTENDANCE 21 Records to show a similar state of facts for Tompkins County are lacking except for the twenty years covered by the investigation, but the belief that the facts are the same is practically universal among the old church members throughout the county. We have seen that out of the 85 churches in the two counties the attendance in no less than 71, or 83 J^ per cent, has declined in proportion to their member- ship. One church in Windsor County with an average attendance of 75 had an enrolled membership of 271, of whom only 186 were finally found to be living. In an- other church the actual count for a period of six months showed only 10 per cent of the resident members attending church. In one community in Tompkins County, where the three existing churches taken together are not as strong now as any one of them was twenty years ago, the total membership has increased 48 per cent, while one of these churches, whose average attendance has dwin- dled to about 10, and which is about to die, has in- creased its members on the rolls 283 per cent in the last twenty years, which increase is accompanied by a decline in attendance of 69 per cent. In 20 out of 23 towns in Windsor County (the 24th town, Baltimore, has no church), and in all 22 THE COUNTRY CHURCH the 8 towns considered in Tompkins County, the loss in attendance is gfeater than the loss in membership, while in 19 out of th'e ^3 towns in Windsor County, and in a majority of the towns in Tompkins County, the membership is increasing while the attendance is falling off. It has been urged that the discrepancy between mem- bership and attendance might be laid to the non- attendance of non-resident members, but Table 11 (page 113) disposes of this contention. Out of 32 churches in Windsor County for which the necessary figures exist there are 26 in which resident membership has increased in proportion to attendance, and only 6 in which attendance has gained in proportion to resident membership. It has already been stated that there has been a marked decline in church attendance for twenty years in both counties, both absolutely and in proportion to the Protestant population. It appears now that this loss has been in progress for at least fifty years, and that the tendency to stay away from church exists not only in the community in general but in church mem- bers as well. STUDY OF ATTENDANCE 23 5. A METHOD FOR STUDYING ATTENDANCE The method devised by Mr. Gill by which church attendance in a given year was compared with church attendance twenty years later is set forth in detail in Part II (page 97). It was applied first in Windsor County for the two years 1888 and 1908. Briefly it was as follows: In 1888, there were 30,364 Protestant people in Windsor County; in 1908, 29,785. From the tax list of the county and by other methods, fairly complete, lists were obtained of all families living in the county in 1888, and again in 1908. Carefully chosen persons in each church were then invited to go over the lists, and to record the church-going habits of every member of every family in each of the two years. Those who went to church were divided into three classes, — occasional attendants, who went to church from one-sixth to one- third of the time; frequent attendants, who went from one- third to two- thirds of the time; and regular attend- ants, who went more than two-thirds of the time. Through the generous and earnest cooperation of several hundred people in the county, it was possible to assign the whole Protestant church-going population to these three classes. 24 THE COUNTRY CHURCH While the investigation was in progress records of counted congregations were found for 35 churches. By the use of these records it became possible to compare and check the results of the investigation with actual recorded counts in the case of about 40 per cent of the churches. Usually the agreement was close. In some cases the results of the counts showed a greater loss in church attendance than did the investigation, while in only two cases did the investigation indicate a greater loss than the count, and in both of these the differences were very slight. Accordingly it is clear that the facts may be worse than the investigation in- dicates. They are certainly not better. 6. COMPARISON OF EXPENDITURES It is not sufficient, in making a comparison between the expenditures of two periods twenty years apart, to ascertain merely the number of dollars contributed and spent. This is true for two reasons. First, the average expenditures for nearly all purposes have greatly increased in the United States since 1888. Even when a church spends the same amount now as it did twenty years ago, its expenditures, when compared with the higher plane of spending on which men live COMPARISON OF EXPENDITURES 25 to-day, will have fallen off in spite of the fact that the number of dollars remains the same. Second, the purchasing power of the dollar now is smaller than it was twenty years ago. In order to produce the same results the church must spend more money now than it did then. Prices and the cost of living have risen in twenty years. Therefore any instructive comparison between church expenditures at the two periods must take into account the change in the purchasing power of the dol- lar. Hence it became necessary to ascertain the relative purchasing power of the dollar in the two years com- pared. In order to do so, those items were selected for comparison which the reports of the Department of Commerce and Labor indicate as most important in household expenditure. Accordingly prices were sought and found for each of the years on beef steak, ham, salt and fresh pork, lamb, chickens, eggs, fish, milk, butter, cheese, lard, sugar, potatoes, flour, rice, beans, coffee, tea, kerosene, wood, coal, and rent. This list was taken into the general stores and meat markets of the different townships, old day books and ledgers were hunted out, and from them the different prices of the articles were ascertained. Rents were found from rental values of parsonages and other 26 THE COUNTRY CHURCH records. Articles of clothing under the same general name were found to be of such different quality and price in the same year that it was impossible to make reliable comparisons. For Windsor County, prices were ascertained for any one year from 1875 to 1880, any one year from 1880 to 1884 inclusive; any one year from 1885 to 1889 inclu- sive, for 1890, 1893, 1895, 1898, 1900, 1903, 1905, 1908 and 1909. Fairly complete results were obtained in 20 out of the 23 townships in which there were churches. For Tompkins County prices were ascertained for any one year from 1875 to 1879 inclusive; any one year from 1880 to 1884; for the years 1886, 1888, 1890, 1893, 1895, 1898, 1900, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1909, and 1 9 10. Nearly complete results were obtained from all the 8 townships. Having completed the list of prices for the different years, the prices of one particular year were taken as 100, and all prices for other years were reduced to per- centages of the prices in that year. Then these per- centages were given relative weight in accordance with the proportion of the family income spent for each article in the average household, as indicated by a report of the Department of Commerce and Labor for 1903. Since figures for Vermont were not included in this / COMPARISON OF EXPENDITURES 2^ report, those for New Hampshire, which bounds Wind- sor County on one side, were used for that county. In this way a table was made of the relative cost of living in the different years. An example will make plain the rest of the process. Suppose that a minister's salary during the first period averaged $i,ooo a year, and in the second period twenty years later averaged $1,200. The cost of living in the first period is taken at 100. By comparison, in the second period it is found to be 130. The purchasing power of the dollar in the first period is taken as 100, and in the second it is 100 divided by 130 or .769. The ' real or purchasing value of the salary, which was $1,000 in the first period, in the second period would be $1,200 multipHed by .769, or $922.80. Thus in spite of the increase in the number of dollars paid him, the minister / in the example would actually be poorer in the second period than in the first. When the results of the price comparisons thus ascer- tained were worked out it was found that in the twenty towns of Windsor County for which data were available the average increase in the cost of living during the twenty year period was 24 per cent. The greatest in- crease was 48 per cent in the town of Hartford; the smallest increase is 7 per cent in the town of Weston. 28 THE COUNTRY CHURCH Hartford is at the junction of three railroads, while Weston is shut off by hills from railroad communication. In Tompkins County the greatest increase was 28 per cent in the township of Groton, and the least 14 per cent in the townships of Ulysses and Enfield while for the county as a whole the increase was 19 per cent. The towns of Tompkins County vary less in size and ac- cessibility to markets than those of Windsor County, which explains the smaller variations in the cost of living. 7. ministers' salaries It is unquestionably true that the way to secure a country ministry composed of men of character and efficiency is to make the work large enough and broad enough to attract such men. On the other hand, the character and efficiency of the country church will be greatly affected by the type of men who enter it. It is true that men who are seriously considering the minis- try as their profession are not likely to be actuated by mercenary motives. Nevertheless a life unduly limited on the material side does not attract the best men. Moreover, a low standard of pay deters men already in the ministry from advising the best young men of their parishes to take it up. The same cause has driven MINISTERS' SALARIES 29 many men of intellectual capacity and high character out of the ministry in order to secure the necessaries of life for their families and themselves. More than in former years the ministers of the present are dependent on their salaries for their support. In the earlier days, when the minister came to the parish he was received as a member of an intimate community, and the people felt responsible for the supply of his needs. When killing animals for food the farmers gave him part of the meat. A part of the harvest was his also, and money and food supplies came to him in formal donations. In Table 39 (pages 186, 187) it is shown that *' donations" to ministers in one set of churches in Tompkins County declined more than 60 per cent in twenty years. Reports from other churches point to a similar change, as does also the common testimony of the older people of the communities investigated. In the Baptist Churches in Vermont it was once thought improper for ministers to preach for money or to take pay for their services. At first this was a matter of conscience, later a matter of parsimony. Later still the minister came to accept his salary with his office as a matter of course. At present, beyond paying the amount agreed upon, a parish does not ordinarily assume responsibility for the support of its 30 THE COUNTRY CHURCH pastor. This may be an improvement on the old way, but it can be so only when the minister receives a salary of adequate purchasing power. The needs of life to-day are greater than those of twenty years ago. The general standard of living is higher, and men commonly spend more now than they did then. The minister needs not only better, and so more expensive, preparation, but he needs also more books and periodicals. The country minister needs money to attend conferences and to keep in touch with other ministers and wath students of the public welfare. The cost of feeding his horse is very much greater than it was. He must furnish his own equipment in other lines also, and pay for the wear and tear. The average minister in Windsor and Tompkins counties does not receive a living salary; much less does he receive a working salary. It is small wonder that those who assist churches in getting their ministers report a scarcity of good men available, or that many good men have been leaving the ministry who would much prefer to stay if they could do so and still support their families. One successful minister in Tompkins County graduated from a leading Theological Seminary in a class of twenty-five. Twenty-five years after graduation it was found that only six members of his EQUIPMENT OF MINISTERS 31 class were still in the ministry. The cause assigned was the lack of a living salary. The decline in the support of the ministry in Windsor and Tompkins counties is so serious a matter that the country church problem in this area can not be solved without better salaries for the country ministers. 8. EDUCATIONAL EQUIPMENT OF MINISTERS The demands of modern thought call for an educa- tional equipment on the part of the ministry far greater than has been necessary in the past. It is important to know whether the ministers have prepared them- selves to meet these demands. Letters inquiring as to length and character of courses taken in college and seminary were sent to all of the ninety-one ministers of the two counties, and answers were received from seventy-nine. From these answers it appears that only twelve ministers in Windsor and Tompkins counties com- pleted the regular college and seminary course of seven years which a high standard of preparation requires. Thirty-four had received either college or seminary training, or both together, of from three to six years. Ten had taken the course in reading and study pre- 32 THE COUNTRY CHURCH scribed by Methodist Episcopal Conferences; while forty-seven (or more than half) had received no train- ing which could be regarded as adequate for a minister of the present day. These forty-seven had received less instruction in institutions of learning than the least that it is customary for physicians to receive in the counties investigated. While it may not be possible to say, in any individual case, that a fixed amount of training in college and seminary is indispensable for good service in the minis- try, it is certain that on the average a low standard of preparation will produce a low standard of work. In the long run the qualities which lead a young man to demand for himself a thorough preparation as a student will also make him demand of himself a high degree of efiiciency in his work as a minister. Long ago the leaders of modern religious thought began to apply the scientific method to their study of religion. The readjustment of religious doctrine in accordance with the scientific method calls for religious teachers of better equipment than we now have in the country. The lack of them leads at times to a striking discrepancy between what is taught in the country churches and what is taught in seminaries and universi- ties. This discrepancy in turn leads to confusion and A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH 33 misapprehension as to what the church stands for and what is essential to its teaching. The repetition of old expressionsandoldmodesofthoughtdoesnotsatisfythe needs of modern people. Higher intellectual standards for the ministry are indispensable to insure progress. The scarcity of well-equipped men, willing to accept country parishes under present conditions, prevents the denominations from raising their standard of mmis- terial training. But much more depends upon the kind of men the ministry attracts to its ranks than upon their educational equipment. What is chiefly needed is to make the work of a country minister better worth doing. When that is accomplished it will be easy to find better men, and better trained men, to do it. 9. A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH The most successful church in Windsor County has a conception of its mission essentially different from that of most of the others. Both in conducting its own affairs and in its relation to the community, its work is based on broad principles of democracy and social service, and the object of the work is the community rather than the church itself . This church is actively interested in the work and 34 THE COUNTRY CHURCH play of the community as well as in its ethical welfare. It renders its services without regard to what it may gain for itself as a result of them. Although it is the originator and promoter of various movements which are not conducted in the name of the church, it does not seek credit for the good work accomplished. Thus, by the church's initiative, a civic league was formed, which has become an important factor in awakening public sentiment and creating a demand for the rea- sonable enforcement of law. The result is a general improvement in the morals of the township and greater cooperation among public-spirited citizens for the bet- terment of conditions in the villages which compose it. Better influences are brought to bear on the boys, in part through a boys' club under the supervision of the minister. As a result the streets of the village have been freed from profane and unclean language, the boys are acquiring wholesome ambitions, more of the older ones attend high schools or academies, and there is a marked lessening of the number of youthful loafers. By suggesting a system of athletic games and assist- ing in its establishment, the minister has helped to bring about an important improvement of discipline in the schools, with better habits of study on the part of the pupils. A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH 35 Work for the girls has made good progress also, and the best women of the community, without regard to denomination, are now cooperating in it. Their homes are thrown open for young people's gatherings, and a concerted effort is made to supply the opportunities for healthy amusement and the maturer influences that are so much needed in a young girl's Hfe. There is community cooperation for the benefit of boys as well, and they too are invited into the best homes, while at the suggestion of the church the library has set apart special shelves for the use of the Boys' Club, and for the girls, as well as books relating to sub- jects discussed in the church meetings. A successful women's club has been estabHshed which offers escape for tired women from the narrowing in- fluences of daily drudgery, and exercises an important function of its own in their lives. Instead of a Christmas Tree given by the church, as in former years, there is now a community tree, in which, regardless of creed or race, all have a share. In this way a considerable sum of money is yearly raised and expended in useful presents for the young people under the direction of a special representative com- mittee appointed to ascertain their needs. The program of the church is well rounded in its rela- S6 THE COUNTRY CHURCH tion to the general welfare, and the effect of its wider view appears in its hold upon the community. Many intelligent persons who were on the verge of leaving the church because its activities did not appeal to them are now enthusiastic church workers, and lend their energy to the promotion of its enterprises. Although mid-week services in most of the churches in Windsor County are poorly attended or do not exist, in this church they are well attended and successful. Once a month the mid- week service becomes a conference for social and civic betterment, whereby a wholesome and effective public sentiment is created or increased. Until within two years the attendance upon Sunday services from the farmers was small as compared with that of twenty or thirty years ago. But when the minister and the church began to realize the country life movement and their relation to it, the farmers of the congregation began to attend more regularly, and others came also with new interest in the services of the church and new appreciation of its relation to the man on the farm. Contact with the country life move- ment and participation in it gave the church a new vitality and a new appeal. Because of all this, the influence of the church has extended beyond its own community, first into the REMEDIES 37 township, and then into the county, and it has already taken a strong part in originating a state-wide move- ment for the betterment of hfe in the open country. While all this work was done because it was needed rather than for the purpose of building up the church, the result has been to strengthen the church in every way, to improve the attendance and the preaching, and to increase the general interest in the church and its work. The most successful church in Tompkins County does not supply so striking an example. Nevertheless,* its interest in the country life movement during the past two years has been followed by a marked increase in its attendance and in the value of its work. Under present conditions in Windsor and Tompkins counties it is evident that the church narrowly devoted to its own interests can not succeed. So far as these two counties are concerned, intelligent devotion on the part of the country church to the general interests of the community is a pre-requisite for successful service. lO. REMEDIES There is no single solution for the problem of the country church. The remedies here proposed embody SS THE COUNTRY CHURCH the conclusions of this investigation, and are suggested to meet the conditions which were found to exist in Windsor and Tompkins counties. They may or may not be altogether applicable to other localities. The same confusion of mind as to the condition of the country church, which was discovered to be prev- alent, exists also as to the causes of its decline and as to possible remedies. The reasons assigned for the decline were so numerous and so various that they could not all be true. Discouragement was common, prac- ticable suggestions rare, and many persons were found to believe that nothing could be done to improve the present conditions. Yet we know that a few country churches in different parts of the United States have recently shown renewed virility and effectiveness as the result of applying new principles and methods to their work, and we are safe in concluding that remedies exist, since they have been successfully applied. Improvement of Country Life. The most obvious cause for the growing weakness of the country church in Windsor and Tompkins counties is the general r/ decline of rural population, both in numbers and in vigor. The centralization of industries in larger com- munities and the call of the cities has drawn away from the country the most ambitious young women REMEDIES 39 and young men. Farm machinery has reduced the number of hands formerly necessary on a given area of land, while the agricultural development of the West brought a new and sharper competition upon the New York and New England farmers. Too large a share of the farmers' product goes to the middleman and the country people get less than their share of the gen- eral prosperity. School, press, and even the country church itself, have helped to direct the attention of the country boy and girl to the city as the place of success. It is still ac- cepted as the part of wisdom to leave the farm. Those who are left after the stronger and more enterprising have gone away can not supply the best material either for ministers or for teachers, nor can they furnish the vigorous population which is indispensable if local institutions of a high standard are to be estabHshed or maintained. With the present depleted country population and the disinclination of the farmers to combine even for their own good, the organization and strengthening of life on the farm will be difl&cult. Without the help of the church, that difl&culty will be multiplied many fold, for in the coming reconstruction of country life there is no other agency that can fill its place. Under y 40 THE COUNTRY CHURCH church leadership, successful cooperation in the pro- duction and marketing of crops, in buying supplies, and in milling and banking, has been brought about in certain localities outside the two counties, where with- out the religious motive it would apparently have been impossible. The Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and the Pennsylvania Germans are said to be the only Protest- ant churches not affected by the decline of country life, and that because they have been able, through cooperation, to create and maintain effective economic organization in the open country. The country church can not hope for prosperity apart from the improvement of country life. Whatever tends to produce a lower standard of living in the country, necessarily and immediately affects the country church. If there were no other and weightier reasons, as a mere matter of self-preservation the church could not afford to hold itself aloof from the struggle to secure the condi- tions of successful life upon the land. It can not hold itself free from responsibility for the continuance of bad economic conditions and expect to thrive in the midst of them. In Windsor and Tompkins counties, bad farming and weak churches go together. In Tompkins County in particular a poor soil means likewise a poor church. REMEDIES 41 The country churches must recognize it as an integral part of their work to promote better farming, better business, and better living on the farm. The country church can not prosper unless it is deeply, intelligently, and effectively interested in agricultural production, in securing for the farmer a fairer share of what he produces, in improving the social life and recreation of the community, and in the physical and intellectual, as well as the moral, development and health of the boys and girls, men and women, of its charge. To promote economic cooperation among farmers is an indispensable task of the country church. Schools. There can be no vigorous and animated life in the country, no solution of the country life problem or the country church problem in the two counties in- vestigated unless certain important changes are made in the schools. They must be fitted to direct the attention and the interest of their pupils toward country hfe in- stead of toward the cities, and designed to cultivate in them the power and the habit of appreciation of the farm. The effectiveness of country schools properly directed in changing boys and girls from their desire for city life to a taste for country life and occupation has already been amply shown in other localities. An agricultural school has been established near the border I/' y 42 THE COUNTRY CHURCH of Windsor County, and leading teachers in Vermont are already awake to the fact that the improvement of the schools is necessary to any successful progressive movement in the State. In Tompkins County the situation is less fortunate. There a large proportion of the boys and girls who at- tend school after the lower grades go to the city of Ithaca. Here their interests are naturally diverted away from the farm and the country, and toward city life and city occupations. In this county at least one agricultural high school, preparing boys and girls for life in the country, is badly needed. While the organization of the country church is not at present adapted to doing some of the things here suggested, it should not on that account feel less re- sponsible for their being done. Where it is not pre- pared to deal with the immediate and vital interests of country life, it must reorganize itself for that purpose, and it should stimulate not only its members, but others also, to bring the help re- quired. A Program of Social Service. The church in the country needs a new program. With the whole world turning to combined or cooperative action as the basis of efficiency, the program of the country churches REMEDIES 43 continues to deal wholly with individuals, and hence remains defective and one-sided. Apart from the pastoral work of the country minis- ters, they ordinarily seek the common welfare exclu- sively through worship and religious instruction, and"^ they assume that instruction and worship, acting on the individuals of their congregations, will solve the problems of the times. It has become evident that they are mistaken. In Windsor and Tompkins counties the country churches are far behind those of most foreign missions - in the breadth of their conception of their work. They are not working directly for the development of pro- gressive Christian communities, while too often their standard of goodness is merely negative. For the most part the rural churches of these two counties perpetuate tradition, but give no living message. / Thus the effort spent hitherto on the revival services which have actually been held in the two counties has generally been meager in result, often of doubtful value, and sometimes positively harmful. In a small village in Tompkins County a revival in 1890 produced two . hundred converts. Of these but a single one became and remained a regular attendant and member in good standing, while the churches in the community have 44 THE COUNTRY CHURCH been depressed and struggling ever since. It is evident that this revival has proved a lasting injury to these churches. The most successful recent revival reported to the investigator served merely to bring into <:hurch membership a certain number of regular attendants who, in the opinion of their pastor, would have joined the church a little later. The only type of revival reported as really successful is that conducted by a pastor who continues in the field of his labor after the revival period is over. But to this type, as to the others, the response of the people has been growing less and less. Whether or not this is due to the weak condition of the churches or because the traditional revival method is not adaptable to present day conditions, the authors have no sympathy with the opinion most often expressed by the ministers and other church members, that it is the fault of the people or of the times. On the other hand, the most successful ministers and churches are more nearly in accord with the conception of religion which appeals most strongly to the men and women of to-day. They regard the common welfare not as a by-product, but as a direct and essential ob- ject of the church's endeavor. Work for the individual and work for the community, in their view, are parts REMEDIES 45 of a single task, because the highest welfare of men and women can not be found apart from social service and the common good. The desire to render social service is the master Christian impulse of our time. The country church needs social service to vitaHze it as much as social service in the country needs the help of the church. Although less attention has been given to it, social service is as important for the health of the community in the country as in the city, while results in the country are far more easily accompHshed. Nothing is more evident than the fact that the country church must be organized for other service in addition to the work it is doing now. Once the duty of social service is recog- nized by the country church and the responsibility for it frankly accepted, there will be no insuperable difficul- ties in the way. The country churches in Windsor and Tompkins counties are too often out of sympathy with the best prevailing religious sentiment of the present day. In recent years a profound change has taken place in the religious thinking of the Protestant people. Whether this change represents an important advance, as the authors believe, or whether it does not, it is at least true that the churches in the two counties have lagged 46 THE COUNTRY CHURCH behind in adapting themselves to the change. We have no desire to belittle theology, but the fact remains that the most powerful religious feeling is no longer concerned mainly with doctrinal discussions, but seeks expression in unselfish living and in social service. Men think less about dogma and more about service. This feeling the great majority of these country churches fail to realize or to assist. As a rule, their teaching is aloof from the daily interests of the people, and the application of Christian doctrine to the actual condi- tions of life is too often neglected. An Effective Country Ministry. The country minister needs a more lasting interest in the country parish. In Windsor and Tompkins counties the average coun- try minister does not regard his task as permanent, but rather as a temporary stopping place on the road toward a larger church. The value and significance of the service open to him as a country minister often escapes him, and the success he seeks lies elsewhere. Among the acquaintances of a single person were fifteen ministers of one denomination in Tompkins County, ^11 of whom admitted they were not in their present field to stay. Another resident of the same county testifies that in more than thirty years he has never known a minister of a small parish in that REMEDIES 47 region who regarded it as his permanent work. Under such conditions it is evident that no continuous policy or sustained plan of work can be followed long enough to produce results proportionate to the effort expended. The country ministry in these two counties is weak because it has little to do with the vital needs of the people. As a rule it is out of touch with the essential problems which control the welfare not only of country Hfe but of the church itself. The essential fact is that the minister is often aloof from the real concerns of the people. Too often he has no intelligent appreciation of whole fields of human interests that are rightly of prime importance to his parishoners. The country minister needs special training for work in the country. For lack of such training many of his chief interests are artificial and technical, while those of his people are essential and practical. Without a knowledge of the fundamental interests of rural life he can not hope to succeed. His education should include courses in rural economics and rural sociology of a practical sort, and at least so much instruction in agriculture as will en- able him to understand the work by which his parish- ioners earn their living and his own. On the side of doctrine also the country ministry is not equipped intellectually to meet the needs of the 48 THE COUNTRY CHURCH present day. Many a country minister has been so poorly educated that his ability is limited to the cham- pioning of his own denominational peculiarities of be- lief, while he lacks the power to set forth and discuss the fundamental truths which underlie the whole structure of the church. Most of the ministers in the two coun- ties are in need of instruction to supplement their training in college and seminary. This need may be met in part by summer schools, such for example, as have been held in Amherst, Mass., at Ithaca, Hamil- ton, and Auburn, N. Y., and elsewhere. The nature of his work and the demands upon his intellectual resources also are such that the country minister needs frequent supplies of information to meet the conditions of his service. The books which now come most often to his attention fail to supply his needs, while too often they direct his attention to matters of slight concern to his people. Most country ministers in the two counties are in- sufficiently acquainted with their own parishes. They are famiHar with the roads, and with the people whom they meet, but the essential facts as a rule they have not yet discovered. The country minister needs a deeper and more sympathetic understanding of his community and of the conditions and needs of the REMEDIES 49 people whom he serves, and this he can not get by ordinary methods of observation, but only through special studies directed to that end. Furthermore, as we have seen, the salary of the average country minister in Windsor and Tompkins counties is not a living wage. Such under-payment necessarily keeps him out of touch with the progress of his profession by depriving him of books and jour- nals. It debars him from the knowledge and uplift which conventions supply, and it creates a condition of restlessness which not only kills his own effectiveness • in his work, but rightly prevents him from advising the vigorous and ambitious young men of his acquaintance to enter the ministry. The country ministry will not be better until it is better paid. One of the urgent needs of the country minister in the area covered by this investigation is contact with a world larger than his parish. The conditions of his work make necessary a greater knowledge of facts and methods than he can get by himself. It must be made easier for him to draw from the fund of valuable experience that has already been accumulated upon various phases of country life, and to keep in touch with the new methods which are developing for the work of the country parish. These needs should be 50 THE COUNTRY CHURCH met and supplied in part by the employment of State or County secretaries in contact both with the country ministers and with the developments of rural social service, and in part by attendance at conferences and summer schools. The country minister too often feels lost in a backwater of the main stream of prog- ress, and sees himself as engaged in a solitary struggle with small, discouraging, and unessential problems, while, as a matter of fact, his place upon the stage of civilization is very near the center, and no one has a better right than he to all the enthusiasm of those who are employed in the most vital of tasks. Church Cooperation. In the villages of Windsor and Tompkins counties, the more numerous the churches the greater the loss in attendance in the last twenty years. In these over-churched communities, the sup- port of the churches is obviously more difficult, and the religious bodies are losing ground so rapidly that for some at least it is only a question of time when all but one in each community will become extinct. Like any other army, the Christian church can most easily be defeated in detail. Sectarian rivalries weaken the churches. Lacking the spirit of cooperation, they hinder each other rather than help, and their standing in REMEDIES 51 the community is lowered, while their power and desire for service is greatly reduced. The long period of the death struggle of superfluous churches presents the serious problem of securing a sound community life in the face of dwindling religious institutions. Under such circumstances, consolidation or federation of the churches is the obvious remedy. To bring it about, however, is seldom easy. In nearly every church there are some members who oppose con- solidation, and are usually able to prevent it. Their position is all the more harmful for the reason that for the most part in Windsor and Tompkins counties de- nominational divisions have ceased to be matters of principle or of theological difference, and have become matters of social grouping, based on custom or associa- tion, on petty jealousies, personal hostihty, and the desire to retain minor church offices. There is but one solution for the problem of over- churching which seems to offer reasonable hope in the two counties concerned. This hes along the line, not of doctrinal union, but of common effort in the cause of the common welfare. When people work together for a better community, they are the more likely to work together for a better church. Divisions in the churches may often be bridged over by setting the 52 THE COUNTRY CHURCH members of hostile groups working together for the common good. Organization for Social Service. The country churches .of Windsor and Tompkins counties are each too small as units of organization to be able to carry on the work of social service with efficiency. A larger and more powerful unit is necessary before the churches can take their reasonable part in the work for the general welfare. Just what form such an organization should take may be open to discussion. The form it has taken in Vermont is described on page 53. Whatever form is accepted should rest on the prin- ciple that the needs of the community should determine the work of the church. Such an organization must of necessity be more widely extended than the bound- aries of village or township, because only thus can the necessary broader view be acquired or the necessary paid experts be employed, and only thus is a policy or plan of work likely to be adopted and continued long enough to be made effective. One of the important results of church organization for social service is that the work becomes more varied in character, accordingly appeals to people of a greater variety of interests, and so strengthens the church; while the church in action gives point and carrying power to ORGANIZATION IN VERMONT 53 its teaching, and makes its message'more comprehensi- ble and effective. It is hardly to be questioned that the church is the natural body to lead in rural social service. It is found everywhere, the doors of every home are open to its ministers, its buildings are the meeting places in which men, women, and children are accustomed to assemble, and its ministers speak to some of the people at least once every week. The country life movement could ill afford to neglect the cooperation of an organization already rooted in the field of country life. In Vermont at least, the religious bodies have already done enough to make it clear that to them belongs the position of leadership. II. ORGANIZATION IN VERMONT The most significant movement in church organiza- tion in Vermont is what has come to be known as the Hartford Forward Movement, which owes its origin to facts disclosed by this investigation. The pastor of the successful church described in Section 9 had been in charge of it for three years when the results of our investigation made him aware of a serious decline both of his own church and the churches of the rest of Wind- 54 THE COUNTRY CHURCH sor County. Thereupon, with a broader and clearer view, he began to study the needs of the community, and to determine the most effective ways to supply them. It soon became evident that the wants of his parish could not be met by themselves alone, but that the movement must extend throughout the whole town- ship. Later on even the township was seen to be too small, and it became evident that to be successful the movement must be county-wide, and then state-wide, that persons not connected with the church must be induced to take part in it, and that it must include the cooperation of all forces working for social betterment. Before long nearly a hundred of the most influential men and women of the township, organized in seven groups of public-spirited citizens, were actively engaged in promoting the public welfare, while each of the seven formed part of a central body. These groups held themselves responsible for the promotion of better farming, for the improvement of the schools, for the organization and supervision of recreation, for uniting the efforts of different organizations engaged in chari- table and social work, for making the town more attrac- tive, and for securing the reasonable enforcement of the law. Part of the work of the Hartford Forward Movement ORGANIZATION IN VERMONT 55 was done in cooperation with the Windsor County Y. M. C. A., which for a number of years has been ac- tive in the county, and has already done excellent service in making the occupation of the farmer more interesting for him as boy and man. Public apprecia- tion of the Y. M. C. A. work is shown by the increase in its annual budget from $1,700 to its present amount of $6,000 with eight hundred subscribers. This amount does not include the cooperative assistance of the United States Government in paying one-half the cost of an agricultural expert, nor $500 per year given by the Grain Growers Association, nor $500 appropriated this year by the Legislature of Vermont for the holding of a State corn show for which the Y. M. C. A. is re- sponsible. The Windsor County Y. M. C. A. has made itself one of the most potent factors in Vermont for the im- provement of agriculture, while in its work with boys, in promoting more and better recreation, and in its varied program of social service, it has demonstrated, as no other social force has done, both the need and the possibilities of county organization. For the past few years the idea of making a better Vermont has been agitated through the State, and this agitation increased the public interest in the Hartford 56 THE COUNTRY CHURCH Forward Movement. One of the results was the organ- ization of the Greater Vermont Association, another was the formation of the Bennington County Vermont Improvement Association, which ultimately adopted a broad program of general betterment, and which, like the Windsor County Y. M. C. A., receives help from the U. S. Government and from the Grain Growers Association. Its annual budget, including these con- tributions, is about $8,000, while the total expenditures in the county due to its initiative aniount this year to $25,000. Under the leadership of this association the people of Bennington County are being rapidly or- ganized into township leagues, which are component parts of a county league of farmers, whose business it is to increase the prosperity of the county through cooperation in producing and selling crops, and in buy- ing supplies. Chittenden County has adopted a similar organiza- tion, while several other counties in Vermont are about to employ county agricultural experts. Hampden County, Massachusetts, has followed the same lead, and the promoter of the Hartford Forward Movement has been employed for its work. We have seen that the Hartford Movement began in the church, but spread beyond it when the church ORGANIZATION IN VERMONT 57 came to understand that not one of the interests of the community were foreign to it. When the other country churches awake to the same reahzation, the effect will be to strengthen enormously the movement for the reorganization of country life. That such an awakening is imminent is indicated by the broad pro- gram just adopted by the Interchurch Federation of Vermont. This body was formed seven years ago. It includes nearly all of the Protestant churches of the State. Until 191 2 its principal effort was to persuade the churches to consolidate, or live together as good neighbors. In 19 12, however, under the influence of the Hartford Forward Movement, it adopted and pub- lished the following remarkable program, through which it accepted responsibihty for the general betterment of conditions in Vermont. *'i. We propose to take for our first endeavor the economic, social and intellectual, and religious, im- provement of the small towns of the State. "2. We pledge our help to communities of this kind, especially in securing for them an efficient religious leadership: *^(a) By the promotion of summer conferences for instruction and inspiration for religious work in the open country. 58 THE COUNTRY CHURCH '' (b) By extension work, including correspondence courses in the country church, and in modern agricul- ture. "3. We agree to outline plans for the uplift of certain districts, to assume the task through a common effort to be made under the leadership of a committee to be chosen under the separate churches of that district, and further requesting that these churches become respon- sible for the special field assigned, and labor for its uplift by all possible means, but including: " (a) The approach of the people on the side of the work whereby they earn their daily bread, and the endeavor to stimulate better farming and better living, so that Vermont boys may realize that they have a chance in Vermont. " (b) The organization of towns for recreation and common social amusement to cure the ills of isolation and neighborhood jealousy. "4. We believe that each religious body represented in Verrfiont should work first for the welfare of Vermont, and should subordinate its own promotion to that end. " 5. We promise to lay to heart the condition of our rural schools — teachers underpaid and frequently changed, insufficient books and supplies, inadequate buildings and grounds, — and we pledge our cooperation ORGANIZATION IN VERMONT 59 in any movement looking to the equalizing of educa- tional advantages between country and city children.'^ The Interchurch Federation proposes, through the establishment of a summer school and conference for ministers, to promote the cooperation of the Protestant denominations for the general welfare, and there is strong hope that through the unifying power of social service the concerted action of all Protestant Christian ■forces in Vermont can be secured. Not one of the movements here enumerated can do its best work alone. Thus it is doubtful whether the Hartford Forward Movement can be permanently suc- cessful without the support and reenforcement of cor- responding movements in the County and State. The Interchurch Federation of Vermont, in its turn needs the cooperation and assistance of the church on a na- tional scale. The success of the movement for a health- ier church in the open country must depend, as we be- lieve this investigation, within its limits, goes far to show, on a working alliance of the churches for social service throughout the United States. II WINDSOR COUNTY I. THE LOCALITY AND THE PEOPLE Windsor County lies just south of the center of Ver- mont along the Eastern border of the State. North and South its extent is about fifty miles; East and West nearly forty. There are hills everywhere, roughest and most numerous in the Western part. Its many streams run southeasterly into the Connecticut River. Its arable soil produces good crops of hay and of forage corn and oats, while its pastures are for the most part fertile and well adapted to dairying. The railroad sta- tion nearest the center of the county is about 170 miles from Boston, which offers one of the best markets in the United States for agricultural products. In summer the climate is delightful. The winters are long and cold, but the atmosphere dry and invigorating. Windsor is a rural county and agriculture is its prin- cipal industry. Its largest township has less than 5,000 people, and only three have more than 2,500. Less than half its townships have factories of any kind. The United States Census reports supply the following statement of changes in population. 63 64 THE COUNTRY CHURCH The settlement of the county began after the close of the French and Indian Wars in 1760. In 1790 there were already 16,000 inhabitants. These increased to 27,000 in 1800, and to more than 40,000 in 1830. From 1850 to 1890 the population steadily decHned. From 1890 until 1910 it grew from 31,706 to 33,625, an in- crease mainly due to the growth of the manufacturing industries in Springfield, Windsor, and other towns. Among the causes to which the previous decline in population was due are the fall in the price of wool in the years following the Civil War, competition with the free lands of the West under modern conditions of transportation, agricultural mining of the soil (due to bad methods of farming), the clearing and settlement of lands which should have been devoted to forestry rather than to agriculture, the tendency of small manu- facturing industries to give way before the larger con- cerns of the cities, and the superior attractions of the larger centers of population for young men and young women. It should be noted that a part of the loss of popu- lation is probably due to a centralization of schools and their consequent removal to a greater distance from the back farms. Just as the modern system of caring for roads often results in the neglect of the back roads, WINDSOR COUNTY 66 THE COUNTRY CHURCH while it greatly improves the main highways, so cen- tralized schools may have a similar result. Children sent to them are at a greater distance from the super- vision of their parents, who often object to having them exposed to possible bad influences in the village, es- pecially during the noon hour. Windsor County contains 24 townships or towns, which are not villages but portions of the county gen- erally containing villages, of which one township or town may include several. The 4 townships which have not declined in population since 1840 contain the largest and most important manufacturing villages. All the strictly agricultural towns have lost in popula- tion. As compared with other States the population of Vermont is of an exceptionally pure native stock. The county was settled by a very vigorous class of farming people, chiefly from Connecticut, but partly also from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. For more than seventy years steady streams of Vermonters have gone to the West and to the eastern cities, while on the other hand Vermont has had a smaller immigration of foreigners than most of the other New England States, and Windsor County less than most of the other counties of Vermont. The people who have moved WINDSOR COUNTY— THE LOCALITY 67 away from Vermont have usually been of so excellent a quality that their emigration has resulted in a most serious loss to the State. Windsor County is now suffering from this long continued drain upon its vi- tality, a drain which is not supplied by the substitution of an inferior population for the former vigorous ag- gressive inhabitants, whose ideals, ambitions, and abiUties were of a high order. The close relation between the prosperity of the country people and the condition of the country church is self-evident. There can be no progressive country church where agriculture is decadent. Therefore some information as to the tendencies in agriculture is es- sential. The surface of Vermont is rough and hilly, but no State in the Union has so many cattle per acre, or in proportion to population. In the fertility of its soil it compares favorably with other New England States, yet the Census figures for 1900 and 19 10 show little progress in the agriculture of Windsor County. The total acreage of farms in 1900 was 547,817, and in 1910, 537,912, or a loss of about 10,000 acres. The total acreage in crops in the ten years fell off slightly. There were 58 more farms in 1900 than 1910, more farms of less than 50 acres in size, less farms of from 50 to 200 68 THE COUNTRY CHURCH acres, with an increase in the number of still larger farms. On the other hand, the value of farm land and farm buildings increased $3,559,958 during this ten year period, although if allowance is made for the pur- chasing power of the dollar the increase was less than half of that sum. In an agricultural township selected as typical the assessed property continuously declined in value from 1870 to 1900, but since 1902 has been on the rise. Dur- ing the past five years farms have been sold at greatly advanced prices. This fact, however, does not neces- sarily indicate an increased agricultural prosperity, nor a larger income to the farmer. In portions of the county land is farmed improvi- dently, while the removal elsewhere of enterprising families has doubtless had as unfavorable an effect upon agriculture as it has had on the church. But while the agricultural situation is not altogether satisfactory, it will doubtless improve, in part because of the increasing demand for farm produce in the city markets. Economic conditions alone, however favorable to agriculture, will not, as we know, suffice to keep a fair proportion of the best young people and the best fam- ilies on the farm. Good returns for farm products must be supplemented by good schools, by an attrac-. WINDSOR COUNTY— THE LOCALITY 69 tive social life and an efficient church, or the process of rural decay, leading directly to national inefficiency and decline, will continue unchecked. Good industrial and social conditions, combined with an intelligent enthusiasm for the country and for the farm, can and will counteract the lure of the city. Without them there is Httle hope that men and women who will in- sure the conservation of soil fertility and maintain efficient schools and efficient churches can be induced to live in the open country. 70 THE COUNTRY CHURCH ' f^ fO N5 M M 00 N O>00 O l^ 1/^00 Ov t^ OvO • . N li^vO M Tj- M Tj-O 0> O ■* • :^S^ M M M H OOM-IHOOCN0 11 00 O >-( 0 00\Mi-<>o Tfoo ClOfOIH>OTj-0»OMOv lOfOOOvO M CJ Tj-M o vo O w 00 -^ t>. Ov roOO t>.t^OOvO i-i 0>M -& O M i-i <00 O OvOviOTfroi-i t^ 0>IH00'O fOTt<00>0o Tf M fooo t^ •<:i- coo t^ M looo m . ir> t^oo vO M O Ov rJ-vO m m t>.0 Ov m t^ cs m CO co 00 Mr~.0O CO'^COHI cocO0 TfO O MM^HrMcTc^cTMcrMi-ri-rHri-ri-rcri-rcrM' Tj- lO Tj- M cT CO vO'^t^O MO M Oco OOO OOMCOOOoO M i^ cN •^ r^ Oi lo ■^O cs lo to tN.i-iOt^co0 OOOOO OcnO Ot^OMOO Tj-iOM 'tOvC' t^MOOOOvOCSOv -^O lO to t^ IT) O CO M lOO O CO CS O O O M rl-00 M vow cOt^>Ot^OM (N •Tj-Ocot^Ot^MOO OO OOOOOM-^CSlOCOMMCOOOlOMTft^MCOOlOCOOOlM to M 00 M 00 O •»!• t^OO O M t^O On M M CO TtO M Tj-OO »OM tOOvCOOlO t^ Ov OOO l^O toOO r»t^ro lOO lO M Tj- CN looO O t^ M MO O 00 ■^O M OvcOioO M M C00>0 MOO MMMMMCrMMMMM MMMCOMM «"« 00 -"too 00 •«*• *^COt^M Tj-TfTt-O T}-tO M O M Tf CS J^OO "tf OvO O lOO Tj- lO CO coco O l^O t^ -^ tJ- Tj- O^i^-MMt^t^cOt^t^ t^OO t^ (N rf- t^OO 00 M CO VOOO >0 MtoOMCNCSVOt^OoicoOJ^OvOt^OMMOOcOO't- rs.lOTj-Mt^lOt^M rJ-Tj-O Tft^'^lOCS O CO coo O •* W t^ OOO CS *^'-i'OMM'*t^tOcO'.l^ O O to rt tiO h7 (HMrfMcTM mm" rf M rTcT mm . &^ •s^ > PQpqU J3 TO S fi 2 i: q A. fi^ Pi^ p!i c^ c^c^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ cnW WINDSOR COUNTY— THE LOCALITY TABLE 2 Number of Inhabitants in 71 THE Townships of Windsor County in 1910 Compared with the Years of Their Maxi- mum Population County and Townships Year of Maximum Population County 1830 Andover 1800 Baltimore. . . . 1810 Chester 1820 Reading 1820 Weathersfield 1820 Hartland .... 1820 Barnard 1830 Norwich 1830 Pomfret 1830 Sharon 1830 Windsor 1830 Bridgewater. . 1840 Plymouth. . . . 1840 Royal ton .... 1840 Stockbridge . . 1840 Weston 1840 Woodstock. . . 1840 West Windsor 1850 Rochester. . . . i860 Cavendish . . . 1870 Bethel 1910 Hartford 1910 Ludlow 1910 Springfield . . . 1910 Maximum Population 40,623 Population in 1910 33,625 Decline per cent from Maximum 17 1,016 234 77 207 54 74 2,493 1,784 28 1,603 530 67 2,301 1,092 S3 2,552 1,316 48 1,881 737 61 2,316 1,253 46 1,867 709 62 1,459 585 60 3,134 2,407 23 1,363 874 36 1,417 482 66 1,917 1,452 24 1,418 737 48 1,032 632 39 3,315 2,545 23 1,002 567 43 1,507 1,317 13 1,823 1,203 34 1,943 1,943 4,173 4,173 2,215 2,215 4,784 4,784 •• 72 THE COUNTRY CHURCH 2. MEMBERSHIP Membership data are available for fifty-five churches for the years 1888 and 1908. These data show an in- crease from 4,688 in 1888 to 4,889 in 1908 or 4.28 per cent. The United States Census gives the membership for 1890 as 6,130 and for 1906 as 6,422, or an increase of 4.8 per cent in sixteen years. No membership data for 1888 were found for the churches of the Universalist denomination. The pub- lished figures for several of the Methodist Churches include members of other churches outside of the county with which they are yoked. As there was no way of determining what proportion of these members were in the churches of Windsor County it was neces- sary to omit them all. In Table 3, the figures are given for the individual churches and charges. WINDSOR COUNTY— MEMBERSHIP 73 TABLE 3 Membership of the Individual Chxjrches (Grouped by Denominations and Townships) for the Years 1888 and 1908 and the Percentage of Gain or Loss Members 1908 Per cent Gain (+) Loss ( — ) Totals 4,688 Springfield Congregational 283 Hartford " 182 Quechee " loi West Hartford " 71 Wilder " 21 Woodstock " 211 Windsor " 128 Ludlow " 108 Bethel " 85 Chester " 160 So. Royalton " 61 Royalton " 73 Hartland " 65 Rochester " 118 Norwich " 187 Weathersfield Ctr." 54 Bridgewater " 43 Stockbridge " 48 Pomfret " 31 Weston " 37 Sharon " 92 Plymouth " 17 Springfield Baptist 132 Windsor " 143 Ludlow " 216 Bethel " 18 Chester " iS7 Cavendish " 46 Weathersfield ' " 85 4- 4.2J 340 + 20 176 — 3 79 — 22 70 — I 67 + 219 176 — 17 no — 14 176 + 63 76 — II 178 + II 96 + 57 59 — 19 69 + 6 86 — 27 174 — 7 46 — IS 56 + 30 25 -48 74 + 139 30 — 19 71 — 23 23 + 35 120 — 9 74 -48 224 + 4 9 — 50 169 + 8 76 + 6s 100 + 18 74 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 3 (Continued) Members 1888 1908 Per cent Gain (-{-) or Loss ( — ) Weston Baptist 67 42 —37 Sharon " 54 iS — 72 Reading " 62 9 — 85 Andover " 28 26 — 7 Springfield Episcopal 9 53 +489 White River Jet. " 37 49 +32 Woodstock " 48 90 +88 Windsor " 70 83 +19 Bethel " 46 43 — 7 Chester " 77 43 — 44 Royalton " 26 19 — 27 Springfield Methodist Episcopal 193 234 +21 White River Jet. 1 ., , ^ Quechee | ^4 1S2 +105 Woodstock " 173 152 — 12 Windsor " 36 100 +178 Bethel " .. 59 Ludlow " 76 102 + 34 So. Royalton " 81 93 + i5 Hartland " 76 36 — 53 Rochester " 142 77 — 46 Cavendish " 48 5© + 4 Reading I « Weathersfieldj ^^ ^^ ~ '^ Barnard " 91 99+9 Weston " 72 78+8 West Windsor ** 65 loi + 55 3. ATTENDANCE The final results of the investigation show a decline in the number of regular and frequent attendants, or WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 75 those attending services on at least one Sunday in three, from 8,003 in 1888 to 5,537 in 1908, or nearly 31 per cent. After making deductions for the decrease in the Prot- estant population, the relative loss is 29.4 per cent. More than 26 per cent of the Protestant population attended church regularly or frequently in the year 1888 and less than 19 per cent in the year 1908. The loss for the individual townships was from 11 per cent in the town of Pomfret to 75 per cent in the town of An- dover. The change relatively to the Protestant popu- lation varied from a gain of nearly 14 per cent in the town of Pomfret to a loss of 58 per cent in the town of Andover. To determine what were the figures which would show the loss in attendance in its relation to the Prot- estant population, it was necessary to find not only the figures for the total population in 1888 and in 1908 but also for the non-Protestant population. According to the U. S. Religious Census there were in Windsor County, in 1890, 1,470 Catholics while in 1906 there were 3,430.* Using these figures as a basis for computation it was found that there was a relative * Note. The actual numbers given in the census reports are 1,250 for 1890 and 2,916 for 1906; but these numbers exclude children under a certain age, or about 15 per cent of the CathoUc population. 76 THE COUNTRY CHURCH loss in the attendance of the Protestant churches of 27 per cent. But it was learned that the number of Catholics reported in the census for 1890 must have been very much too small. The figures given included only those who rented pews and members of their families. In view of this fact it was thought advisable to get more accurate information as to the number of Catholics in the counties in the two years compared. To this end the Hsts of the families of the county for 1888 and 1908 were used to determine the number of Catholics in the townships in each of these years, in consultation with CathoHcs who resided in the different towns in each of the two years. Accurate information was thus obtained as to the Catholic and other non- Protestant part of the population. It was learned in this way that there were at least six hundred more Catholics in the county in 1890 than were reported in the census. In six of the smaller towns the exact figures could not be obtained, but the people interviewed agreed either that the number was so small as to be a negligible quantity or that the number was less in 1908 than it was in 1888. Whatever possible errors there may be, they must be such as to make the final estimate of 29 per cent, (the relative loss in at- tendance in Protestant churches, allowance being made WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 77 for changes in Protestant population) less rather than greater than the actual relative loss. TABLE 4 Percentage of Protestant Population Attending Church IN 1888 and in 1908 One-third of the Time or More Regular and frequent attendants, 1888 1908 8,003 5,537 2,466 .. Loss in regular and frequent attendants in twenty years Loss per cent in regular and frequent attendants in twenty years 31 29 26 Relative loss per cent after making deductions for de- crease in Protestant population Per cent of Protestant population attending church regu- larly or frequently in 1888 Per cent of Protestant population attending church regu- larly or frequently in 1908 19 78 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 5 Showing How Relative Loss in Attendance Is Reckoned Non-Protestant population, 1888 2,040 ^ " " 1908 3.560 ^ Total population in county, 1880 35,196 ^ " " " " 1890 31,7062 1900 32,225 " " " " 1910 33,625 2 Gain in total population, 1900-1910 1,400 " " " " per year 140 Loss in population, 1880-1890 3,490 " " " per year 349 Estimated total population, 1888 32,404 ' 1908 33,345 * Protestant population, 1888 30,364 1908 29,785 Protestant attendance, 1888 8,003 ^ No. of Protestant attendants in 1888 constituted following per cent of Protestant population 26,356 ^ Normal Protestant attendance in 1908 (26.356% of 29,785) . . 7,850 ^ Actual Protestant attendance, 1908 5,537 ^ Loss per cent in attendance from 1888 to 1908 relative to Protestant population 29.47 * ^ Determined by the work of the investigation as previously described. 2 According to U. S. Census reports. ' 3 1,706+ (349x2) = 32,404- * 33,625— (i40X2) = 33,345. ^ The attendance in 1888 is assumed to be normal. " 7850—5537 =29.47%. 780 WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 79 In Table 6, showing the relative losses in attendance in the individual townships, the same methods of es- timating are used as for the county in Table $. TABLE 6 Losses in Attendance in Individual Towns Township County Andover . . . Barnard Bethel Bridgewater Cavendish. . Chester Hartford Hartland Ludlow Norwich Plymouth Pomfret Reading Rochester . . . . Royalton . . . . Sharon Springfield . . . Stockbridge . Weathersfield. Weston West Windsor Windsor .... Woodstock . . Attendants i888 1908 8,003 5.537 61 184 531 166 230 434 856 360 536 367 80 no 170 345 382 igi 794 326 310 225 108 438 799 IS 118 347 86 163 363 578 207 448 227 37 98 74 181 333 lOI 668 143 198 90 92 388 582 Loss Per Cent 31 76 36 35 48 29 16 32 43 16 38 54 II S6 48 13 47 16 56 36 60 IS Population 890 1910 418 918 1,448 1,124 1,172 1,789 3,740 1,393 1,768 1,304 75S 86s 749 1,257 1,433 737 2,881 894 1,174 864 S70 1,844 2,S4S 234 737 1,943 874 1,203 1,784 4,173 1,316 2,215 1,253 482 709 530 1,317 i,4S2 585 4,784 737 1,092 632 567 2,407 2,545 Estimated Population 1888 1908 Per Cent of Population who were Attendants in 1888 447 973 1,497 1,166 1,193 1,810 3,583 1,434 1,815 1,337 819 920 790 1,278 1,458 792 2,934 940 1,210 889 594 1,912 2,599 262* 758 1,877 894 1,233 1,782 4,102 1,321 2,180 1,263 515 723 SS4 1,304 1,447 610 4,SI4 7S4 1,076 657 SS6 2,349 2,547 13.6s 18.9 3S-S 14.2 19-3 24. 23. 25. 29. 27. 9- 12. 21. S 27. 26.2 24.1 27. 34.7 25.6 25.3 18.3 22.9 30.7 • In estimating numbers in this column the figures in Table i were used. 8o THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 6 {Continued) Township *Nor- mal No. At- tend- ants 1908 Per Cent Gain or Loss Rel- ative to Total Popula- tion Non- Protestant Population Protestant Population Per Cent of Prot- estant Popula- tion who were At- tendants in 1888 ** Nor- mal At- tend- 1888 1908 i888 1908 ants 1908 County 2,040 3.560 .... Andover Barnard Bethel Bridgewater . . Cavendish. . . . Chester Hartford Hartland Ludlow Norwich Plymouth Pomfret Reading Rochester Royal ton Sharon Sprmgfield . . . Stockbndge . . Weathersfield . Weston West Windsor Windsor Woodstock . . . 36 143 666 127 238 428 980 332 643 347 SO 87 119 352 379 147 1,219 262 275 166 lOI 538 782 -58 —17 -48 —32 —32 —IS —41 -38 —30 —35 —26 + 13 -38 —49 —12 —31 —45 —45 —28 -46 — 9 —28 —26 10 81 55 553 135 281 12 38 40 319 35 319 162 10 50 208 65 22 990 14s 419 32 62 36 24 812 S8 35 321 271 437 1,416 1,138 3,030 1,299 1,534 1,266 1,420 752 2,61s 1,210 854 1,593 2,437 2S2 1,669 1,168 3,112 1,176 1,761 .... .... .... 1,242 1,411 586 3,702 .'.ois 622 2,028 2,276 13.96 37-5 20.21 28.2s 27.71 34-94 27.2s 26.9 25.4 30.36 2s".6' 26.35 27. 5 32.79 35 626 236 879 879 326 6iS 338 380 149 1,124 261 164 558 746 • Per cent of total population in 1908 equal to per cent of total population who were attendants in i888. ** Per cent of Protestant population in 1908 equal to per cent of Protestant population who were attendants in 1888. WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE TABLE 6 {Continued) 8l Township Gain or Loss Per Cent in Relation to Protestant Population Township Gain or Loss Per Cent in Relation to Protestant Population County —29 —57 —17 —45 —32 —31 —15 —34 —37 —27 -35 —26 Pomfret +13 -38 —46 Rochester Bethel —32 —41 —45 —24 —45 — 9 —30 Cavendish Springfield Chester Stockbridge Hartford Weathersfield Hartland Weston Ludlow. . . West Windsor Windsor Norwich Plymouth Woodstock TABLE 7 Attendance of Individual Churches by Denominations AND Townships Regular and fre- Gain {,+) quent attendants or Loss (— ) 1888 1908 Per cent Totals 8,003 S.S37 31 Springfield Hartford Quechee West Hartford Wilder Woodstock Windsor Congregational . 317 200 — 37 248 153 -38 121 73 — 40 92 64 — 30 46 61 + 33 194 163 — 16 196 73 -63 82 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 7 {Continued) Regular and fre- quent attendants 1888 1908 Gain (+) or Loss ( — ) Per cent Ludlow Bethel Chester So. Royalton Royalton Hartland Rochester Norwich Weathersfield Ctr. Weathersfield Bow Bridgewater Stockbridge Pomfret Weston Sharon Plymouth Springfield Baptist Windsor Ludlow Bethel Chester Cavendish Weathersfield Weston Sharon Reading Andover Springfield White River Jet Woodstock Windsor Bethel Chester Royalton Norwich Congregational . Episcopal. 113 127 + 12 130 62 — 52 177 152 — 14 133 141 + 6 98 88 — 10 94 59 — 37 137 75 — 45 244 195 — 20 42 14 25 - 67 49 36 — 27 58 40 — 31 108 98 — 9 43 26 — 40 102 73 — 28 63 23 -63 6S 77 + 18 119 63 — 47 198 133 — 33 12 17 + 42 154 105 — 32 73 63 — 14 100 58 — 42 81 22 — 73 62 28 — 55 60 23 — 62 61 15 — 75 25 53 + 112 27 44 + 63 109 149 + 37 57 72 + 26 79 54 — 32 61 40 — 34 32 12 — 62 12 II — 8 WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE TABLE 7 (Continued) Regular and fre- quent attendants 1888 1908 83 Gain (+) or Loss { — ) Per Cent Cavendish Episcopal Springfield Meth, Epis. White River Jet. Quechee Wilder Woodstock Windsor Bethel Ludlow So. Royalton Hartland No. Hartland Rochester Norwich Cavendish Weathersfield Gaysville Stony Brook Barnard East Barnard Weston Reading West Windsor Springfield Universal White River Jet. Woodstock Ludlow Bethel Chester Hartland Rochester Cavendish Gaysville Reading Sharon 17 191 194 + 2 126 91 — 28 S3 37 SI + 38 134 85 100 — 37 134 159 + 19 96 106 + 10 119 92 — 23 88 S4 — 39 SI 24 — 53 I2S 63 — 50 III 21 — 81 71 63 — II 34 37 + 9 33 16 — S2 114 18 -84 136 61 — 55 48 S7 + 19 lOI 42 - 58 64 22 — 66 108 92 — IS 154 128 — 17 106 41 — 61 130 40 -69 129 82 -36 176 S5 -69 42 66 + 57 127 70 — 45 83 43 -48 69 37 -46 54 33 — 39 46 29 — 37 27 .... 84 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 7 {Continued) Regular and f re- Gain (+) quent attendants or Loss { — ) 1888 1890 per Cent 80 + 21 16 — 62 so — 57 12 — 14 36 -46 14 — 18 26 — 41 64 — 52 Woodstock Christian 174 107 — 39 Windsor Unitarian 66 Springfield Advent 42 Bridgewater " 117 Taftsville Union 14 Stockbridge Union (Univ. & Meth.) 67 Pomfret " " " 2 Plymouth Notch " " " 17 So. Woodstock " " " 44 Ascutneyville " (Cong'l & Meth.) 134 Records of Attendance. The tendency for church at- tendance to decline is shown also by the records of counted congregations. Records for more than one year were found in the case of 34 churches. These records appear in Table 8, in the last column of which the figures are reduced to percentages, 1888 being taken as the index year. From this table it appears that reckoning from 1870, or the nearest year following for which a record exists, only 9 churches out of 34 gained in attendance. In the case of most of these 9 the records cover a period of a few years only. In the case of 5 they do not extend later than 1882. Reckoning from 1888 or the nearest years preceding or following for which attend- WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 8S ance was recorded, only 4 indicate a gain whereas 20 show a loss. The figures of this table are used as the basis of Dia- gram I, pages 92-97. TABLE 8 Records or Attendance Percentage Name of Church Year Attendance of Attend- ance in 1888 Bridgewater Congregational 1870 80 123 1877 150 231 1880 80 123 1887 80 123 1888 65 100 1890 90 139 189s 91 140 1900 100 IS4 1904 SO 77 Stockbridge Congregational 1870 100 167 1875 53, 88 1880 SO 83 1885 SO 83 1888 60 100 1890 SO 83 189s 49 82 1900 29 48 1904 27 4S 1907 37 62 1908 40 67 Andover Baptist 1870 70 175 1874 60 ISO 86 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 8 {Continued) Percentage Name of Church Year Attendance of Attend- ance in 1888 Andover Baptist 1888 40 100 1890 36 90 1895 35 88 1900 40 100 190S 30 75 Hartford Congregational 1870 220 138 1874 22s 141 1880 176 110 1885 190 119 1888 160 100 1890 206 129 190S 108 67 1909 99 62 Hartland Congregational 1870 III 139 1876 65 81 1881 70 88 1885 75 94 1888 80 100 1889 90 113 1890 80 100 189s 75 94 1900 65 81 1905 67 84 ' 1908 40 50 1909 40 50 Springfield Congregational 1870 307 140 1875 310 141 1880 270 123 1888 220 100 1901 205 93 WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 87 TABLE 8 {Continued) Percentage Name of Church Year Attendance of Attend- ance in 1888 Springfield Congregational 1904 187 85 1910 138* 63 Reading Baptist 1888 60 100 1895 56 93 1898 45 75 1900 40 67 1905 24 40 Cavendish Baptist 1888 75 100 1890 68 91 1895 35 47 1900 40 53 1905 30 40 Windsor Baptist 1888 160 100 189s 100 63 1900 60 38 1906 49 31 Weston Congregational 1870 60 100 187s 75 125 1880 40 67 188s 95 158 1888 60 100 1890 56 93 189s 80 133 1900 70 117 190S 40 67 1909 40 67 Ludlow Methodist Episcopal 1888 75** 100 * Counted September igio — February 191 1. ** Counted last six months of 1888 and 1908. ss THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 8 (Continued) Percentage Name of Church Year Attendance of Attend- ance in 1888 Ludlow Methodist Episcopal 1889 89 119 1908 74* 99 Weathersfield Baptist 1888 75 100 1893 54 72 So. Royalton Congregational 1868 75 83 1870 85 94 187s 80 89 1880 102 113 188s 90 100 1888 90 100 ■ 1890 95 106 1892 98 109 Bethel Congregational 1870 67 74 187s 60 67 1880 80 89 1886 82 91 1888 90 100 1889 100 III 1890 100 III 1891 85 94 Plymouth Congregational 1870 75 214 1876 75 214 188s 35 100 1890 35 100 1896 38 109 1900 32 91 1906 32 91 1909 45 129 * Counted last six months of 1888 and 1908. WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE TABLE 8 (Continued) 89 Percentage Name of Church Year Attendance of Attend- ance in 1888 Windsor Congregational 1870 180 162 187s 140 126 1880 123 III 1882 ISO 135 1892 85 77 189s 100 90 1900 60 54 1904 60 54 1906 49 44 East Weathersfield Cong'l 1867 80 146 1869 60 109 1871 70 127 1873 8S 155 1900 31 56 1901 23 42 White River Junction Univ. 1903 53 70 1904 37 49 1908 31 41 1909 23 31 Woodstock Congregational 1870 230 146 187s 175 III 1880 167 106 1908 135 85 1909 X37 87 Weathersfield Congregational 1870 60 80 1873 SO 67 1876 SO 67 1880 65 87 1889 75 100 1890 56 75 90 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 8 {Continued:) Percentage Name of Church Year Attendance of Attend- ance in 1888 Weathersfield Congregational 1895 51 68 1900 31 41 East Bethel Baptist 1872 60 133 1880 50 III i88s 48 107 1890 30 67 1894 40 89 Norwich Congregational 1870 194 146 187s 206 155 1880 180 135 1882 140 105 Ave. 1889-1903 123 92 Pomfret Congregational 1867 98 140 1869 IIS 164 1870 75 107 187s 70 100 1880 75 107 1882 75 107 Royalton Congregational 1870 125 176 1874 75 106 1880 108 152 1882 76 107 Rochester Meth. Epis. 1901 85 100 1902 80 94 190S 63 74 1907 60 71 1908 72 85 1909 55 65 WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE TABLE 8 {Continued) 91 Percentage Name of Church Year Attendance of Attend- ance in 1888 Chester Congregational 1870 220 133 1875 150 91 1880 i8s 112 1882 I7S 106 Sharon Baptist 1871 33 66 1875 55 no 1880 60 120 1885 85 170 1887 50 100 1890 65 130 1894 40 80 Windsor Episcopal 189s 53 93 1900 50 88 1905 41 72 1907 SI 90 Weston Baptist 1883 40 89 1896 50 III 1900 35 78 1905 SO III Ascutnejrville Congregational 1871 80 86 1875 75 81 1880 125 134 1882 93 100 Sharon Congregational 1870 75 107 1875 80 114 1880 85 121 1881 80 114 1882 75 107 92 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 8 {Continued) Name of Church Percentage TT *.A 3 of Attend- Year Attendance ance tn Rochester Congregational Ludlow Congregational Quechee Congregational 1870 108 108 187s 105 los 1880 89 89 1882 117 117 1870 80 89 1875 los 117 1880 82 91 1882 90 100 1870 75 75 1875 150 ISO 1880 120 120 1882 130 130 DIAGRAM I Records of Attendance The figures at the left of the cuts indicate percentages of the average attendance in the year 1888, while the figures at the bottom indicate the years. 250 200 150 100 50 A / / 1 n/ ■^ \ \ 1870 80 90 1900 1910 BRIDGEWATER CONGREGATIONAL 150 100 60 V V^ -y\ A / "^ 1810 80 90 r900 1910 STOCKBRIDGE CONGREGATIONAL WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 93 DIAGRAM I {Continued) too 1870 80 90 1900 1910 ANDOVER BAPTIST Q70 80 90 1900 1310 HARTFORD CONGREGATIONAL 870 80 90 1900 WlO HARTLAND CONGREGATIONAL 50. 1870 80 90 1900 1910 SPRINGFIELD CONGREGATIONAL 1870 80 90 1900 1910 READING BAPTIST 1870 80 I3C0 1910 1870 80 90 1900 1910 CAVENDISH BAPTIST WINDSOR BAPTIST ISO S50 too 1870 80 90 1900 1910 WESTON CONGREGATIONAL 94 50 THE COUNTRY CHURCH DIAGRAM I {Continued) ISO J870 60 90 J90O 1910 LUDLOW METHODIST EPISCOPAL \ 1870 80 90 1900 1910 WEATHERSFIELD BAPTIST / 100 so J y / \ / (970 80 90 1900 1910 EAST BETHEL BAPTIST '"S V,. 1870 80 90 1900 1910 NORWICH CONGREGATIONAL 96 THE COUNTRY CHURCH DIAGRAM I (Continued) A — 360 70 80 90 1900 1910 POMFRET CONGREGATIONAL 200 150 100 ^870 80 90 1900 1910 ROYALTON CONGREGATIONAL Vi 150 100 v^ 1870 80 90 1900 J9I0 ROCHESTER METHODIST EPISCOPAL 200 150 too V^ 370 80 90 IdOO 1910- CHESTER CONGREGATIONAL 1870 £0 90 1900 1910 SHARON BAPTIST "" ^ 1870 80 90 1900 1910 WINDSOR EPISCOPAL WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE DIAGRAM I {Continued) 150 100 97 ^/ 1870 80 90 1900 I'JlO WESTON BAPTIST / \ J 50 '1870 80 90 1900 1910 ASCUTNEYVILLE CONGREGATIONAL 200 150 too 50 1870 80 90 1900 1910 SHARON CONGREGATIONAL 160 100 50 / 1870 80 90 1900 I9ia ROCHESTER CONGREGATIONAL 150 100 SO A r^ 1870 80 ■ 90 1900 laja LUDLOW CONGREGATIONAL 150 100 tin A / / 1870 80 90 1300 1910 QUECHEE CONGREGATIONAL 98 THE COUNTRY CHURCH The Gill Method Used in Ascertaining Church At- tendance in 1888 and igo8. A more detailed account than that in Part i is required for complete under- standing of the method of ascertaining church at- tendance for two years twenty years apart. The fol- lowing description is based on the method as first applied in Windsor County, Vermont. Elsewhere difference in public records might entail small changes in the application of the method. The problem was to determine the change made in the number of church-going people in Windsor County during the twenty year period from 1888 to 1908. Two or more copies of the lists of taxpayers for each of these two years were secured, and the names were arranged in groups according to place of residence in each town. For this the old school districts were taken as a basis, and copies of maps of the districts were pre- pared for each town. The list of taxpayers comprised nearly every family in each town, and in each school district of each town, for the two years. The next step was to ascertain the names of the per- sons still living who regularly attended each Protestant church in the year 1888. From them were selected the best witnesses, that selection being based on interest in the church, age, memory, habits of mind, and ac- THE GILL METHOD 99 quaintance with and interest in the people. If any persons had moved into the town in the year 1888 and had become regular church attendants, their names were ascertained, and generally they were found to be most efficient in settling cases of doubt as to the attendance of individuals in that year. Next the investigator called on the witnesses selected, awakened their interest in the work, explained its methods, and invited their cooperation. In some cases it was possible to interest a whole family of regular attendants of different ages, who increased the probable correctness of the work by participating in it. Church-goers were divided into three classes, — occa- sional attendants, who were present from one-sixth to one- third of the time; frequent attendants, present from one-third to two-thirds of the time; and regular attendants, present from two-thirds to all of the time. The witnesses selected were cautioned against the danger of confusing any other year, such as 1887 or 1891, with the year 1888, and were urged to declare their uncertainty in every doubtful case. The name of the pastor in the year 1888 had previously been ascertained, and in all cases was given to the persons interviewed. Then came the tedious task of going over the names loo THE COUNTRY CHURCH on the list of taxpayers, recording the number of church-goers from every family, and marking the names as to which the witness was doubtful. Later the witness was questioned carefully as to whether any names had probably been omitted, and whether the facts as writ- ten down were surely correct. Opinions were then asked as to the tendency in church attendance in the twenty year period, and estimates were secured as to numbers in the congregations of 1888 and 1908. In many cases it was found that the persons interviewed had been in the habit of actually counting the con- gregations. The tax lists for 1908 were then treated in the same way. The process here described was repeated with other witnesses. Any divergences were then discussed with the first witnesses, and the repetition was con- tinued until the investigator had satisfied himself that his figures were reasonably accurate. It is not always possible to find competent witnesses on the first trial. In Windsor County there are one or two such in nearly every church. The cooperation freely given in this part of the investigation was of peculiar value, and acknowledg- ment is here repeated of the unselfish and indispensable assistance so generously rendered. THE GILL METHOD loi The Method Tested. Confidence in the truthfulness of the conclusions resulting from this method is based chiefly on the thorough testing to which they were sub- jected by comparison with records of counted congrega- tions. In most cases it was comparatively easy to as- certain the average attendance in 1908. Where records of actual counts were not available, it was usually pos- sible to find church members who had been in the habit of counting congregations although not of recording the count. In a surprisingly large number of cases in Wind- sor County it was found that two-thirds the number of combined frequent and regular attendants, that is, of those who were in church at least one Sunday out of three, coincided closely with the average congregation as shown by the record of counted congregations, and by the estimates of persons who had been in the habit of counting. In order to make certain that the figures for 1908 did not fall below the actual attendance at church these estimates were checked against two-thirds of the number of combined frequent and regular at- tendants as found by the Gill method. If the estimates were larger than the number found by the Gill method, the estimate was used. If the number was larger the number was used. By this uniform method of choice all possibility of an unfair selection of the result to I02 THE COUNTRY CHURCH use was avoided and a conservative figure was made certain. Columns 6 and 7 of Table 9 show that the average change in attendance in counted congregations was a decline of 41 per cent, while the average change for the same congregations by the Gill method was a decline of only 33 per cent. Of course it does not follow that in all cases the change in the relative number of people who attended church more than one-third of the time in two given years will correspond exactly with the change in the average congregations of the two years, but in determining the tendency in church-going the two sets of data coincide so closely that the truthfulness of both sets is confirmed. In more than one-third of the churches, therefore, the method is tested. It is not unlikely that hereafter records of counted congregations in other churches may be discovered, and it is possible that these may show that in some churches the loss in attendance is over- estimated, but it is scarcely possible that enough over- estimates have been made to offset the underestimates which have been proved. WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE ■<=>3 TABLE 9 Showing that the Loss in Attendance May Be Greater but Can- not Be Less than that Stated in the Conclusions of the Investigation Year Attendance According to Records of Counted Congrega- tions * Number of Regular and Frequent Attendants Determined by Gill Method Percentage of Attendance in 1888 Percentage Lost or Gained Com- pared with 1888 Counted Congre- gations ** Gill Method Counted Congre- gations Gill Method I 2 3 4 5 6 7 Average loss in 20 years, (a) Excluding the church- es for which the members are estimated for ^888. —43 —34 (b) Including the church- es for which the members are estimated for 1888 ** —41 —33 Hartford Cong'l 1886 190 119 1888 160 248 100 100 1889 165 103 1890 206 129 1908 99 IS3 62 62 -38 -38 Hartland Cong'l 1888 80 94 100 100 1889 90 113 1890 80 ICX) 1908 40 59 50 63 —SO —37 1909 40 ... 50 ... Ludlow Meth. 1888 7S 96 100 100 1908 74 106 99 no — I +10 Springfield Cong'l 1888 220 317 100 100 1901 20s 93 1904 187 8S 1908 133 200 61 63 —39 —37 1910 138 63 104 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 9 {Continued) Year Attendance According to Records of Counted Congrega- tions * Number of Regular and Frequent Attendants Determined by Gill Method Percentage of Attendance in 1888 Percentage Lost or Gained Com- pared with 1888 Counted Congre- gations ** Gill Method Counted Congre- gations Gill Method 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stockbridge Cong'l i888 60 S8 100 100 1908 40 40 67 69 —33 —31 Weston Cong'l 1888 1890 1 90s 60 S6 40 43 100 93 67 100 1908 35 26 S8 61 —42 —39 Andover Baptist 1888 40 61 100 100 1908 10 IS 25 25 -75 —75 Bethel Cong'l 1888 90 130 100 100 1908 41 62 46 48 —54 -52 Bridgewater Cong'l 1887 80 123 1888 6S 49*" 100 100 1890 90 139 1908 SO 36*** 77 "74 -23**** —26 1910 40 62 . Cavendish Baptist 1888 75 73 100 100 1908 SS 63 73 86 —27 —14 Chester Cong'l 1882 r888 175 177 106 100** 1908 102 IS2 62 86 -38 —14 Chester Baptist 1888 125 154 100 100 1908 70 los S6 68 —44 —32 Queechee Cong'l 1882 130 ... 130 1888 121 100 100 1908 47 73 47 60 —53 —40 WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 105 TABLE 9 (Conti mied) Number of Percentage of Percentage Lost Attendance Regular Attendance in or Gained Com- According and 1888 pared with 1888 to Records Frequent Year of Counted Attendants Counted Counted Congrega- tions * Determined by Gill Method Congre- gations** Gill Method Congre- gations Gill Method I 2 3 4 5 6 7 West Hartford Cong'l 1882 70 108 1888 92 100 100 1908 43 64 66 70 —34 —30 White River Jet. Univ .1888 1903 1904 S3 37 106 70 49 100 1908 31 41 41 39 1909 23 ... 31 North HartlandMeth 1888 55 SI 100 100 , 1908 16 24 29 47 —71 —S3 Ludlow Cong'l 1882 90 Id 1888 113 100 100 1908 85 127 95 112 —5 +12 1910 100 ... 112 ... Ludlow Baptist 1888 140 198 100 100 1908 S9 133 64 67 -36 —33 1910 63 45 ... Norwich Cong'l 1875 1880 1882 206 180 140 ISS 135 105 1888 244 100 100 1896 123 92 1908 I9S 80 —20 1910 100 75 —25 Reading (Felchville) Baptist 1888 1906 60 30 60 100 50 100 io6 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 9 (Continued) Attendance According to Records oj Counted Congrega- tions * Number of Regular and Frequent Attendants Determined by Gill Method Percentage of Attendance in 1888 Percentage Lost or Gained Com- pared with 1888 Tear Counted Congre- gations** Gill Method Counted Congre- gations GiU Method I 2 3 4 5 6 7 Reading (Felchville) 1908 16 23 27 38 —73 —62 Baptist Rochester Cong'l 1882 117 ... 117 1888 137 100 100 1908 SO 75 SO 55 —50 —45 Rochester Meth. 1888 1901 1902 1905 1907 85 80 63 60 125 100 94 74 71 100 1908 72 63 85 51 1909 55 ... 65 S. Royalton Cong'l 1888 90 131 100 100 1908 94 141 104 108 +4 + 8 Royalton Congl 1880 1881 1882 108 100 76 152 141 107 ... 1888 98 100 TOO 1908 59 88 83 90 —17 —10 Sharon Cong'l 1880 1881 1882 85 80 75 ... 121 114 107 1888 102 100 100 1908 49 73 70 72 —30 —28 1910 40 ... 57 Sharon Baptist 1885 1887 85 50 ... 170 100 1888 62 100 100 WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE TABLE 9 {Continued) 107 Number of Percentage of Percentage Lost Attendance Regular Attendance in or Gained Com- According and 1888 pared with 1 888 to Records of Counted Frequent Attendants Year Counted Counted Congrega- tions * Determined by Gill Method Congre- gations** Gill Method Congre- gations Gill Method I 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sharon Baptist 1890 1895 6S 40 130 80 1908 19 28 38 45 —62 —55 Springfield Baptist 1888 TOO 6s*** 100 100 1908 83 77*** 83 119 —17 +19 Weathersfield Baptist 1888 1893 75 54 100 100 72 100 1908 3Q 58 52 58 -48 —42 Weathersfield Center Cong'l 1880 1888 1889 189s 1900 1901 1908 65 75 51 31 28 42 14 87 100 68 41 37 100 33 Weathersfield Cong'l & Ascutneyville Meth. 1880 1882 125 93 ... 134 115 1888 134 100 100 1908 43 64 S3 48 -48 —52 Weston Baptist & Meth. 1888 160 182 100 100 1908 43 64 27 35 —73 -6S Windsor Cong'l 1882 150 III 1888 ^96 100 100 1895 100 74 ... io8 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 9 {Continued) Year Attendance According to Records of Counted Congrega- tions * Number of Regular and Frequent Attendants Determined by Gill Method Percentage of Attendance in 1888 Percentage Lost or Gained Com- pared with 1888 Counted Congre- gations** Gill Method Counted Congre- gations Gill Method I 2 3 4 5 6 7 Windsor Cong'l 1900 1904 1906 60 60 49 44 44 36 1908 49 73 36 37 -64 -63 Windsor Baptist 1888 1906 160 49 119 100 30 100 1908 42 63 26 53 —74 —47 Windsor Episcopal 1888 189s 1900 1 90s 1907 S2, 50 41 SI S7*** 93 88 72 90 100 1908 82 72*** 144 126 1909 72 126 1910 61 107 Woodstock Cong'l 1880 167 106 1888 194 100 100 1908 I3S 163 8S 84 —IS —16 1909 137 87 • In column 2 figures which are reckoned in the manner described on page 100 are italicised. The rest of the figures represent actual counts. ** In column 4 the italicised figure stands for the number for 1888 estimated from the counts for the nearest years for which counts are recorded. All other figures represent actual counts. **♦ Does not include attendants whose residences are in other townships. •*** It will be noted as compared with the year 1887 the loss is 37 per cent and as com- pared with 1890 it is 44 per cent. WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 109 Diagram II, based on the figures in Table 9, shows also that the loss in attendance may be greater but cannot be less than that stated by the conclusions of this investiga- tion. The unbroken line represents the average decline of 41 per cent shown by the records of counted congrega- tions of those churches for which such records were found, while the dotted line shows for the same group of churches a decline of only ^^ per cent indicated by the results obtained in the use of the Gill Method. DIAGRAM II Comparison of the Results of the Gill Method with Records of Counted Congregations (Dotted line represents the former, the unbroken line the latter.) J20 WO ^ S,s^"^ -^^33% 41%' ' 93 98 1903 1908 no THE COUNTRY CHURCH 4. ATTENDANCE AND MEMBERSHIP COMPARED For fifty years in Windsor County there has been a tendency for church attendance to decline in propor- tion to membership. Table 10 gives membership and attendance figures for every church in the county for which both sets of facts are available for the twenty year period 1 888-1 908. Of the 49 churches compared, the attendance has gained in proportion to membership in 12, while in 37 it has lost. In the last two columns the figures are reduced to percentages. In these 49 churches there is a decline in the total church membership of less than i per cent, while in attendance there is a decHne of nearly 28 per cent. The same tendency is also shown by comparing the figures which have already been given for membership and attendance in the county. While for the county, mem- bership has increased 4 per cent, attendance has de- clined 30 per cent. WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE in TABLE lo Number of Members and Attendants Compared for 1888 AND 1908 (Churches Arranged in Order of Relative In- crease OR Decrease of Attendance in Relation to Mem- bership) Enrolled Attendant's Per Cent Members Gain or Loss In In 1888 igo8 1888 1908 Member- ship Attend- ance Totals 4,493 4,456 5,320 3,834 — I —28 Springfield Epis. 9 S3 25 53 +489 +112 Pomfret Cong'l 31 74 108 98 +139 — 9 Plymouth " 17 23 80 37 +35 —54 Cavendish Baptist 46 76 73 63 +65 —14 West Windsor Meth. 6s lOI 108 92 +55 —15 Barnard Meth. 91 99 136 61 + 9 —55 Andover Baptist 28 26 61 15 — 7 — 7S * Weston Meth. 72 78 lOI 42 + 8 -S8 Weathersfield Baptist 85 100 100 58 +18 —42 Springfield Cong'l 283 340 317 200 +20 —37 Bridgewater " 43 56 49 36 +30 —27 Windsor " 128 110 196 73 — 14 -63 Weathersfield Ctr. " 54 46 42 14 —15 —67 Woodstock Epis. 48 90 109 149 +88 +37 So. Royalton Cong'l 61 96 133 141 +57 + 6 Hartland " 6S 69 94 59 + 6 —37 Ludlow " 108 176 113 127 +63 +12 Bethel " 8S 76 130 62 — II —52 Weston Baptist 67 42 81 22 —37 —73 Royalton Epis. 26 (1887) 19 32 12 —27 -63 Chester Baptist 157 169 154 105 + 8 —32 Ludlow " 216 224 198 133 + 4 —33 Hartford Cong'l 182 176 248 153 — 3 -38 So. Royalton Meth. 81 93 119 92 +15 —23 West Hartford Cong'l 71 70 92 64 — I —30 Bethel Epis. 46 43 79 54 — 7 —32 Woodstock Meth. 173 152 134 85 — 12 -37 Chester Cong'l 160 178 177 152 +11 —14 112 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE lo (Contimied) Enrolled Per Cent Members Attendants Gain or Loss In In iS88 1908 1888 1908 Member- ship Attend- ance Ludlow Meth. 76 102 96 106 +34 +10 Weston Cong'l 37 30 43 26 —19 —40 Rochester " 118 86 137 75 —27 —45 Springfield Meth. 193 234 191 194 +21 + 2 Quechee Cong'l lOI 79 121 73 — 21 —40 Norwich " 187 174 244 195 — 7 — 20 Cavendish Meth. 48 SO 71 68 + 4 — 4 Sharon Cong'l 92 71 102 73 —23 —28 Rochester Meth. 142 77 I2S 63 —46 —SO Woodstock Cong'l 211 176 194 163 —17 —16 Windsor Baptist 143 74 119 63 -48 —47 Windsor Epis. 70 83 57 72 +19 +26 Stockbridge Cong'l 48 25 58 40 -48 —31 Royalton " 73 59 98 88 —19 — 10 Hartland Meth. 76 36 88 54 —53 —39 Chester Epis. 77 43 61 40 —44 —34 Sharon Baptist 54 IS 62 28 —72 —ss Reading " 62 9 60 23 -85 —62 Springfield " 132 1 20 6S 77 — 9 +18 White River Jet. Epis. 37 49 27 44 +32 +63 Bethel Baptist 18 9 12* 17* —50 +42 • Attendants resident in neighboring townships excluded in both years. Diagram III, based on the figures in Table 10, shows graphically that in the churches for which both sets of facts are known membership has declined only i per cent while attendance has declined 28 per cent. WINDSOR COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 113 DIAGRAM III Comparison of Loss in Membership and Loss in Attendance ltd loss in Membership • /^ •^<^^c ^'>^^-^ 93 98 1903 I90S The decline of attendance in proportion to member- ship has been explained as due to the retention of non- resident members on church rolls. That this is not true is shown by the figures for 32 churches given in Table 11, in only 6 of which the attendance has gained on the resident membership, while membership has increased over attendance in 26. 114 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE II Number of Resident Members and Attendants in the Individual Churches in the Years 1888 and 1908 and the Gain and Loss per Cent (Churches Arranged in the Order of the Percentage of Loss in Attendance in Re- lation TO Membership) Resident Members Attendants Gain or Loss Per Cent Resident Attend- 1888 1908 1888 1908 Members ants Totals 2,324 2,180 3,761 2,553 — 6 — 32 Pomfret Cong'l 27 63 108 98 +133 — 9 Plymouth " 14 18 80 37 +29 —54 Cavendish Baptist 37 61 73 63 +65 —14 Andover " 16 12 61 15 —25 —75 Weathersfield " 54 45 100 58 —17 —42 Springfield Cong'l 235 245 317 200 + 4 —37 Bridgewater " 25 37 49 36 +48 —27 Windsor " 104 85 196 73 —18 -63 Weathersfield Ctr. " 39 23 42 14 —41 -67 So. Royalton " 50 77 133 141 +54 + 6 Hartland '< 56 55 94 59 — 2 —37 Ludlow " 60 133 113 127 +122 +12 Bethel " 68 61 130 62 ID -52 Weston Baptist 30 32 81 22 + 7 —73 Chester " 113 120 154 los + 6 —32 Ludlow " 160 145 198 133 — 9 —33 Hartford Congl 147 116 248 153 — 21 -38 West Hartford " 48 48 92 64 —30 Weston " 26 24 43 26 — 8 —40 Chester « 116 119 177 152 + 3 —14 Rochester " 94 66 137 75 —30 —45 Quechee " 79 51 121 73 —35 —40 Norwich " 150 138 244 195 — 8 —20 Sharon " 67 38 102 73 —43 —28 Woodstock " 166 149 194 163 — 10 —16 Windsor Baptist 91 41 119 63 —55 —47 Royalton Cong'l SI 47 98 88 — 8 —10 Sharon Baptist 32 IS 62 28 -53 —55 WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 115 TABLE II (Continued) Resident Members Attendants Gain or Loss Per Cent 1888 1908 1888 1908 Resident Members Attend- ants Stockbridge Cong'l Springfield Baptist Reading Bethel 39 74 42 14 19 79 9 9 S8 65 60 12* 40 77 23 17* —SI + 7 —79 -36 —31 +18 —62 +42 Attendants resident in neighboring townships excluded both years. 5. INCOME AND EXPENDITURES A description of the method of determining the in- crease or decrease in the amount of expenditure by the churches is given on page 24. The Change in Prices and the Cost of Living. Tables 12 and 13 show that the greatest increase in the cost of living, comparing the period 1885-1889 with the period 1905-1909, was 48 per cent in the township of Hartford; the least mcrease was 7 per cent in the township of Weston. Comparing the year 1909 with the average for 1885-1889 the least increase was 10 per cent in Weston, while the greatest was 57 per cent in Hartford. ii6 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 12 Increase per Cent in the Cost of Living for the Year 1909 and for 1 905-1 909 AS Compared with the Average FOR 1885-1889 Percentage of Increase in Cost of Living as Compared with 1885-1889 1900 Per Cent 1905-1909 Per Cent Hartford Town. Norwich " . Bethel " Cavendish " Windsor " Ludlow " Rochester " Weathersfield Town Stockbridge Chester Woodstock Reading Sharon Bridgewater Barnard Royalton Hartland Springfield Pomfret Weston 31 24 57 48 46 40 42 35 38 34 40 33 41 32 38 31 35 28 33 25 30 25 31 23 21 18 29 17 30 16 22 16 24 IS 24 14 20 13 15 9 10 7 WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 117 TABLE 13 Index Figures Showing the Change in the Cost of Living IN Twenty Towns, as Compared with 1885-1889 Year Hartfora Norwich Bethel Ludlow Windsoi Caven- dish 1875-1880 105 I 880-1 884 102 1885-1889 100 100 100 100 100 100 1890 lOI 95 108 96 1893 no 97 108 106 1895 93 loS 1898 94 I OS 1900 93 112 "5 1903 119 105 1905 143 137 128 125 126 131 1908 148 139 139 134 136 I3S 1909 157 146 142 141 140 138 Ave. 'o5-'o9 148 140 135 Stock- 132 133 134 Roch- Weath- bridge Wood- Bridge- Year ester ersfield {without rent) stock water Chester 1875-1880 III 126 120 123 I 880-1 884 96 132 115 los 1885-1889 100 100 100 100 100 100 1890 114 106 105 lOI 1893 102 113 99 106 1895 100 lOI 86 lOI 1898 98 104 96 104 1900 113 109 los 104 1903 III IIS 103 III 1905 126 120 119 118 109 119 1908 133 133 126 124 116 123 1909 138 135 133 131 130 130 Ave. 'o5-'o9 131 128 125 123 116 125 ii8 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 13 {Continued) Hart- Year Sharon Royalton land (without rent) Barnard Reading spring- field 1875-1880 95 IIS 94 1880-1885 no 112 104 1885-1889 100 100 100 100 100 100 1890 96 98 86 102 1893 104 102 103 1895 100 97 102 1898 102 96 lOI 1900 108 lOI 102 102 1903 109 103 103 1905 III III 107 113 116 107 1908 116 114 118 117 119 116 1909 129 124 124 122 121 120 Ave. *os-'o9 117 IIS 114 116 118 113 Year Pomfret Weston 1875-1880 105 115 1880-1885 128 108 1885-1889 100 100 1890 104 100 1893 102 103 1895 107 100 1898 97 97 1900 104 loS 1903 103 108 190S lOI 105 1908 113 109 1909 115 no Ave. 'o5-'o9 109 107 Diagram IV shows the change in the cost of living in the different townships. The figures at the bottom WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 119 of the cuts indicate the years. The average for 1885- 1889 being taken as 100, the lines show the increase per cent as indicate by the figures at the left of the cuts. DIAGRAM IV The Change in the Cost of Living in the Different Townships J885 90 95 1900 05 HARTFORD 95 1300 05 19iO NORWICH %S5 30 ^ 95 (900 05 1910 bethel 90 05 (910: LUDLOW I20 THE COUNTRY CHURCH DIAGRAM IV (Continued) 160 1885 90. 95 <900' 05 1910 WINDSOR 90 95 1900 05 1910 CAVENDISH / y / \^ / -J 90 95 I90Q 05 1910 ROCHESTER / ^^ -^ "^ 90 95 1900 05 1910 WEATHERSFIELD y ^ ^ ^ 1885 90 95 1900 05 19J0 STOCKBRIDGE y 385 90 95 1900 05 13(0 WOODSTOCK WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 1 21 DIAGRAM IV (Continued) 160 MO 140 I 120 kO ^ ^ / y 100 lUU 8, \ / fiO, 85 90 95 1910 05 WW BRIDGEWATER 1 y ^^ A 90 9S 1300 05 1910 CHESTER / ^ ^ — ' ^ ^v. X 90 95 1900 05 1910 SHARON J5 9b 95 1900 05 1910 ROYALTON 90 95 BOO 05 m '885 90 95 1300 05 J9I0 HARTLAND BARNARD 122 THE COUNTRY CHURCH DIAGRAM IV (Co7itinued) 160 1885 90 95 1900 05 1910 READING 1885 90. 95 1900 05 1910 SPRINGFIELD f60 140 120 100 ^^ ^ ^v- X ^ ^ / 8Q„ 90 95 1900 05 1910 1885 90 95 1900 05 1910 POMFRET WESTON Total Expenditures. The following comparison (Table 14) of church expenditures in Windsor County- deals with the average of the five years from 1905 to 1909 as compared with the five years from 1885 to 1889. It appears that all the churches in the county for which statistics are available taken together have increased their expenditures from $50,931 in the first period to $65,679 in the second, an increase of 29 per cent. The latter figure, however, includes more than $20,000 ex- WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 123 pended in the second period for a church in Woodstock, more than three-fourths of the cost of which was con- tributed by summer residents and non-residents. If all the churches of the town of Woodstock are eliminated from the comparison, as it is fair they should be, the increase is from $42,704 in the first period to $52,419 in the second period, or an increase of 22.7 per cent. If we express these expenditures for the second period in terms of their actual purchasing power compared with expenditures in the first period, still eHminating the churches of Woodstock, we find them to amount only to $41,855, or a loss of 2 per cent. To express the matter differently, 34 churches in Windsor County have expended a greater number of dollars in the second period than in the first, while 19 have expended a smaller number. Measured in pur- chasing power, 27 churches have increased their ex- penditures while 26 have decreased them. Among the churches whose financial statistics are not available there are in the county 14 churches of one denomination whose total attendance declined 50 per cent in twenty years. It is probable therefore that their expenditures in money have suffered a greater decHne than did those of the denominations whose statistics are given. It is evident from these results 124 THE COUNTRY CHURCH that the churches of the county as a whole are barely holding their own, although largely assisted by con- tributions from non-residents. TABLE 14 Average Annual Expenditures of the Individual Churches 1885-1889 AND I905-1909 1885-89 1905-] [909 Gain or Loss Per Cent Pur- Name of Church Dollars chasing Power as In In Pur- and Pur- chasing Power Dollars Com- pared with 1885 -1889 Dol- lars chas- ing Power Totals with Woodstock . churches 50,931 65,679 52,635 + 29 + 3 Totals without Wood- stock Churches 42,704 52,419 41,855 +23 — 2 Springfield Cong'l... 5,373 4,225 3,732 — 21 —31 Hartford " ... 2,168 1,946 1,318 — 10 —39 Queechee " ... 1,523 1,449 981 — 5 -36 West Hartford " ... 568 727 492 + 28 —13 Wilder " .. . . 238 1,205 816 +406 + 243 Woodstock " ... 4,926 4,704 3,824 — 5 — 22 Windsor " ... 1,661 1,520 1,144 — 8 —31 Ludlow " ... 619 2,291 1,739 + 270 + 181 Bethel " ... 728 1,074 797 +48 + 9 Chester " ... 1,219 1,946 1,582 + 60 +30 So. Royalton " ... 864 1,506 1,394 + 74 +61 Royal ton " 831 890 824 + 7 — I Hartland " ... 884 1,263 1,103 +43 + 25 WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 125 TABLE 14 {Continued) Gain or Loss 1885-89 1905-1 909 Per Cent Pur- chasing In Name of Church Dollars 1 Power as In Pur- and Pur- Dollars Com- Dol- fhas- chasing 1 pared lars ing Power with 1885 -1889 Power Rochester Cong'l... 816 1,200 913 +47 + 12 Norwich 1,182 1,513 1,139 + 28 — 4 Ascutneyville " ... 218 337 263 +55 + 21 Weathersfield " ... 160 125 97 — 22 —39 Bridgewater " ... 352 584 503 +66 +43 Stockbridge " ... 344 281 207 —18 —40 Pomfret " ... 463 809 745 + 75 +61 Weston " ... 362 466 434 + 29 + 20 Sharon " ... 720 684 600 — 5 —17. Plymouth " ... 130 189 151 +45 + 16 Springfield Baptist. . . 1,078 984 869 — 9 —19 Windsor " ... 1,213 863 649 —29 -46 Ludlow " ... 1,795 •2,369 1,798 +32 Bethel " ... 254 109 81 —57 —68 Chester " ... 1,404 2,031 1,652 +45 + 18 Cavendish " ... 44Q 843 671 +88 +49 Weathersfield " ... 718 760 593 + 6 —17 Weston *' ... 3 131 122 Sharon " ... 301 202 177 —33 —41 Reading " ... 734 375 292 —49 —60 Andover " . . . 257 453 368 +76 +43 White River Jet. Epis. . 558 615 417 + 10 —25 Springfield 27 505 446 • • •• Woodstock 1,482 7,287 5,924 +392 +300 Windsor 1,157 1,868 1,406 + 61 + 22 Bethel 546 417 309 —24 —43 Chester " .. 1,045 801 651 —23 -38 Royalton " .. •• 126 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 14 {Continued) 1885-89 1905- [909 Gain or Loss Per Cent Pur- Name oj Church Dollars chasing Power as In In Pur- and Pur- chasing Power Dollars Com- pared withxSSs -1889 Dol- lars chas- ing Power Norwich Epis . . Cavendish 160 204 162 + 28 + I Springfield M.E 1,662 2,566 2,267 + 54 +36 Wilder " 627 425 White River Jet. M. E. and Queechee " 1,891 1,987 1,346 + 5 —29 Woodstock 1,819 1,269 1,032 —30 —43 Windsor " ** 752 566 Ludlow " 940 Q13 693 — 3 —26 Hartland " 811 1,020 891 + 26 + 10 Rochester " 1,500 1,288 981 —14 —35 Cavendish " 719 1,108 882 + 54 +23 Barnard " 766 782 673 + 2 — 12 Weston " 564 468 436 —17 —23 West Windsor 729 1,148 1,058 + 57 +45 * Did not report expenditures in i{ ** Not holding services in 1888 WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 127 TABLE IS Average Annual Church Expenditures of the Different Townships 1885-1889 and 1905-1909 1885-1889 1905-1909 Gain or Loss Per Cent Name of Town Dollars and Purchas- ing Power Dollars Purchas- ing Power as compared with 1885 -1889 In Dollars In Purchas- ing Power Totals with Wood- stock 50,931 42,704 65,679 52,419 52,635 41,855 + 29 + 23 + 3 — 2 Totals omitting Woodstock Andover 257 766 1,528 352 1,328 3,668 6,946 1,695 3,354 1,182 130 463 734 2,316 1,695 1,021 8,140 344 1,096 929 729 4,031 8,227 453 782 1,600 584 2,155 4,778 8,557 2,283 5,574 1,513 189 809 375 2,488 2,396 886 8,279 281 1,222 1,065 1,148 5,002 13,260 368 673 1,187 503 1,716 3,885 5,795 1,994 4,230 1,139 151 745 292 1,894 2,218 777 7,314 207 952 992 1,059 3,764 10,780 +76 + 2 + 5 +66 +62 +30 + 23 +35 +66 + 28 +45 + 75 —49 + 7 +41 —13 + 2 —18 + 11 + 15 +57 + 24 +61 +43 Bethel . ... 22 Bridgewater Cavendish +43 + 29 + 6 —17 + 18 + 26 — 4 + 16 +61 — 60 Chester Hartford Hartland. . Ludlow Plymouth . Pomfret Reading Rochester 18 +31 —24 — 10 —40 —13 + 7 +45 — 7 +31 Sharon Springfield Stockbridge Weathersfield Weston West Windsor Woodstock 128 THE COUNTRY CHURCH Benevolences. Measured in dollars 32 churches in Windsor County have increased their gifts for benev- olences while 21 have decreased them. Measured in purchasing power, but 25 churches have increased their gifts while 28 have decreased them. Taken as a whole the churches of the county have decreased their contri- butions in dollars from an average of $10,986 in the first period to an average of $8,625 in the second, a decrease of 21 per cent. If we eliminate the churches of Wood- stock, as was done in the matter of expenditures above, they have fallen from $7,585 in the first period to $6,820 in the second period, or 10 per cent. Expressed in terms of purchasing power the churches of the county gave an average each year of $10,986 during the first period and an equivalent of $6,964 in the second, or a decrease of 37 per cent. If we ehminate the churches of Wood- stock as before, they gave $7,585 in the first period as against $5,496 in the second, a decrease of 27 per cent. WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 129 TABLE 16 Average Annual Benevolences in the Individual Churches, 1885-1889 and 1905-1909 Per Cent 1885-89 1905- 1909 Gain or Loss Purchas- Dollars ing In Name of Church and Dollars Power as In Purchas- Purchas- compared Dollars ing ing with 1885 Power Power to 1889 Totals with Wood- stock 10,986 8,62s 6,964 — 21 — 37 Totals without Woodstock 7,58s 6,820 5,496 — 10 — 27 Springfield Cong'l . . 2,682 1,012 894 — 62 -67 Hartford " . . 618 235 159 — 62 — 74 Wilder " . . II 85 57 +673 +418 Quechee " . . 200 SI 34 — 74 -83 West Hartf'd " . . 28 29 20 + 4 — 29 Woodstock " 3,219 1,331 1,082 — 59 — 66 Windsor " . . 294 127 96 — 57 — 67 Ludlow " . . 181 283 215 + 56 + 19 Bethel " . . 47 66 49 + 40 + 4 Chester " . . 176 199 162 + 13 — 8 So. Royalton " 158 57 52 -64 — 67 Royalton " . . 173 155 144 — 10 — 17 Hartland " . . 58 68 60 + 17 + 3 Rochester " 86 100 76 + 16 — 12 Norwich " 273 166 125 — 39 — 54 Ascutneyville" 37 82 64 + 122 -h 73 Weathersfield Ctr. Cong'l 7 s 4 — 29 — 43 Bridgewater Cong' 57 13 11 — 77 — 8x Stockbridge " 29 7 5 — 75 — 83 Pomfret " 14 4Q 45 + 250 + 221 Weston " 45 34 31 — 24 — 31 Sharon " 70 18 16 — 74 — 77 I30 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 1 6 {Continued) Per Cent 1885-89 1905- -1909 Gain or Loss Purchas- Name of Chu ^^^ Dollars ing In and Dollars Power as In Purchas- Purchas- compared Dollars ing ing with 1885 Power Power to 1889 Plymouth Con ?'l... 16 6 5 -63 -69 Springfield Bap tist . 75 114 lOI + 52 + 35 Windsor ' . 66 76 57 + 15 — 14 Ludlow ' ' . 518 884 671 + 71 + 30 Bethel • . 28 4 3 — 86 -89 Chester * ' . 100 547 445 +447 +345 Cavendish * ' 47 131 104 + 179 + 121 Weathersfield ' 91 129 lOI + 42 + II Weston ' . 3 23 21 +667 +600 Sharon ' ' . 18 17 15 — 6 — 17 Reading ' 176 14 II — 92 — 94 Andover ' 19 25 20 + 32 + 5 White River Jet . Epis 25 84 57 +236 + 128 Springfield Ep is. . . 37 33 Woodstock ' 63 340 277 +440 +340 Windsor ' .. 147 232 175 + 58 + 19 Bethel ' .. 117 74 54 — 37 — 54 Chester * ' .. 62 54 44 — 13 — 29 Royalton ' ! •• '^ 42 39 + 75 + 63 Norwich ' Cavendish ' ' '.'. ' s 15 12 + 200 + 140 Springfield Met h.... 286 519 458 + 81 + 60 White River Jc t. Meth. Epis. 124 248 168 + 100 + 35 Woodstock Me th. .. 119 134 109 + 13 — 8 Windsor < 57 43 Ludlow ♦ ... 81 104 79 + 28 — 2 Hartland 54 41 35 — 24 — 35 WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 13 1 TABLE 16 {Co ntinued) Per Cent 1885-89 190S-1909 Gain or Loss Purchas- Name of Church Dollars and ing Power as In In Purchas- Purchas- Dollars compared Dollars in, ing with 188s Power Power -1889 Rochester Meth... 48 126 96 + 163 + 100 Cavendish "... 42 52 41 + 24 — 2 Barnard " ... 49 i6s 142 +237 + 190 Weston " ... 44 17 16 — 61 — 64 West Windsor" ... 76 142 1 131 + 87 + 72 132 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 17 Average Annual Benevolences in the Different Towns, 1885-1889 AND I905-I909 1S85-1889 I905-I909 Per Cent Gain or Loss Name of Town Dollars and Purchas- ing Power Dollars Purchas- ing Power as compared with 1885 -1889 In Dollars In Purchas- ing Power Totals: With Woodstock . . . Without Woodstock 10,986 7,58s 8,625 6,820 6.964 5,496 — 21 — 10 —37 —27 Andover 19 49 193 57 94 338 1,007 112 780 273 16 13 176 133 355 25 165 144 13 198 800 733 109 1,271 166 6 49 14 226 254 35 1,682 6 216 73 142 493 1, 80s 20 142 107 II 158 650 496 95 965 125 5 45 II 172 235 30 1,486 5 168 68 131 371 1,468 +32 + 237 —25 —77 + 111 + 137 —27 — 3 +63 —39 —72 + 277 —92 + 70 —28 —60 —45 —79 +60 — 22 + 87 — 3 —47 + 5 Barnard + 190 Bethel Bridgewater —45 —81 +68 Chester .... +92 Hartford. . . . — 51 Hartland — IS Ludlow . . +24 Norwich — 54 —69 Pomfret +246 Reading — 94 Rochester + 29 Royalton — ^34 Sharon 88 3,043 29 135 93 76 506 3.401 —66 Springfield Stockbridge Weathersfield Weston —51 -83 +24 — 27 West Windsor Windsor +72 — 27 Woodstock — 57 WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 133 Ministers' Salaries. The salaries of 53 out of the 57 ministers in the county are here considered. During the five year period (1885-1889) or the first year thereafter for which data are available, if the rental value of the parsonages be estimated and reckoned in as a part of the salary, five ministers received $400 or less; ten re- ceived $500 or less; twenty- three, $600 or less; thirty- four, $700 or less; thirty-seven $800 or less; while the general average was $710. Twenty years later (i 905-1 909) two received $400 or less; four received $500 or less; fifteen received $600 or less; twenty-one received $700 or less; thirty received $800 or less, while the general average was $814. It must be remembered that in purchasing power the salaries of the second period were from 7 to 32 per cent less than salaries of the same number of dollars twenty years before. For example, in the town of Hartford, a salary of $636 during the first period was as good as a salary of $1,000 in the year 1909. The following figures cover all the churches in Wind- sor County which attempt to furnish support for a minister: Of the 53 churches considered, only 7 gave less dollars at the end of the twenty year period than at the be- ginning. It is highly probable, therefore, that the 134 THE COUNTRY CHURCH people in the great majority of these churches believe they are giving salaries at least as large as they were twenty years ago. The facts are otherwise. In only 19 of the 53 churches is the purchasing power of the salaries now as great as it was twenty years ago. As a matter of fact, 64 per cent of the ministers are receiving salaries worth less to-day than were those of twenty years ago. TABLE 18 A (Summary) Increase and Decrease in Ministers' Salaries 1885-1889 1905-1909 Increase or De- crease per Cent Dollars Purchas- ing Power Dollars Purchas- ing Power In Dollars In Purchas- ing Power Received by ministers of churches for which data are reported for 1885-89 and 1905-09 27,756 27.756 32,721 25,871 + 18 —7 WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 135 TABLE 18 A (Continued) Year Nearest 1885-89 /or Which Data are Reported 1905-1909 Increase or De- crease Per Cent Dollars Purchas- ing Power Dollars Purchas- ing Power In Dollars In Purchas- ing Power Received by ministers of churches not reporting for years 1885- 89 8,690 8,402 9,547 7,744 + 10 —8 Totals For Earlier Periods For Later Period Increase or De- crease per Cent ' Dollars Purchas- ing Power Dollars Purchas- ing Power 36,446 36,158 42,268 33,615 + 16 —7 136 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 18 B Increase or Decrease in the Average Annual Salaries OF Ministers — 1885-1889 and 1905-1909 1885-89 1905-09 1905-09 Increase or Decrease Per Cent Purchas- ing Power and Dollars Dollars Purchas- ing Power as Com- pared with 85-89 In Dollars In Purchas- ing Power Total 27.756 32,721 25,871 + 18 Springfield Cong'l Hartford " Quechee " Ludlow " Bethel " Chester " Royalton " Hartland " Rochester " Norwich " Sharon " Springfield Baptist Ludlow " Cavendish " Perkinsville " White River Jet. Epis. Woodstock Windsor Bethel Chester Springfield Meth. White River Jet. " Woodstock Ludlow " Bethel ist " Bethel 2d " So. Royalton " Hartland Rochester " 1,540 1,000 800 +P 1,000— P 900 900 600-P 600+P 68s 500+P 500 +P 780 900— P soo 500 538-P 1,150 706 571 971 1,050 906 910 645 395 370 673 633 695 1,612 1,040 880 +P 1,150 901 1,125 387-P 595 +P 80s 684 +P 600+P 580 1,030 773 575 900— P 1,320 1,030 886 1,121 1,300 1,100 969 750 51s 746 725 545 745 1,424 704 596 +P 873 668 915 358-P 520+P 613 540+P 514+P 512 782 6S5 448 680-P 1,073 775 6S7 911 1.148 712 788 569 382 554 632 476 567 + 5 + 4 + 10 + 15 + I + 2S -36 — I + 18 + 37 + 20 — 26 + 14 + 55 + 15 + 67 + 15 + 46 + 55 + 16 + 24 + 21 + 30 +102 + 8 — 14 + 7 — 8 — 30 — 26 — 13 — 26 + 2 — 40 — 13 — II + 8 + 3 — 34 — 13 + 31 — 10 + 26 — 7 + 10 + IS — 6 + 9 — 21 — 13 — 12 — 3 + SO — 6 — 25 — 18 WINDSOR COUNTY— EXPENDITURES TABLE i8b {Continued) 137 1885-89 1905-09 190S-09 Increase or Decrease Per Cent Purchas- ing Power and Dollars Dollars Purchas- ing Power as Com- pared with 85-89 In Dollars In Purchas- ing Power Norwich Meth. . 60s 649 46s + 7 — 23 Proctorsville " 618 910 678 + 47 + 10 Perkinsville " 538 S02 391 — 7 — 27 Barnard " 629 591 508 — 6 — 19 Gaysville " 416 442 353 + 6 — 15 Stockbridge 541 610 411 + 13 — 24 Weston 430 547 510 + 27 + 19 West Windsor 614 740 683 + 21 + 11 Reading " 347 581 453 + 67 + 31 Woodstock Christian 500— P 800— P 6S0-P + 60 + 30 Windsor Unitarian 600— P 960— P 723— P + 60 + 21 138 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE i8c Increase and Decrease in Ministers' Salaries in Churches NOT Reporting for Period i 885-1 889 Increase A verage A nnual Salary or De- Purchasing in Period I 905-1 909 Dollars Given in Year Near- est 85-S9 for Power of Salary in Year Nearest Pcr Cent In Pur- which Data 85-89 for chasing J2 II are Reported which Data In Dollars Power as ,«l are Reported Compared with 85-89 %^ ■2.1 Totals 8,690 8,402 9.547 7,744 +10 — 8 West Hartford Cong'I (93) 400— P (93) 366-P S38-P 407 +35 +11 Wilder (93) 600 (93) 549 640 433 + 7 — 21 Woodstock " (90) I,200+P (90) 1,162+P 1,400+P i,i8o+P +17 + 2 Windsor (00) i,ooo+P (00) 897 +P I,020+P 768 +P + 2 —14 So. Royalton " (05) 700+p (05) 712+P 740+P 726+P + 6 + 2 Bridge-water " (89) 600— p (89) 600— P 725 624 +21 + 4 Pomfret " (05) 6oc^P (05) 594— P eoo-p S52-P — 7 Weston " (98) 350-P (98) 360-P 360-p 335— P + '3 — 7 Windsor Baptist (90) 600 (90) 627 670 504 +12 — 20 Chester " (95) 900 (95) 895 1,02s 833 +14 — 7 Wilder Meth. (95) 450+P (95) 445 +P 410+p 278+P — 9 -38 Windsor (95) 690 (95) 655 819 616 +19 — 6 Chester Univ. . . (03) 6oc^P (03) S40— P 600— p 488— P — 10 — P indicates that no parsonage is provided by the church. -|-P indicates that a parsonage is provided for the minister rent free in addition to the salary as here givfen. Where not otherwise indicated, the figures in this table include the estimated rental value of parsonage. Other Expenditures. In the survey of Windsor County no figures were gathered for classes of expendi- tures other than benevolences and ministers' salaries. WINDSOR COUNTY— ACTIVITIES 139 These constitute the only large classes of expenditures except those for buildings and improvements on church property. With so considerable a decline in benevo- lences and ministers' salaries, and so small a change in the amount of total expenditures there must inevitably have been an increase in the remaining expenditures, that is, for heating, lighting, janitor work, incidental expenses, and repairs to buildings. The church build- ings as a rule are in good condition, and it is less difficult to secure money for repairs and permanent improve- ments on church properties than for ministers' salaries and benevolences. 6. EDUCATIONAL EQUIPMENT OF THE MINISTERS Information was obtained concerning the educational equipment of 48 of the 57 pastors of the county. Of these, 1 1 have received either college or seminary train- ing of five or six years. Six others have privately pur- sued courses of study prescribed by the Methodist Episcopal Conferences. Less than two-thirds of the ministers have received what by any ordinary standard could be regarded as an adequate training, while only 12, or 25 per cent, have completed the full college and seminary course of seven years which a reasonably high standard of ministerial education requires. I40 THE COUNTRY CHURCH 7. ACTIVITIES or THE DENOMINATIONS Table 19 shows that in number of attendants the Congregational churches rank first in the county, the Methodist Episcopal Church second, the Baptist churches third, the Universalist fourth, the Episcopal fifth. Of the five larger denominations the Episcopal Church ranks first in percentage of gain in membership, with its increase in twenty years of 21 per cent. The Methodist Episcopal Church ranks second with 17 per cent, the Congregational churches third with a gain of 4 per cent, while the Baptist churches have lost 14 per cent. In maintaining attendance the Episcopal Church again stands first, with a gain of 4 per cent. The Methodist Episcopal Church has lost 27 per cent, the Congregational churches 28 per cent, the Baptist churches 39 per cent, while the Universalists have lost no less than 50 per cent. Table 20 shows that in real expenditures the Metho- dist Episcopal Church is the only denomination which has gained. When expressed in purchasing power the increase is 7 per cent. The Congregational churches have declined 2 per cent reckoning in purchasing power, WINDSOR COUNTY— ACTIVITIES 141 the Baptist 11 per cent, the Episcopal Church 11 per cent. These figures do not include those for the churches of Woodstock. TABLE 19 Gains and Losses in Membership and Attendance by De- nominations IN Windsor County Membership Attendance Gain or Loss Per Cent 1888 1908 1888 1908 Member- ship Attend- ance Totals 4,688 4,889 8,003 5,537 + 4 31 Congregati( Methodist. Baptist. . . 3nal . . 2,176 1,191 1,008 313 2,257 1,388 864 380 2,80s 1,974 985 1,143 419 174 66 159 278 2,021 1,448 604 624 435 107 80 66 152 + 4 + 17 —14 + 21 —28 27 Universalist Episcopal. . - . 39 —45 + 4 —39 +21 -58 —45 Christian. . Unitarian * Advent . . . Union. . . . * There is only one Unitarian church in the county. 142 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 20 Expenditures by Denominations Expressed in Dollars AND IN Purchasing Power for 1885-1889 and 1905-1909 TOTAL EXPENDITURES 1885-1889 1905-09 1905-1909 Gain or Loss Per Cent Dollars and Purchasing Power Dollars Purchasing Power compared with 1885-89 In Dollars In Picrchas- ing Power Totals 42,704 52,419 41,855 +23 — 2 Congregational . Methodist Baptist Episcopal 21,423 9,582 8,206 3,493 26,230 12,659 9,120 4,410 20,974 10,218 7,272 3,391 + 22 +32 + 11 + 26 — 2 + 7 — II — 3 BENEVOLENCES Totals 7,585 6,820 5,496 — 10 — 27 Congregational . Methodist Baptist Episcopal 5,260 804 1,141 380 2,847 1,471 1,964 538 2,324 1,209 1,549 414 -46 +83 +72 +42 -56 + 50 +36 + 9 WINDSOR COUNTY— OVER-CHURCHING 143 TABLE 20 (Continued) SALARIES Earlier Periods Later Periods Gain or Loss Per Cent Dollars Purchas- ing Power Dollars Purchas- ing Power In Dollars In Pur- chasing Power Totals. . . . 36,446 36,158 42,268 33,615 + 16 — 7 Congregational . . Methodist Baptist . 14,475 12,155 4,180 600 3,936 500 600 14,265 12,115 4,202 540 3,936 500 600 15,802 14,196 4,653 600 5,257 800 960 12,750 11,174 3,734 488 4,096 650 723 + 9 + 17 + 11 +34 +60 +60 — II — 8 — 11 Universalist Episcopal Christian Unitarian — 10 + 4 +30 + 21 8. OVER-CHURCHING There are 16 one-church communities in the county, for one of which we have no data. Of the remaining 15, 7 sustained a greater loss in church attendance than did the average church in the county. This shows that over-churching is by no means the sole cause of church decline. One of the remaining 8 has sustained a loss no greater than that of the average church, while the other 7 have all held their own in church attendance very much better than the average. 144 THE COUNTRY CHURCH There are only 2 one-church townships in the county: In one of these, West Windsor, the relative loss in attendance is less than 9 per cent; the total expenditures have increased 45 per cent; the benevo- lences have increased 73 per cent; while the salary of the minister has also increased. This is the best record for any community or town in the county except that of Pomfret, the other one-church township. After making allowance for the numerical decrease in the population, Pomfret has made a relative gain of 13 per cent in attendance; the total expenditures have in- creased nearly 17 per cent; the benevolences have made a still greater increase; while the membership has increased nearly 139 per cent. Among the smaller communities those with a single church are the only ones with a spirit of good cheer in church matters. The only township in Windsor County which has made a relative gain in church attendance, and has also gained in benevolences and in total ex- penditures is a one-church township, while another one-church township stands second in these respects. Ill TOMPKINS COUNTY I. THE LOCALITY AND THE PEOPLE Tompkins County lies somewhat west and south of the centre of New York State. North and South its extent is about 26 miles, East and West about 23. The county consists of a high plateau, deeply cut by the valleys of the streams. The soil of the northern part is a rich loam, that of the southern half a silt loam, much less productive. The southern half was at one time a region of abandoned farms. An agricultural survey of the county had just been completed by Cornell University, when this investiga- tion began, according to which (pp. 393-394) : ''Most of the agriculture is general farming. The most important products are hay, milk, oats, potatoes, eggs, corn, wheat and buckwheat. The crop yield averages a little above the average of the state and considerably above the average for the United States. The milk production per cow, and egg production per hen, are a little above the state average. On the whole, the county may be said to represent about the average of the state. The northern part of the 147 148 THE COUNTRY CHURCH county is better and the southern part poorer, than the average." With the exception of the city of Ithaca, which lies in the central township of the nine the county contains, Tompkins is a rural county. Besides Ithaca there are but three communities with more than 700 inhabitants. Agriculture is the chief industry. The changes in population given in Table 21 are taken from the reports of the United States Census. The people of the county are mostly the descendants of pioneers who came from Virginia, Maryland, Con- necticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Mas- sachusetts, and from the earlier settled portions of New York. The various townships were organized from 1799 to 1817. Settlement began in all of them about the year 1800. It will be observed that in the censuses from 1820 to 1850, the neighboring township of Hector was included in Tompkins County. If we omit the figures for Hector and for the city and town- ship of Ithaca, it appears that the population reached its maximum of 26,646 in 1840. It has declined steadily ever since to its present level of but little more than half — 17,577 in 1910. Every town but one attained its maximum population by 1850, and has declined in population since 1890, and also since 1900. The excep- TOMPKINS COUNTY ISO THE COUNTRY CHURCH ^ o ■^ o <: c^ iji-i a .11 a s ^,- ■^ ^ w^ o < Kw ^ ^ gH "^ < t» s? ^O l:^ 2e 2^1 ^ S 00 "^ ■^ -^ >J •^ Jr S P cs o u U ^ ro O lO ro >0 t^ rj- CO O Tf- o ^ co^ cT CO u-> lO t^ lO O 00 O • *^ "-O >oo 00 cf vO CO 0\ lO o -^ o ■* lOOO M- CO M t>.oo lo O H M M CO'O 00 P» HI M 00 VO O CO M CO »0 CO 0^ M O O O vO lOOO -^ O O X>.<2 !>■ O t- -^ HI Tl-OO COO c^ M O OO cs" cs" CO hT lO «o 0> O 00 t^ O O CO O lO HI S CO O CO CO Ci 00 -^ « On tT T}- O O t>. <0 CO CI O t^o HI t^ O O CO T}- O »0 to O »o 00 c^ O 00 t^ lO CO CO HI vO 00 Ov Ov »0 Ov O -too O Tf hT CO lO CO CO m" M 00 VO to O CO *>• CI to O OOO CO On O HI CI to t^ CO O 0\ O O 00 vO O CI CI 00 CI O 00 o t^ CI 00 vo o G Is -CJ o ^^ 6g O rt ^ (U taO W cd ^ o b^5 ^ ^ O o hS Ci,*-> i-i £ 5 "*» O O c^ Q,^ i; a 1^ HO TOMPKINS COUNTY— THE LOCALITY 151 tion is the town of Lansing, whose population has been increased by the estabHshment of two manufacturing industries. It will be seen that the population of every town was smaller in the year 19 10 than it was between the years 1880 and 1890. Every township of the 8 has declined 25 per cent or more below its maximum, and this in a county which is above the average in its agricultural productiveness, and in accessibility to markets for its products, Ithaca being but 275 miles from New York. The settlement of Tompkins County was followed at a very early date by religious activities. The circuit riders of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the preachers of the Baptist, Dutch Reformed, and Presbyterian churches were early on the ground, and in several of the townships the establishment of churches antedated the organization of the town government. At the present time there are in the county nearly 30 preaching places of the Methodist Episcopal Church, where services are held at least once every two weeks, 9 Baptist, I Free Will Baptist, i Old School Baptist, 5 Congregational, 6 Episcopal, 2 Christian, and 2 Uni- versalist churches. There is also i Society of Friends, and I Wesleyan Methodist Church. The Presbyterian churches are 3 in number with 4 preaching places. In 152 THE COUNTRY CHURCH all there are 62 preaching places now as against 60 twenty years ago. There are also 3 Roman Catholic churches. These figures include none of the churches in the township or city of Ithaca. Five Presbyterian churches, 4 Baptist, 2 Episcopa- Han, I Swedenborgian, i Dutch Reformed, and i Chris- tian, — 14 in all, — ^have become extinct. TABLE 22 Decline of Population in Tompkins County Year of Maximum Population Maximum Population Population in 1910 Decline per Cent County.* 1840 26,646 17,557 34 Lansing Dryden Groton Danby Enfield Newfield Caroline Ulysses 1830 1840 1840 1840 1840 1850 1850 1880 4,020 5,446 3,618 2,570 2,340 3,816 2,537 3,458 2,676 3,590 3,289 1,235 1,000 1,509 1,646 2,612 33 34 9 52 57 60 35 24 Omitting Ithaca and Hector 2. MEMBERSHIP Membership statistics were obtained for all but six of the churches in Tompkins County for the year 1890 TOMPKINS COUNTY— MEMBERSHIP 153 and for the year 19 10. Nineteen churches and charges have gained in membership, while 17 have lost. (All of the churches under one pastor are regarded as constituting one charge). Since membership is re- ported for charges rather than for churches, it was not possible to ascertain the membership of some of the individual churches. In Table 23, which gives membership by towns, the membership of each charge has been divided between the churches composing it in the ratio of attendance at the churches constituting the charge. This method is not strictly accurate; yet the charges which are composed of churches in different towns are so few that its results can not be far from correct. In 5 of the 8 townships there has been an increase in the total membership of the church; in 3 a decline. The total membership was 4,039 in the year 1890 and 4,102 in the year 19 10, or a gain in the twenty year period of 1.56 per cent. 154 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 23 Membership of the Individual Churches in 1890 ANt) in 19 10 AND THE Gain or Loss per Cent for Each in Twenty Years 1890 1910 Gain or Loss per Cent Total 4,039 4,102 + 2 Meth. Epis. .. Churches of Caroline Slaterville Meth. Episcopal Speedsville Meth. Episcopal. . . Brookton Baptist Brookton Congregational , Slaterville Episcopal Speedsville Episcopal Churches of Danby Danby and So. Danby Meth. E West Danby Meth. Episcopal . , West Danby Baptist Danby Congregational Churches of Dryden Dryden Meth. Episcopal Freeville West Dryden Varna Meth. Episcopal. . . Etna Baptist Dryden Presbyterian Dryden Episcopal Churches of Enfield Enfield Meth. Episcopal Enfield Baptist. . . .■ Enfield Christian Churches of Groton Groton Meth. Epis McLean Groton City Groton City Congregational Peruville Meth. Epis Groton Baptist Meth. Epis. 124 162 100 96 338 50 40 97 89 55* 43* 80 49 147 90 71 12 142 S6 17* 155 98 79 66 43 30 8 155 65 68 109 103* 90 105 63 219 18 117 93 46 113 7* 62 15 162 — 21 — 51 — 34 — 55 -64 — 54 + 30 + 70 + 12 + 16 — 8 + 31 + 28 + 49 + 30 + 31 + 283 87 + '5 TOMPKINS COUNTY— ATTENDANCE TABLE 23 {Cotttinued) 155 1890 1910 37 51 252 191 94 138 30 20 10 146 132 55* 47 98 19 14(09) 109 85 38 58 191 162 94 65 62 68 200 225 82 i6s 301 306 200 261 86 80 Gain or Loss per Cent McLean Baptist Groton Congregational , West Groton Congregational. Groton Episcopal McLean Episcopal Churches of Lansing Ludlowville & Lansingville . . Asbury Meth. No. Lansing & East Genoa No. Lansing, Asbury and East Genoa Meth. No. Lansing Baptist East Lansing " Ludlowville Presbyterian Churches of Newfield Newfield Meth. Episcopal Newfield Baptist Newfield Presbyterian Newfield Christian Churches of Ulysses Trumansburg Meth. Episcopal Jacksonville Meth. Episcopal.. Trumansburg Baptist Trumansburg Presbyterian . . . Trumansburg Episcopal + 38 — 24 + 47 — 50 — 4 — 26 — 22 + 53 — 15 + 10 + 13 + 101 + 2 + 31 — 7 * Estimated by dividing reported membership of each charge ac- cording to the proportion of number of attendants of the churches constituting the chai;ge. 156 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 24 Membership of the Churches of Each Township in the Years 1890 and 1910 and the Gain or Loss per Cent for Each Town in Twenty Years 1890 1910 Gain or Loss per Cent 4,039 4,102 + 2 504 324 -36 525 463 173 397 598 256 —24 + 29 +48 773 414 318 869 779 387 324 1,037 + I — 7 + 2 + 19 County . Caroline Danby. . Dryden , Enfield. , Groton. , Lansing. Newfield Ulysses . TABLE 25 Total Number of Farms and Tenants in 1890 and 1910 Year Total Faryns Number Tenants Per Cent 1890 1910 3,312 2,988 661 640 20 21.4 3. ATTENDANCE Better evidence was available as to the increase or decrease in church attendance for Windsor County than for Tompkins County, where the habit of recording congregation counts has not prevailed. Yet the ac- curacy of the method of ascertaining decrease in at- TOMPKINS COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 157 tendance was so thoroughly confirmed by actual counts in Windsor County, and the general opinion of Tomp- kins County is so overwhelmingly in accord with the results obtained by the use of the Gill method, that they may be accepted as accurate. (For a description of the method see p. 97.) It should be noted that in Windsor County the lists of taxpayers include all who paid poll taxes as well as all property owners, while the lists used in Tompkins County included only those who paid a property tax. This raised the question as to whether the work based on the lists for Tompkins County would give results as rehable as those for Windsor County. If, however, it could be shown that the number of taxpayers kept the same relation to the total number of families for twenty years, the difference in the tax lists would be without effect on the accuracy of the method. The United States census reports show that there has been only 1.4 per cent increase of tenants on the farms in the last twenty years, and therefore undoubtedly no ap- preciable change in the number of taxpayers' families in relation to the total population as shown by Table 25: The results of the investigation in Tompkins County show that in all of the 8 townships outside of the 158 THE COUNTRY CHURCH city and township of Ithaca there has been a decline in attendance of from 13 to 54 per cent, or an average of about 33 per cent for the period. There was, however, a decHne of population in the various towns of from 8 to 32 per cent, or an average of 14 per cent in the twenty- years. Making allowance for this change, the relative loss in church attendance varies from 1.5 to 42 per cent in the different towns, or for the county a total loss in relation to population of 22 per cent in the twenty years. These figures require to be still further modified, but very slightly, by allowing for the small number of non- Protestant people in the county. When such allowance is made the net loss varies in the different towns from 1.2 per cent to 42.1 per cent, or an average of 19.5 per cent for the county in twenty years. TOMPKINS COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 159 TABLE 26 Relative Losses in Attendance Attendance Population Gain or Loss Per Cent Per Cent of Popu- lation 1890 1910 1890 1910 Attend- ance Popula- tion Attend- ing Church in 1890 County. . . 4,304 2,878 20,480 17,557 —33 —14 21.02 Caroline . . Danby . . . Dryden. . . Enfield . . . Groton . . . Lansing . . . Newfield. . Ulysses . . . 486 524 662 288 813 432 517 582 223 315 488 173 582 30s 28s 507 2,092 1,707 4.043 1,393 3,572 2,50s 2,214 2,954 1,646 1,235 3,590 1,000 3,289 2,676 1,509 2,612 —54 —40 —26 —40 —28 —29 —45 —13 — 21 —28 — II —28 — 8 + 7 —32 — 12 23.23 30.70 16.37 20.67 22.76 17.25 23-35 19.70 Number Percent- Non-Protestant Protestant Less than age of Population Population *Normal Attend- Normal Attend- Decline Below ance ance Normal 1910 1910 Attend- ance 1890 1910 1890 I9I0 County. .. 3,690 812 22 635 867 19,84s 16,690 Caroline . . 382 159 42 42 20 2,OSO 1,626 Danby . . . 379 64 17 SI 28 1,656 1,207 Dryden . . 588 100 17 62 17 3,981 3,573 Enfield . . . 207 34 16 3 3 1,390 997 Groton . . . 749 167 22 174 169 3,398. 3,120 Lansing... 462 157 34 80 368 2,42s 2,308 Newfield. . 352 67 19 60 2,214 1,449 Ulysses . . . 515 8 2 223 202 2,731 2,410 * Same per cent of population as were attending church in 1890. i6o THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 26 {Continued) Gain or Per Cent of Normal Number PerCentBe- Loss in Prot. Pop. Number of Attendants Less than low Normal Protestant Attending Normal or Decline Population Church in 1890 in 19 10 Attendance in 1910 Relative to County —16 21.69 3,620 742 20.5 Caroline. . . — 21 23-7 385 162 42. Danby. . . . —27 31.6 381 66 17. Dryden. . . . — 10 16.6 593 105 18. Enfield.... —28 20.7 206 33 16. Groton — 8 23-9 746 164 22. Lansing. . . — 5 17.8 411 106 26. Newfield... —35 23-4 339 54 16. Ulysses.... — 12 21.3 513 6 I. TABLE 27 Change in Attendance in the Individual Churches or Preaching Places 1890 1910 Gain or Loss per Cent Totals 4,304 2,878 — ^^ Churches of Caroline , Slaterville Meth. Epis. . . Central Chapel " ... Caroline " ... Caroline Centre " ... Speedsville " ... Brookton Baptist 140 40 53 36 90 68 46 9 30 24 II 38 44 14 -67 —77 -55 -69 — ';8 Slaterville Episcopal TOMPKINS COUNTY— ATTENDANCE l6i TABLE 27 {Continued) Gain or 1890 1910 Loss per Cent Speedsville Episcopal 32 6 — 8i Union Valley Christian 41 Churches of Danby So. Danby Meth. Epis. . . 85 63 — 26 Morris Chapel 48 43 — 10 Smiley Hill 28 No. Danby 75 50 —33 Jersey HiU 14 West Danby 65 37 —43 West Danby Baptist 64 33 —48 Danby Congregational 167 109 —35 Churches of Dryden Dryden Meth. Epis. . . 95 74 — 22 Freeville " 96 86 — 10 West Dryden 59 39 —34 • Varna 70 37 —47 Ellis 44 36 —18 Ftna Baotist 54 31 —43 Snvder HiU *' 44 18 —59 i^kijf yj-\^i. xxi*i •• Dryden Presbyterian 138 153 + 11 Drvden EoiscoDal 14 Churches of Enfield Enfield Meth. Epis. . 66 46 —30 Kennedys Cors. " 36 32 — II Enfield Falls 23 15 —35 Enfield Baptist 68 36 —47 Enfield Christian 71 22 -69 Churches of Groton Groton Meth. Episcopal ... . lOI 79 — 22 McLean " 49 5 —90 Groton City Meth. Epis. " Cong'l 35 39 +11 Peruville Meth. Episcopal. . 30 9 —70 Groton Baptist III 78 —30 l62 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 27 {Continued) Gain or 1890 1910 Loss per Cent McLean Baptist 46 25 —46 Groton Congregational 193 143 —26 West Groton " lOI 78 —23 Groton Episcopal 24 McLean " 57 8 —86 McLean Univ 64 62 — 3 Pleasant Valley Wesleyan . . . 47 38 —19 Churches of Lansing Ludlowville Meth. Episcopal 77 35 -55 Lansingville " 84 72 —14 Asbury " 74 57 —23 No. Lansing " .... 48 29 —40 ' Myers 15 Drake Hill School House. . . 25 East Lansing Baptist 84 62 —26 Ludlowville Presbyterian . . . 60 16 —73 Portland " .... 10 Churches of Newfield Newfield Meth. Epis. . . 187 106 —43 Trumbulls Cors. 116 32 —72 Newfield Baptist 85 Poney Hollow " 18 Newfield Presbyterian 122 .... Trumbulls Cors. Christian . . 83 40 —52 No. Van Etten 24 2 — 92 Jackson's Hollow 9 Churches of Ulysses Trumansburg Meth. Epis. . . 89 90 + I Waterburg 37 25 —32 Jacksonville " 80 8S + 6 Trumansburg Baptist 139 127 — 9 Trumansburg Presbyterian.. 149 124 —17 " Episcopal. . . . 53 33 -38 Society of Friends 29 22 —24 TOMPKINS COUNTY— ATTENDANCE 163 4. MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE COMPARED In Tompkins County, N. Y., as in Windsor County, Vermont, there is a marked disposition for the attend- ance to decline in proportion to church membership. In Table 28, 36 churches and charges are compared, in only 2 of which is there a tendency for the member- ship to decline in proportion to attendance. The En- field Christian Church shows an increase of 283 per cent in membership and a decHne of about 69 per cent in attendance. In these 36 churches there is a decline in the total membership of only i per cent while in attendance there is a decline of no less than 35 per cent. The same tendency is shown also in Tables 24 and 27. There it appears that while the total membership for the county has increased from 4,039 in 1890 to 4,102 in 1910 or 1.56 per cent, the number of attendants has declined from 4,304 in 1890 to 2,878 in 1910, or ;^^ per cent. 1 64 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 28 Attendance in Relation to Membership Per Cent Members Attendants Gain or Loss i8qo 1910 1890 1910 Members Attend- ants Totals 3,955 3,916 3,864 2,511 -^ —35 Enfield Christian 12 46 71 22 +283 -69 Ludlowville Presbyterian 38 58 60 16 +52 —73 West Danby Baptist. . . . 40 68 64 33 +70 -48 McLean " .... 37 51 46 25 +38 -46 Enfield " .... 71 93 68 36 +31 —47 Varna Meth. Epis. 80 105 70 37 +31 —47 West Danby " . . SO 65 65 37 +30 —43 Etna Baptist. . . . 49 63 54 31 +28 —43 McLean Meth. Epis. ] Groton City Meth. Epis. j Groton City Cong'l J 56 69 84 44 +23 -48 West Groton Cong'l .... 94 138 lOI 78 +47 —23 Jacksonville Meth. Epis.. 82 165 80 no*** +101 +38 Trumbulls Cors. Christian 62 68 83 40 +10 -52 Peruville Meth. Epis 17* IS 30 9 — 12 —70 •♦Enfield Meth. Epis. ... 90 117 125 93 +30 —26 Truraanshurg Presby. . . . 200 261 149 124 +31 —17 Danby Cong'l 97 109 167 109 +12 — 35 Truraanshurg Meth. Epis. 200 225 126*** 90 +13 —29 Newfield \ Trumbulls Cors. J 191 162 303 138 —IS -54 Dryden Presbyterian 147 219 138 153 +49 +11 Dryden Meth. Episcopal . 89 I03* 95 74 + 16 — 22 McLean Episcopal 20 10 57 8 —50 —86 Groton Baptist 155 162 III 78 + 5 —30 Caroline \ Central Chapel M. E. 124 98 180 85 —21 —S3 Slaterville J Trumansburg Episcopal . . 86 80 S3 33 — 7 -38 *■ Estimated by dividing reported membership of charge according to the proportion of the number of attendants of the churches constituting charge. ** Including Kennedy's Corners and Enfield Falls. •** Including Waterburg Methodist Episcopal. TOMPKINS COUNTY-EXPENDITURES 165 TABLE 28 {Continued) Members Attendance Per Cent Gain or Loss 1890 1910 1S90 1910 Members Attend- ance No. Lansing] ,. ^, ^ . Asbury | Meth.Epis. 102 98 122 86 ~ 4 —30 Brookton Baptist 100 66 90 38 — 34 — S8 Ludlowville LansmgvilleP^^^-EP>s- 146 132 161 107 — 10 —34 Speedsville Episcopal 22 8 32 6 —64 —81 W. Dryden ,, . FreevilL | Math. Epis. 98 90 155 125 -8 —19 Trumansburg Baptist . . . 301 306 139 127 + 2 Speedsville Meth. Epis.. . 162 79 89 35 — SI — 6i East Lansing Baptist . . . 109 8S 84 62 — 22 —26 Groton Meth. Episcopal . 142 113 lOI 79 — 20 — 22 Groton Congregational. .. 252 191 193 143 — 24 —26 Brookton " 96 43 68 44 —55 — 35 No. Danby ,, , ^ . So. Danby P^^^-EP'^-, 338 155 250 156 —54 -38 . Diagram V, based on Table 28, shows that in the churches for which both sets of facts are known mem- bership has decHned only i per cent while attendance has declined 35 per cent. 1 66 THE COUNTRY CHURCH DIAGRAM V Membership and Attendance Compared 120 r-^ 100 80 60. loss tn Membership /^ ^'^c- ^^ ^-^^ ■^c-c>. <^ -%-"'>^ 1890 95 1900 05 1910 5. INCOME AND EXPENDITURES The method of determining the change in the in- come and expenditures of the churches is described on p. 24. The Change in Trices and the Cost of Living. Tables 29 and 30 show that the greatest increase in the cost of Uving, comparing the average for the years 1886- 1889 with the average for 1906-1910, was 28 per cent for the township of Groton, while the least increase was 14 per cent for the townships of Enfield and Ulysses. The increase for the year 1910 was considerably greater than for the average for the five years 1906-19 10. It was 20 per cent for the township of Enfield, where the increase was the least, while for Groton, where TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 167 it was the greatest, it was no less than 41 per cent. TABLE 29 Increase in the Cost of Living for the Year 19 10 and for THE Period 1906-1910 as Compared with 1886-1890 Increase per Cent in Cost of Living as Compared with 1 886-1890 1910 Ave. 1906-1910 County . 26 19 Enfield 20 21 25 21 26 27 41* 14 14 17 18 Ulysses Lansing Danby Newfield 19 20 Dryden Caroline Groton. . . 28 * * Compared with 1890. i68 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 30 Index Figures Showing Relative Cost of Living in Dif- ferent Years by Townships Compared with i 886-1 890 Year Enfield Ulysses Lans- ing Danby* New- field Dry- den Caro- line Groton 1876 ... 112 75-79 109 97 92 107 1880 102 80-84 104 100 105 107 107 86-90 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 1890 98 96 99 99 100 95 98 100 1893 103 95 107 104 109 lOI 104 108 189s 99 94 III lOI 97 1898 102 94 106 94 104 98 95 98 1900 103 94 no 106 105 105 lOI III 1903 108 99 109 102 no 107 108 120 1905 no 114 115 1906 109 108 112 113 112 1908 113 108 115 III 121 119 123 125 1909 116 123 120 122 121 125 128 135 1910 120 121 125 121 126 127 141 1911 147 132 06-10 114 114 117 118 119 120 121 128 * Rent not included. In Diagram VI the figures at the bottom of the cuts indicate the years while the figures at the left indicate the percentage, the average cost of living for 1886-1890 being taken as 100. TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 169 DIAGRAM VI Change in the Cost of Living in the Different Townships J ^ ^ / /^ X 1885 90 95 1900 GROTON too 90 95 13Q0 05 1310 CAROLINE / r ^ \ ^ 90 95 1900 05 10 191$. 1885 90 95 1900 05 1900 DRYDEN NEWFIELD 90 95 1900 05 10 1315 ^\^ DANBY 95 1900 05 1910' LANSING 170 «85 90 95 1900 ULYSSES THE COUNTRY CHURCH DIAGRAM VI {Continued) 160 KO 120 WO fln r^ y J ^^ ^ V ^ 0& 1910. 90 95 1900 05 1910 ENFIELD Expenditures. The comparison of expenditures (shown in Table 31) was made between the annual average for the years 1 886-1 890 and twenty years later for the years 1906-1910, inclusive. The total average annual expenditures of the churches of the county for the first period was $32,826. Twenty years later it was $35,214, or an increase in dollars expended of 7 per cent. But the purchasing power of the $35,214 expended in the second period was equivalent to only 29,803 of the dollars expended in the first period, or an actual decline in purchasing power of 9 per cent. These expenditures consist of ministers' salaries, and of con- tributions for church extension, for benevolences, and for buildings and improvements on church property. Table 32 gives the expenditures for the two periods in the different townships. It shows that the expendi- TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 171 tures in dollars have increased in 5 townships and de- creased in 3. When expenditures are expressed in purchasing power, this ratio is reversed, and the ex- penditures are seen to have increased in 3 townships and declined in 5. Table 33 gives the expenditures for the individual churches taken from the published statistics of the denominations and from the work of church clerks and treasurers on their books. When a year is lacking, the average of the other four of the five year period is. employed. It appears that of 33 churches or charges the expenditures of 16 when expressed in dollars have increased while 17 have decreased. But in purchas- ing power 13 have increased while 20 have decreased. Therefore slightly more than 60 per cent of the churches for which statistics are available have decreased their real expenditures. 172 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 31 Financial Activities of the Churches I 886-1 890 1906- -1910 Gain or Loss per Cent Dollars Purchas- ing In and Purchas- Dollars Power as Compared In Dollars Purchas- ing ing Power with 1886 -1890 Power Total Expenditures 32,826 35,213 29,802 + 7 — 9 Benevolences 2,821 5,271 4,446 +87 +58 Improvements 6,430 3,522 3,013 —45 —53 17,128 17,194 14,415 +04 —16 TABLE 32 Changes in the Total Expenditures of the Churches Each Township of 1886-1890 1906-1910 Gain or Loss per Cent Dollars and Purchas- ing Power Dollars Purchas- ing Power as Compared with 1886 -1890 In Dollars In Purchas- ing Power County 32,826 35,213 29,802 + ' — 9 Caroline Danby 4,388 2,539 4,744 1,513 4,012 3,857 4,187 7,586 2,649 1,529 6,335 1,712 4,216 5,077 2,951 10,744 2,181 1,298 5,257 1,505 3.287 4,334 2,489 9,451 —40 —40 +34 + 13 + 5 +32 —30 + 42 —50 —49 + 11 — 5 —18 Dryden Enfield Groton Lansing + 12 —41 +25 Newfield Ulysses TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 173 TABLE 33 Average Annual Expenditures of the Individual Churches, 1886-1890 and 1906-1910 1886-90 1906-1910 Gain or Loss per Cent Dollars Purchas- and ing In Purchas- In Power as In Pur- ing Power Dollars compared Dollars chasing with 1886 Power -1890 Totals 32,826 35,213 29,802 + 7 — 9 Churches of Caroline SlaterviUe Meth 2,288 1,132 932 —50 —59 Speeds ville " 1,110 843 694 —24 —37 Brookton Baptist .... 770* 283 233 -63 —70 SlaterviUe Episcopal . . 273 225 Speeds ville " 219 118 97 -46 -56 Churches of Danby Danby & So. D. Meth. 2,149 1,299 1,103 —40 —49 West Danby " 390 230 195 —41 —50 Churches of Dryden Dryden Methodist 853 1,171 972 +37 + 14 Freeville " 575 858 712 +49 + 24 W. Dryden " 461 389 323 —16 —30 Varna & Ellis Meth. . . 776 1,242 1,031 +60 +33 Dryden Episcopal 414 343 Dryden Presbyterian. . 2,079 2,261 1,876 + 9 — 10 Churches of Enfield Enfield Meth. Epis. . . . 755 1,072 942 +42 + 25 Enfield Baptist 758 640 563 —16 —26 Churches of Groton Groton Meth. ... 971 1,356 1,057 +40 + 9 McLean " 319 79 62 —75 —81 Groton City 228 .... * Average for 4 years. 174 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 33 {Continued) 1886-90 1906-1910 Gain or Loss per Cent Dollars and Pur- chasing Power In Dollars Purchas- ing Power as compared with 1886 -1890 In Dollars In Pur- chasing Power Peruville Meth. Epis. . . 180 211 164 + 17 — 9 Groton City Cong'l . . . 379 29s Groton Baptist 1,724 1,421 1,108 —18 -36 McLean Baptist 351 400 312 + 14 — II Groton Cong'l Groton Episcopal 146 114 McLean " 240 224 175 — 7 —27 Churches of Lansing LudlowviUe Meth 433 824 704 +90 + 63 Lansingville " 473 1,049 895 + 122 +89 Asbury " .... 578 1,106 944 +91 +63 No. Lansing " 774 507 433 —34 —44 No. Lansing Baptist . . 123 40 34 —68 —73 East Lansing " 760 865 738 + 14 — 3 LudlowviUe Presby. . . 715 686 586 — 4 —18 Churches of Newfield Newfield Meth 3,136 1,611 1,359 —49 —57 Newfield Baptist 907 765 Newfield Presbyterian. 727 Newfield Christian 32s 433 365 +33 + 12 Churches of Ulysses Trumansburg Meth. . . 1,685 2,358 2,075 +40 +23 Jacksonville " . . 938 1,84s 1,623 +97 +73 Trumansburg Baptist . 1,297 1,670 1,469 + 29 + 13 Trumansburg Presby.. 2,186 3,866 3,401 + 77 +56 Trumansburg Epis 1,480 969 852 —35 —42 Jacksonville " ... 36 31 TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 175 Benevolences. Benevolences constitute about 8 or 9 per cent of church expenditures in the first period and about 15 per cent in the second. Under this head are included contributions for church extension at home and abroad, for promoting the sale of Bibles and other religious literature, for Sunday and other schools, for home and benevolent missions, and for sundry benev- olent purposes. Table 34 shows that the churches of the county have increased their benevolence from an annual average of $2,820 in the first period to $5,267 in the second, or 86.5 per cent. When the change in purchas- ing power of the dollar is allowed for, the increase is from 2,820 to 4,844, or 57 per cent. Reckoning in dollars, 7 towns increased their benev- olences while I decreased. In purchasing power 6 towns increased and 2 decreased. Table 35 shows that in 36 churches for which data are available, 23 have increased their contributions in dollars, while 13 have decreased them. Allowing for purchasing power, 21 have increased, while 15 have decreased. The increase of benevolences appears to indicate the increased importance attached to the achievement of practical results as well as to the increasing hold of 176 THE COUNTRY CHURCH foreign missions on the country population. The gain made by the country churches of Tompkins County in this line of purely altruistic activity is a most encourag- ing sign, and indicates their continued vitality as a factor in the great world movement for better things. TABLE 34 Average Annual Benevolences of the Churches by Town- ships, 1886-1890 and 1906-1910 County . Caroline Danby. . Dry den , Enfield., Groton. . Lansing. Newfield Ulysses . 1886-1890 Dollars and Purchas- ing Power 2,»2I I906-I9IO Dollars 5,271 Purchas- ing Power as Compared with 1886 -1890 4,446 Gain or Loss per Cent In Dollars + 87 In Purchas' ing Power + 58 228 551 252 98 500 •283 147 762 229 528 899 145 828 626 471 1,545 189 449 747 127 644 535 397 1,358 +0.4 — 4 + 257 + 48 + 65 + 121 + 220 + 103 — 17 — 19 + 196 + 30 + 29 + 89 + 170 + 78 TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 177 TABLE 35 Average Annual Benevolences of the Individual Churches, 1886-1890 and 1906-1910 1 Gain or Loss 1886-90 1906-10 per Cent Purchas- Dollars -•„ - and tng In Pur- In Power as In Pur- chasing Dollars compared with 1886 Dollars chasing Power Power -1890 Totals 2,821 5,271 4,446 + 87 + 58 Churches of Caroline Slaterville Meth. Epis... III 102 84 — 8 — 24 Speedsville " .... 43 28 23* — 35 — 47 Brookton Baptist 49* 41 34 — 17 — 31 Slaterville Episcopal 40* 33* ... Speedsville Episcopal — 25 18 15 — 27 — 40 Churches of Danby Danby & So. D. Meth... 135 146 124 + 8 — 8 West Danby " . . 39 20 17 — 49 -56 West Danby Baptist 29 58 49 + 98 — 68 Danby Congregational . . 348 304 259 — 13 — 26 Churches of Dryden Dryden Meth. Epis 44 160 133 + 264 +202 FreeviUe 28 66 55 + 136 + 96 W. Dryden " 43 30 25 — 31 — 43 Varna j <( Ellis j 27 135 112 +400 +315 Etna. BaDtist 67 138 114 + 107 + 70 XLiLllCL JJCHJCXOi- Dryden Presbyterian 43 286 238 +565 +453 Dryden Episcopal 84 70 ... ... Churches of Enfield Enfield Meth. Epis 46 115 lOI + 150 + 120 Enfield Baptist 52 30 26 — 42 — 50 * Average of 4 years. 178 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 35 {Continued) 1886-90 1906-10 Gain or Loss per Cent Dollars Purchas- and ing In Pur- ■ Pur- chasing Power In Dollars Power as compared with 1886 -1890 In Dollars chasing Power Churches of Groton Groton Meth. Epis 70 III 87 + 59 + 24 McLean " 18 II 8 — 39 - S6 Groton City Meth. Epis.. 13 Groton City Cong'l 51 39 Peniville Meth. Epis. . . . 9 Groton Baptist 168 238 186 + 42 + II McLean Baptist 20 91 71 +351 +255 Groton Cong'l 65 117 97 86 75 67 + 49 — 26 + IS — 43 West Groton Cong'l Groton Episcopal 66 51 McLean Episcopal 20 77 60 + 285 + 200 Churches of Lansing Ludlowville Meth. Epis.. . 25 116 99 +361 + 296 Lansingville " 27 161 138 +496 +411 Asbury 54 103 88 + 91 + 63 No Lansing " 28 48 41 + 71 + 46 No. Lansing Baptist. . . . 19 7 6 -63 — 68 East Lansing " .... 104 177 I5X + 70 + 45 Ludlowville Presbyterian 26 14 12 -46 — 54 Churches of Newfield Newfield Meth. Epis.... 124 308 259 + 148 + 109 " Baptist 146 123 " Presbyterian . . 23 " Christian (•38) 17 15 ... TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 179 TABLE 35 (Continued) Gain or Loss 1886-90 1906-10 per Cent Purchas- Dollars ing In Pur- Pur- chasing In Dollars Power as compared with 1886 In Dollars chasing Power Power -1890 Churches of Ulysses Trumansburg Meth. . . . 147 309 272 + 111 + 8s Jacksonville " . . . 62 212 186 + 243 + 200 Trumansburg Baptist. . . 132 299 263 + 127 + 99 " Presby. . . 266 622 547 + 134 + 106 " Episcopal . 15s 103 90 — 34 — 42 Improvements. The money spent by the church for building, repairs, and improvements of church property constitutes about 20 per cent of the total expenditures from 1886 to 1890 and 10 per cent from 1906 to 1910. Reckoning in dollars. Table 36 shows that the average amount spent by the churches in the first period per year was $6,430, against $3,522 in the second, a decrease of 45 per cent. Expressed in purchasing power, the ex- penditure for the second period was equivalent to $3,013 or a decline of 53 per cent. Whether we reckon in dollars or in purchasing power, 4 towns gained and i8o THE COUNTRY CHURCH 4 towns lost in their expenditures for improvements during the twenty years. From Table 37 it appears that a slight majority of the individual churches increased their expenditures for improvements if we reckon in dollars, while the numbers are reversed if we take account of the pur- chasing power of the dollar. TABLE 36 Average Annual Expenditures for Buildings, Repairs and Improvements on Church Property by Townships, 1886- 1890 AND 1906-1910 I 886-1 890 1906-1910 Per Cent Gain or Loss Purchasing Dollars and Power as In Pur- Purchasing Dollars Ccompared In Dollars chasing Power with 1886 -1890 Power County . . . 6,430 3,522 3,013 — 45 — 53 Caroline . . 1,458 212 174 — 86 — 88 Danby 657 148 126 — 77 — 81 Dry den . . . 254 341 284 + 34 + 12 Enfield.... 78' 240 211 + 208 + 171 Groton 702 203 158 — 71 — 77 Lansing. . . 480 714 610 + 49 + 27 Newfield . . 1,906 403 340 — 79 — 82 Ulysses . . . 89s 1,261 1,110 + 41 + 24 TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES i8i TABLE 37 Average Annual Expenditures for Improvements by In- dividual Churches, 1886-1890 and 1906-1910 18S6-1890 1906-1Q10 Per Cent Gain or Loss Dollars and Pur- In Dollars In Pur- Purchasing Dollars chasing chasing Power Power Power Totals 6,430 3,522 3,013 — 45 53 Churches of Carohne Slaterville Meth 1,168 78 64 — 93 — 45 Speeds ville " .... 252 69 57 — 72 — 77 Brookton Baptist .... 30 37 30 + 23 Slaterville Episcopal. . .... 27 22 Speedsville " . . 8 I I - 87 - 87 Churches of Danby Danby & So. D. Meth. 634 126 107 — 80 -83 ■ West Danby 3 .... West Danby Baptist.. 20 22 19 + '12 — 4 Churches of Dryden Dryden Meth 100 74 61 — 26 — 39 Free ville " 52 97 81 + 85 + 54 West Dryden " 80 44 37 — 45 — 54 Dryden Episcopal 34 28 Varna & ElHs Meth. . . 22 92 77 +318 + 252 Churches of Enfield Enfield Meth. Epis... . 30 133 117 +343 + 290 Baptist 48 107 94 + 124 + 97 Churches of Groton Groton Meth. Epis. . . . 78 130 lOI + 67 + 30 McLean Meth 39 5 4 -87 — go Groton City " 28 l82 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 37 {Continued) I 886-1 890 1906-1910 Per Cent Gain or Loss Dollars and Pur- In Dollars In Pur- Purchasing Power Dclhrs chasing Power chasing Power Groton City Cong'l . . . 7 5 Peruville Meth 16 Groton Baptist 460 53 41 — 88 — 91 McLean " 2 2 Groton Cong'l McLean Episcopal 81 6 5 — 93 — 94 Churches of Lansing Ludlowville Meth 42 168 143 + 300 + 240 Lansingville " 46 90 77 + 96 + 67 Asbury " 100 286 244 + 186 + 144 No. Lansing " .... 255 84 72 - 67 — 72 No. Lansing Baptist 3 3 East Lansing " 37 83 71 + 124 + 92 Churches of Newfield Newfield Meth 1,906 146 123 — 92 — 93 Baptist .... 257 217 Churches of Ulysses Trumansburg Meth. . . 336 555 488 + 65 + 45 Jacksonville " . . 80 402 354 +403 + 343 Trumansburg Baptist . .... 67 59 " Episcopal. 479 237 209 — 51 -56 TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 183 Ministers^ Salaries. Table 38 shows that the churches of the county have increased the amount given for ministers' salaries from an annual average of $17,128 from 1886 to 1890 to $17,194 from 1906 to 1910, or 0.4 per cent. When the purchasing power of the dollar is allowed for, however, there is a decrease from $17,128 to $14,405, or 16 per cent. Reckoning in dollars 18 churches held their own or increased, while 11 decreased; but reckoning in purchasing power only 8 increased while 21 decreased. In some cases where two or more churches shared the services of one minister in the first period the group- ing of churches was different in the second period.. The result of this is to cause the comparison of amounts received by ministers to differ slightly from the com- parison of the amounts given by the churches; so that out of 29 ministers' salaries in dollars paid 17 in the second period were as large as those in the first, while 12 were smaller; but reckoning in purchasing power only 7 ministers received larger salaries than their predecessors, while the pay of 22 was less. Excluding those ministers who did not give their whole time to the service of the church, and counting the rental value of parsonages as money received, the average salary in the first period was $646, in the 1 84 THE COUNTRY CHURCH second $744 in dollars, or $624 reckoned in purchas- ing power. TABLE 38 Increase and Decrease in Annual Average Ministers' Salaries from 1886-1890 and 1906-1910 1886-1890 I 906-1 9 10 Per Cent Gain or Loss Dollars and Purchasing Power In Dollars Purch. Power Compared with 1886-90 In Dol- lars In Pur- chasing Power Totals 17,128 17,194 14,415 +0.4 —16 Slaterville Meth Speedsville " Brookton Baptist Brookton Cong'l Danby Meth. Danby & So. D. Meth. So. Danby Meth West Danby " Dryden " Dryden & McLean Meth. Freeville Meth West Dryden & Freeville Meth. Varna & Ellis Meth Dryden Presbyterian Enfield Meth. .. 767 S19 f683+P| 1 733 J 562 638 424 268 532 467 5S9 1,020 496 658 551 344 611 520 401 308 701 147 626 724 740 980 600 498 637 281 503 428 330 254 595 519 601 614 813 ?27 — 20 —45 —45 + 10 —45 + 18 + 55 + 26 — 4 + 21 —24 + 16 —34 —18 -55 —55 — 7 -53 — 2 + 29 + 4 — 20 + 6 —S3 — 10 Enfield Baptist Groton Meth. Epis McLean " 438 496 Groton City Cong'l 219 TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 185 TABLE 38 {Continued) Per Cent 1886-1890 1906-1910 Gain or Loss Purch. Dollars and In Dollars Power In In Pur- Purchasing Compared Dol- chasing Power with 1886-90 lars Power Groton Baptist 800 82s 643 + 3 — 20 Groton Cong'l 1,000 1,200 936 + 20 — 6 McLean Episcopal 93 107 84 + 15 — 10 Ludlowville Meth 574 851 735 +48 +28 Asbury&W.Dryden Meth. 631 1 Asbury & No. Lansing 1 + 29 + 11 Meth. 817 697 J No. Lansing Meth 369 • • •• East Lansing Baptist . . . 330 400 345 +21 + 5- Newfield Meth. Epis. . . . 854 863 738 + I —14 Newfield Christian * 317 325 274 Trumansburg Meth. . . . 771 855 739 +11 — 4 Jacksonville " ... 575 840 726 +46 + 26 Trumansburg Baptist. . . 946 937 825 — I —13 Trumansburg Presb 1,000 1,000 865 —13 Trumansburg Episcopal . 300 400 346 ■Y23 + 15 * The minister of this church for a part of the time received also some pay from another church the exact amount of which could not be de- termined. i86 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 38 Increase and Decrease in Ministers' S alaries in Churches NOT Reporting tor Period i 886-1890 Average An- nual Salary re- ceived 1906- 1910 Salary Re- ceived in Year Re- Gain or Loss Per Cent In Dollars In Purch. Power ported Near- est 1886-90 In Dollars In Purch. Power Totals 1,194 990 1,650 1,624 —28 — 39 Slaterville Epis (1893) West Danby Baptist (1886) Etna Baptist (1887) Groton Epis.. . . . 120 205 (10)400 69* 400 99 174 318 54* 345 200 250 600 600 193 257 571 603 —40 —18 —33 —33 —49 —32 —44 Ludlowville Presb.. .(1890) —43 * Average for three years. Donations. It appears from Table 39 that reckoning in dollars 13 of the Methodist Episcopal churches have decreased their donations while only 7 have increased them. The total average amount given in the first period was $773 while in the second it was only $291, a decline of 62 per cent. In Table 40 it appears that in every town in the county these churches have decreased TOMPKINS COUNTY— EXPENDITURES 187 their donations. A similar decrease was reported in other churches but exact figures could be found only in the case of one or two. TABLE 39 Average Annual Donations in Dollars to Ministers of Methodist Churches, i 886-1 890 and 1906-19 10 Town Church Average 1886-90 per Year 1906-10 Loss per Cent Totals 733 291 —62 Churches of Caroline: Slaterville Meth. Epis 146 6 Speedsville " 27 48 Churches of Danby: Danby " 48 South Danby 42 71 Danby & S. Danby " 2 6 West Danby " Churches of Dryden: Dryden " 86 •• W. Dryden & Asbury " 37 Freeville & Peruville " 59 ... Varna & Etna " 30 Varna & ElHs " 3 Churches of Enfield: Enfield & Kennedy's Cors. " 78 37 Churches of Groton: Groton " 17 McLean and Groton City " 49 Churches of Lansing: N. Lansing & E. Genoa " 36 Ludlowville & Lansingville " 42 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 39 {Continued) Town Church Average 1886-90 per Year 1906-10 Loss per Cent LudIowville-{- (Asbury 1906-1908 Lansing- ville 1908-09) Meth. Epis 54 47 42 18 18 15 No. Lansing+ (Lansingville '06-09 Asbury Churches of Newfield: Newfield & Trumbulls Cors. " Churches of Ulysses: Trumansburg " Jacksonville '' TABLE 40 Average Annual Donations in Dollars to Ministers of Methodist Churches, 1886-1890 and 1906-1910 County 1886-1890 1906-igio 773 97 291 Average for town. . . 36 Caroline 173 92 182 3 95 85 54 89 54 77 30 Enfield Groton 37 60 Newfield 18 15 TOMPKINS COUNTY— MINISTRY 189 6. EDUCATIONAL EQUIPMENT OF MINISTRY There are 34 ministers in Tompkins County. Data as to their educational equipment was gathered in the case of all but 3. It is probable that these 3 had little preparation for the ministry. Five ministers, including 2 pastors of the rural churches and 3 of the churches of the larger villages, have had a training of seven years in college and semi- nary. Two have had a five years' course, 3 a four years' course, 6 a three years' course. Six have taken the courses of reading and study prescribed by Metho- dist Episcopal conferences, while 7 have received only high school or common school education. One has taken, in addition to other studies, some special studies in agriculture at Brown University, 2 have taken some agricultural studies at the summer school in Amherst, Mass., while 5 have had some experience on farms. None has reported a fuller course in agri- cultural training. As a whole this preparation is insufl&cient. It should be supplemented by courses in summer schools, at theological seminaries, agricultural institutions, or elsewhere. I go THE COUNTRY CHURCH 7. ACTIVITIES OF THE DENOMINATION In Tables 41 and 42 are given the figures for the at- tendance, membership, and expenditures of the dif- ferent denominations of Tompkins County. The Methodist Episcopal Church ranks first in the number of members and attendants. The Baptist churches are second, the Congregational third, the Presbyterian fourth,. the Episcopal fifth. Of these denominations the Episcopal Church has gained 38 per cent in membership, the Presbyterian Church has gained 20 per cent, the Baptist Churches 14, the Congregational i per cent, while the Methodist Episcopal Church has lost 12 per cent. In the number of attendants the Baptist Churches have lost 19 per cent, the Congregational 22 per cent, the Episcopal 30, the Presbyterian 35, while the Metho- dist Episcopal Church has lost 37 per cent. In expenditures reckoned in purchasing power, the Presbyterians have gained 3 per cent, the Episco- palians have lost 5 per cent, the Baptists have lost 10 per cent, and the Methodists 15 per cent. TOMPKINS COUNTY— ACTIVITIES 191 TABLE 41 Gains and Losses in Membership and Attendance for the Several Denominations Totals. Methodist Baptist Congregational. . . . Presbyterian Episcopal Christian UniversaHst Freewill Baptist. . . Wesleyan Meth Friends Undenominational and attending'out of County Membership 1890 4,039 ,967 881 539 450 128 74 1910 4,102 1,729 1,002 543 538 176 114 Attendance 1890 4,304 2,080 656 529 469 142 195 64 44 47 29 49 1910 2,878 1,317 533 413 303 99 62 62 18 38 22 Per Cent Gain or Loss In Member- ship + — 12 + 14 + I + 20 +38 + 54 In Attend- ance -33 -37 -19 -22 -35 -30 -68 - 3 -59 -19 -24 -78 192 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 42 Expenditures of the Denominations for the Periods 1886- 1890 AND 1906-1910 TOTAL EXPENDITURES 1886-1890 1906-1910 Increase or De- crease per Cent Dollars and Pur- chasing Power Dollars Purchas- ing Power as Com- pared with 86-90 In Dollars In Pur- chasing Power Totals 32,826 35,213 29,802 + 7 — 9 Methodist Baptist 19,071 5,783 5,708 1,939 325 19,182 6,226 6.813 379 2,180 433 16,220 5,222 5,863 295 1,837 365 +0.6 + 8 + 19 + 12 + Si — IS Presbyterian Congregational . . . Episcopal Christian + 7 — 5 + 12 BENEVOLENCES Totals Methodist Baptist Presbyterian. . . Congregational . Episcopal Christian 2,821 1,093 640 358 530 200 5,271 4,446 + 87 2,l8l 1,852 + 100 1,225 1,023 + 91 922 797 + 158 538 440 + 2 388 319 + 94 17 15 ... + 69 + 60 +123 — 17 + 59 + 37 TOMPKINS COUNTY-VILLAGE AND COUNTRY 193 TABLE 42 (Continued) MINISTERS' SALARIES I 886-1 890 1906-1910 Increase or De- crease per Cent Dollars and Pur- chasing Power j Dollars Purchas- ing Power as Com- pared with 86-90 In Dollars In Pur- chasing Power Totals 17,128 17,194 14,415 +0.4 — 16 Methodist Baptist 9,369 3,467 2,020 1,562 393 317 9,532 3,061 1,980 1,789 507 325 8.043 2,581 1,678 1,409 430 274 + 2 — 12 — 2 + 15 + 29 + 3 — 14 — 26 Presbyterian Congregational. . . Episcopal Christian — 17 — 10 + 9 — 14 IMPROVEMENTS Totals 6,430 3,522 3,013 — 45 — 53 Methodist 5,267 595 568 2,579 631 7 305 2,207 536 5 265 — 51 + 6 -46 -58 — 10 Presbyterian Congregational . . . Episcopal Christian — 53 8. LARGER VILLAGES COMPARED WITH SMALLER VILLAGES AND THE OPEN COUNTRY There are three villages in Tompkins County with more than 600 inhabitants. These are Groton, with a population of 1,260, Trumansburg in the town of Ulysses, with a population of 1,118, and Dryden, with a population of 709. No other village of the county has a population exceeding four hundred. 194 THE COUNTRY CHURCH By comparison between the activities of the churches of these three larger villages and those of the rest of the county it appears : That in the smaller communities a very much smaller proportion of the inhabitants are church members than in the larger villages: That while there is a considerable decline in the number of attendants at church services in the larger villages in proportion to population, the decline is much greater in the smaller communities; That the contributions for church expenses are very much less per capita outside the larger villages; That while in the larger villages the amount given per capita has substantially increased in twenty years, in the rural districts it has decreased; That while 56 per cent of the churches in the larger villages have gained in at least two out of three lines of activity, namely, maintaining or increasing member- ship, attracting attendants to their services, and con- tributing money, 83 per cent of the other churches have declined in at least two of the three; That the churches in the larger villages, while they are not holding the attendance of the rural population, are losing it much less rapidly than are the churches in the rural communities. TOMPKINS COUNTY— VILLAGE AND COUNTRY 195 TABLE 43 Membership in the Churches of the Large Villages and IN the Rural Districts, 1890 and 1910 1890 1910 Gain or Loss ■ per Cent Dryden Meth. Episcopal Dryden Presbyterian Dryden Episcopal Groton Meth. Episcopal Groton Baptist Groton Congregational Groton Episcopal Trumansburg Meth. Episcopal. " Baptist " Presbyterian " Episcopal Total Membership Large- Village churches. . . " " in County " " churches of Rural Districts Rural members of large village churches 1890 (estimated at 20.1% of total) Rural members of large village churches 19 10 (estimated at 16.6% of total) Estimated Total members who live in large villages Estimated Total members who Hve in Rural Districts 147 142 155 252 200 301 200 86 1,572 4»039 2,467 316 1,256 2,783 103 219 18 113 162 191 30 225 306 261 80 1,708 4,102 2,394 2 84 1,424 2,678 + 16 +49 — 20 + 5 —24 + 13 + 2 +31 — 7 + 9 + 2 — 3 196 THE COUNTRY CHURCH Membership. From Table 43 it appears that in the churches of the three larger \dllages the member- ship in 1,890 was 1,572 and 1,708 in 1910, or a gain of 9 per cent in twenty years. The churches in the rest of the county, including those of the smaller villages and of the open country, had 2,467 members in 1890 and only 2,394 in 19 10, a loss of 3 per cent in the mem- bership of the rural churches. In Table 44 it appears that the Protestant popula- tion of the three larger villages was 3,040 in 1890 and 2,947 in 1910, a loss of 3 per cent, while the Protestant population of the rest of the county was 16,805 in 1890 and 13,743 in 1910, a loss of 18 per cent. But some members of churches in the larger villages live in the outlying or rural districts. Table 46 shows that in 1890, 215 or 20.1 per cent of the attendants of the churches of the larger villages lived in the rural districts, and 156 or 16.6 per cent in 1910. It was therefore necessary, in estimating the number of mem- bers from the larger villages, to subtract 20.1 per cent of the recorded members for 1890 and 16.6 per cent for 1910. With this allowance made. Tables 43, 44, and 45 show that there were 1,256 church members in the large villages in 1890, or 41 per cent of the Protestant TOMPKINS COUNTY— VILLAGE AND COUNTRY 197 TABLE 44 Protestant Inhabitants in Large Villages and in the Rural Districts, 1890 and 1910 1890 1910 Gain or Loss per Cent Dryden 653 1,273 1,114 3,040 19,845 16,805 706 1,241 1,000 2,947 16,690 13,743 Groton TruniEnsbur^ Total in large villages. . . . Total in County Total in rural districts. . . . — 3 —16 —18 TABLE 45 Enrolled Membership in Larger Villages and Rural Districts, 1890 and 1910 1890 Large Villages Rural Districts Per Cent 1910 Per Cent 1890 Per Cent 1910 Per Cent Prot. Population Members resident in larger villages Members resident in rural districts. . . 3,040 1,256 2,947 1,424 .... 16,805 13,743 2,783 16.56 2,678 2,276 402 Members constitute fol- lowing per cent of Prot. population. . . . Normal membership in 1910, i. e. same per cent of population as in 1800 .... 41-3 1,217 207 48.3 19.48 17- 17.7 198 THE COUNTRY CHURCH population, and 1,424, or 48 per cent of the Protestant population, in 19 10; whereas in the rural districts there were 2,783 members in 1890, or 16.56 per cent of the rural Protestant population, and 2,678 members, or 19.5 per cent in 1910. Table 45 shows that in the larger villages church membership gained 17 per cent above that for 1890 in proportion to population, while the membership in the smaller communities gained 18 per cent in twenty years. It appears then that in the matter of enrolled mem- bership the smaller communities have made a slightly greater relative gain than the larger villages, while in the larger villages a very much larger part of the popula- tion belongs to the Church than in the rural districts. Attendance. From Table 46 it appears that the number of attendants of the churches of the three larger villages w^as 1,068 in 1890, while in 19 10 it was 939, a loss of 12 per cent. In the churches of the more rural part of the county the number of attendants was 3,236 in 1890 and only 1,939 in iQiOj a decline of 40 per cent. But it has been shown that in 1890 there were 20.1% or 215 rural people attending the churches of the large villages, while in 19 10 there were 16.6 or 156. There- fore in 1890 there were 853 church attendants in the TOMPKINS COUNTY— VILLAGE AND COUNTRY 199 TABLE 46 Church Attendants in the Larger Villages and in the Rural Districts, 1890 and 1910 Attendance in Large Villages Gain or Loss 1890 1910 per Cent Dryden Meth. Episcopal 95 138 lOI III 193 89 139 149 53 74 153 14 79 78 143 24 90 127 124 33 " Episcopal Groton Meth. Episcopal " Baptist " Congregational . . . " Episcopal Trumansburg Meth. Episcopal " Baptist. . . . " Presbyterian " Episcopal Total attendance in large villages . . "County 1,068 4,304 939 2,878 — 12 " churches of Rural Districts. 3,236 215 853 3,451 1,939 156 783 2,095 —40 — 27 Rural attendants in large-village Village attendants in large-village churches — 8 Total rural attendants in all churches —39 200 THE COUNTRY CHURCH large villages and 783 in 19 10, a loss of 8 per cent; while in the rural districts there were 3,451 attendants in 1890 and only 2,095 in 1910, a loss of 39 per cent. It will be seen in Tables 46 and 47 that in 1890, 28 per cent of the Protestant population of the larger villages were church attendants, and 26.6 per cent in 1910; whereas in the rural districts 20.5 per cent of the Protestant population were attendants in 1890 but only 15.2 per cent in 19 10. Whereas we have hitherto seen that in all the churches together there was a decline in proportion to the Protestant population of 19 per cent in Table 47 it appears that for the larger villages it was less than 6 per cent while in the smaller villages and open country it was nearly 26 per cent. In the period covered by the investigation, there- fore, there was a very much greater loss in the rural dis- tricts both absolutely and in relation to the population. Income and Expenditures. From Table 48 it ap- pears that the total expenditures of the churches in the larger villages were 12,275 dollars in the first period, and the equivalent in purchasing power of 13,267 of the same dollars in the second, a gain of 8.1 per cent. In the rural districts the expenditures in the first period were 20,551 and 16,535 '^ the second, a loss of 19.5 per cent. TOMPKINS COUNTY— VILLAGE AND COUNTRY 201 TABLE 47 Protestant Population and Number of Attendants in Large Villages and Rural Districts, 1890 and 1910 Large Villages Rural Districts 1890 Per Cent 1890 1910 Per Cent 1910 1890 Per Cent 1890 1910 Per Cent 1910 3,040 1,068 2,947 939 -12. 1 16,805 .... 13,743 Attendants of churches of large villages Rural attendants rural rVnirrVip<; 3,236 1,939 -40. Village attendants in large villages Rural attendants in 853 783 215 3,451 20.5 156 2,095 2,817 722 Total rural attendants -39-3 Attendants constitute following per cent Prot. population. . . . Normal number of at- tendants in 1910 (i.e. same per cent of pop- ulation as in 1890) . Loss below normal 28.1 828 45 26.56 15.24 5-43 25.63 1 202 THE COUNTRY CHURCH But as 20. 1 per cent of the attendants of the larger village churches were from the rural districts in 1890, and 16.6 per cent in 1910, it was thought best to deduct from the expenditures of the churches 20.1 per cent in 1890 and 16.6 per cent in 19 10, and treat the amounts deducted as contributions from people of the rural districts. This method is not strictly accurate, but it is the best available and its error is on the conservative side. It will be seen in Table 48 that under this method of estimating, the contributions of residents of the larger villages were 9,808 dollars per year in the period 1886- 1890 and reckoning in purchasing power 11,065 P^^ year in the period 1906-10, a gain of 13 per cent; while the residents of rural districts contributed 23,018 in the first period and 18,737 the second, a loss in con- tributions of 19 per cent. In Table 49 it appears that the people of the larger villages contributed 3.23 dollars per capita in the first period and again reckoning in purchasing power 3.75 in the second, an increase of 16. i per cent, while the residents of the rural districts contributed only 1.369 in the first period and 2.363 in the second, making a decrease of .4 per cent. TOMPKINS COUNTY— VILLAGE AND COUNTRY 203 TABLE 48 Expenditures in Large Villages and in the Rural Dis- tricts, 1886-1890 and 1906-1910, Expressed in Purchas- ing Power 1886-90 1906-10 Gain or Loss per Cent Dryden Meth. Episcopal. " Presbyterian . . . " Episcopal Groton Meth. Episcopal . " Baptist " Congregational .. " Episcopal Trumansburg Meth. Episcopal . " Baptist " Presbyterian " Episcopal 853 2,079 971 1,724 1,685 1,297 2,186 1,480 Total exp. churches of large villages Total exp. churches in County " " " in rural districts Contributions of rural att. of large-village churches (estimated at 20.1 per cent of total exps. village churches Contributions of rural att. of large village churches (estimated at 16.6% of total exps. village churches Contributions of residents of large villages. Contributions to all churches by residents of rural districts 12,275 32,826 20,551 2,467 9,808 23,018 972 1,876 343 1,057 1,108 114 2,075 1,469 3,401 852 13,267 29,802 i6,53S 2,202 11,065 18,737 + 8. — 9-2 — 20. + 13 —19 204 THE COUNTRY CHURCH It appears, therefore, that not only do the residents of the larger villages contribute very much more money per capita, but that they have made a substantial in- crease in their contributions; while the rural people have declined in their total contributions and in their contributions per capita.* Individual Churches. In the larger villages there are now ii churches, but 2 of these have been es- tablished since 1890. Comparison of the condition in 1890 with the condition in 19 10 can therefore be made in the case of only 9 of them. In the three lines of activity here treated (i. e. maintaining or increasing membership, attracting attendants, and contributing money), i church has gained in all three Hues, 4 have gained in two, 2 have gained in only one, while 2 have lost in every one of the three lines of activity. This may be seen in Table 50. Outside the larger villages, there are 24 churches for which data are available in all three lines of ac- tivity for the two periods. Of these 24 only i church has gained in all three Hnes of activity, only 3 * Owing to the fact that statistics for total expenditures in a few churches are not available, actual per capita expenditures would be slightly greater than here indicated. Of the few churches omitted the expenditures for 1 906-1910 were about equally divided between the large village churches and the others. TOMPKINS COUNTY-VILLAGE AND COUNTRY 205 TABLE 49 Expenditures per Capita in the Larger Villages and in THE Rural Districts, 1886-1890 and 1906-1910, Ex- pressed IN Purchasing Power Large Villages 1886-90 " 1906-10 Rural Districts 1886-90 .... " 1906-10 Contributed by village people to churches of large villages 1886-90 Contributed by village people to churches of large villages 1906-10 Contributed to all churches by residents of rural districts 1886-90 Contributed to all churches by residents of rural districts 1906-10 2o6 THE COUNTRY CHURCH have gained in two lines of activity, 9 have gained in one line of activity, while 11 have declined in all three lines. In other words, of 24 churches outside the larger villages only 4 have gained in two lines of activity, while 20 have lost in at least two lines. Fifty-five and six-tenths per cent of the churches of the large villages have gained in two of the three lines, whereas only 16.7 per cent of the churches outside the larger villages have gained in more than one line of activity. Rural attendants of rural churches and rural attend- ants of churches of the larger villages. From Table 52 it appears there were in 1890, 3,236 attendants of churches of the smaller communities while in 19 10 there were only 1,939, a decline of 40 per cent; whereas in 1890, 215 residents of the rural districts were attend- ing the churches of the large villages while in 19 10 there were 156, a decline of 27 per cent. Thus it is seen that while the churches of the larger villages are not holding their attendance of people of the rural districts, still they are more successful in this respect than are the churches of the rural districts. TOMPKINS COUNTY— VILLAGE AND COUNTRY 207 TABLE 50 Membership, Attendance, and Expenditures in the Churches of the Larger Villages, 1890 and 19 10, Ex- pressed in Purchasing Power Gain or Loss per Cent Membership Attendance Expenditures Trumansburg Meth. Episcopal. . " Baptist + 13 + 2 +31 + 16 +49 + 5 — 20 —24 — 7 + I — 9 —17 — 22 + ir —30 — 22 —26 -38 + 23 + 13 +56 + 14 — 10 -36 + 9 — 10 —42 " Presbyterian Dryden Meth. Episcopal. . " Presbyterian .... Groton Baptist . . . " Meth. Episcopal. . " Congregational . . Trumansburg Episcopal TABLE 51 Membership, Attendance and Expenditures in the Churches OF THE Rural Districts, 1890 and 1910, Expressed in Purchasing Power Per Cent Gain or Loss Membership Attendance Expenditures Jacksonville Meth. Episcopal . . . Varna and Ellis " Enfield Newfield Christian + 101 + 31 + 30 + 10 + 30 — 8 + 31 +38 -36 —26 —52 —43 —19 —47 + 73 +33 + 25 + 12 W. Danby Meth. Episcopal Freeville " Enfield Baptist —SO + 24 — 24 2o8 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE SI {Continued) Per Cent Gain or Loss Membership Attendance Expenditures McLean Meth. Episcopal . . . " Baptist Ludlowville Meth. Episcopal Lansing ville " Asbury " Ludlowville Presbyterian . . Slaterville Meth. Episcopal Speedsville " Brookton Baptist Speedsville Episcopal Danby & So. Danby Meth. Epis W. Dryden " Peruville " McLean Episcopal No. Lansing Meth. Episcopal. . . East Lansing Baptist Newfield Meth. Episcopal Danby Cong'l W. Danby Baptist Etna Baptist Enfield Christian W. Groton Congregational No. Lansing Baptist Brookton Congregational + 23 + 38 — 10 — 10 — 4 + 52 — 21 — 51 — 34 — 64 — 54 28 + 283 + 47 — 26 — 55 — 10 —45 —24 —24 —29 —57 —53 —61 -58 —81 -38 —19 —70 —86 —29 —26 —54 —35 —48 —43 —69 —23 —35 —81 — II + 62 + 89 + 63 —18 —59 -38 —70 -56 —49 —30 — 9 —27 —44 — 3 —57 —73 TOMPKINS COUNTY— VILLAGE AND COUNTRY 209 TABLE 52 Rural Attendants of Rural Churches and Number of Rural Attendants of Large-Village Churches, 1890 AND 1910 Attendants in Rural Churches Attendants Big Village Churches from Rural Districts 1890 1910 Gain or Loss per Cent 1890 1910 Gain or Loss per Cent County 3,236 1,939 —40 215. 156 —27 Caroline. . . . Danby Dryden Enfield Groton Lansing .... Newfield. . . . Ulysses 486 524 429 288 408 432 517 152 223 315 247 173 258 305 285 133 49 79 87 48 36 72 Relative Importance of Rural Churches and Churches of the Larger Villages. It will be seen from previous tables and from Diagram VI that the rural churches, as compared with the churches of the larger villages, are greater in number, that taken together they have more members, that they have a greater total number of attendants, that as a whole they contribute a larger amount of money, and that they have a larger number of people dependent upon their ministry. It is evident that the decline manifest in these 2IO THE COUNTRY CHURCH country churches is a matter of the gravest con- cern. DIAGRAM VI Comparison of Larger Villages with the Rural Districts I. Membership ]663 11256 Illilllllllllil424 1890 1910 Larger Villages aNon-Members cm Vi I lacfe Members of Churches Oflarcfcl^/Hages 14543 316 2467 lilllli ill 11792 284 2394 1890 1910 Rural Districts C3Non- Members rzz2t Members of Large Village Churches oniB • 8ural Churches j2. Attendance Iniiiiliiiii 12301 1853 1830 1910 Larger Villages CD Non -Attendants mSi Attendants 2304 783' i 13875 215 3236 llllllllllll 12375 156 1939 1890 1910 Rural Districts C3 Hon -Attendants xzzzAtfending ChunJies ofLanfs Wllaqes nm • /iural Churched TOMPKINS COUNTY— OVER-CHURCHING 211 DIAGRAM VI {Continued) 3. Expenditures — — *-, 12275 20551 1886-90 1906-10 13267 16535 '^mReal Expenditures of Large Vi't/ageCfiurthes EDD • • • Euro I Churches 9. OVER-CHURCHING The figures for attendance, membership, and ex- penditures gathered in Tompkins County indicate how very serious the evil of over-churching has be- come. Only four churches in the smaller communities in a twenty year period have increased their activities in two or more of the three lines of activity considered above. Three of these are in one-church communities. The fourth is a weak church. Its expenditures were small in both periods, and its apparent gain in mem- bership is due to padded rolls. Attendance figures afford the best indication of the effect of over-churching. In small communities with only one church there was a loss of 29 per cent in at- 212 THE COUNTRY CHURCH teiidance in twenty years. In small communities where there were two churches there was a loss of 50 per cent; while in the small communities of more than two churches there was a loss of nearly 55 per cent. (See Table 56.) TABLE S3 Loss IN Number op Attendants in One-Church-Communities IN Small Two-Church Communities and in Small Commu- nities WITH More than Two Churches One-Church Com- munities 1890 1910 Loss Per Cent Two- Church Com- munities 1890 1910 Loss Per Cent Small Commu- nities with more than Two Churches 1890 1910 Loss Per Cent Totals 1,675 53 40 1,182 24 9 29 1,072 536 50 489 221 55 Churches of Caroline Caroline Center Meth. . . Central Chapel " . . 140 46 Caroline " . . Sneedsville " 30 36 32 II 6 " Episcopal "Rri^rklrfnn TlTnti«;f 90 68 38 44 14 " Cong'l Union Valley Christian . . Churches of Danby 41 167. 75 14 109 SO W. Danby Meth Jersey Hill " TOMPKINS COUNTY— OVER-CHURCHING 213 T^ ^BLE 53 (Continued) One-Church Com- munities 1890 1910 Loss per Cent Two- Church Com- munities 1890 1910 Loss per Cent Small Commu- nities with more than Two Churches 1890 19 10 Loss Per Cent S. Danby Meth 85 28 48 63 Smily Hill " Morris Chapel " .... 43 West Danby " 6S 64 37 33 " " Baptist. . . . Churches of Dryden Freeville Methodist .... 96 54 70 59 44 44 36 23 86 31 37 39 36 18 32 15 Etna Baptist Varna Methodist West Dryden Methodist . Ellis Snyder Hill Baptist Churches of Enfield Kennedy's Cor. Meth. . . Enfield Falls " . . " Center " . . 66 68 71 46 36 22 " Baptist... " " Christian . Churches of Groton Groton City (Meth. 1890) 35 30 lOI 47 " " (Cong'l 1910) 39 9 78 38 Peruville Methodist West Groton Cong'l PI. Valley Wes. Meth. . . McLean Methodist 49 46 57 64 5 25 8 62 " Baptist " Episcopal " Universal Churches of Lansing Lansingville Methodist. . 84 48 72 29 North Lansing " 214 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE S3 {Continued) One-Church Com- munities 1890 1910 Loss Per Cent Two- Church Com- munities 1890 1910 Loss Per Cent Small Commu- tiities with more than Two Churches 1890 igio Loss Per Cent Asbury Methodist 74 84 57 62 E. Lansing Baptist Ludlow ville Methodist. . . 77 60 35 16 10 " Presb. Portland Presb Myers Methodist 25 24 15 Drake Hill S. H Churches of Newfield Poney Hollow Baptist. 18 9 2 Jacksons Hollow S. H. . . North Vanettan Newfield Methodist . 187 122 106 " Presbyterian . . " Baptist 85 32 40 Trumbull's Corners Meth. 116 83 ' Christian Churches of Ulysses Jacksonville Methodist . . 80 37 29 85 25 22 Waterburg " Friends 10. THE CHURCH ON GOOD LAND AND ON POOR LAND The soil and the agricultural surveys of Tompkins County have pointed out the marked contrast between the good soil of the northern part of the county and TOMPKINS COUNTY— GOOD AND POOR LAND 215 the poor soil of the southern part. The northern towns are also more accessible to markets and railroad stations. Ulysses, Lansing, and Groton constitute the northern tier of townships, while Newfield, Danby, and Caroline constitute the southern tier. In Table 54 it will be observed that after making proper allowances for decline in Protestant population the churches in the southern or poor land tier compare very unfavorably with those of the northern or good land tier. In the northern tier the membership from the rural population has increased 19 per cent in pro- portion to Protestant population, while in the southern tier it has increased only 7 per cent. In the northern tier the attendance has declined 23 per cent, while in the southern it has decreased 26 per cent. Contri- butions per capita have increased 22 per cent in the northern tier, but have delined 26 per cent in the south- ern. In all three lines of activity the churches in the poor land regions compare unfavorably with those of the churches in the good land regions. The moral conditions and general character of the population are on the whole better in the northern than in the southern part of the county. The population on the poor soil declines faster in numbers, and in other re- spects also. The best people in the southern regions 2l6 THE COUNTRY CHURCH are less hopeful as to the agricultural outlook and the rural prospects in general than their neighbors to the north. TABLE 54 Decline of Church Activities on Poor Soil and on Good Soil Gain per Cent Loss per Cent Percentage of in Membership in Attendance Gain or Loss Relative to Prot- Relative to Prot- in Expenditures estant Popula- estant Popula- per Capita in tion in 20 Years tion in 20 Years 20 Years Southern or Poor Soil Tier. . . + 7 —26 -26 Northern or Good Soil Tier. . +19 —23 +22 Membership 1890 1910 1 V. 8 s Member- ship of Churches in Large Villages 1890 1910 Member- ship in Churches of Larger Villages after De- ducting Rural Mernship 1890 1910 1 3 1 1 1,347 504 525 318 2,056 773 414 869 1.04s— 22.4 Danby Newfield Northern or Good Land Tier . . . 2,2034- 779-. 387. . 7-15 549 496 442 441 —0.23 Ulysses 1,037. • 787 872 628 702 +11. 8 TOMPKINS COUNTY— GOOD AND POOR LAND 217 TABLE 54 {Continued) Southern or Poor Land Tier Northern or Good Land Tier Groton Lansing Ulysses Church Members Resident in Rural Communities 1,347 986 331 414 241 1, 04s 1,060 338 387 335 Per Cent Gain or Loss — 22.4 + 7-5 Per Cent of Rural Actual Member- Protestant Popu- Members Normal ship = lation of Rural in Prot- Member- Following Communities estant Popula- tion ship in per Cent above Normal 1890 1910 1890 1910 1910 Southern or Poor Land Tier Total 5,920 2,050 1,656 2,214 4,282 I 626 22.75 7 Danby 1,207 1,449 Newfield .... Northern or Good Land Tier Total. . . 6,167 2,125 2,425 1,617 5,597 1,879 2,308 1,410 15.98 894 Groton Lansing .... 2l8 THE COUNTRY CHURCH TABLE 54 {Continued) Attendance from Rural Commu- nities 1890 1910 Per Cent Loss Protestant Population of Rural Commu- nities 1890 1910 11 11 s 1 :§ 1 " 1 P '^ 2 Southern or Poor Land Tier. . . Total 1.527 486 524 517 1,158 487 432 239 823 223 315 285 80s 294 305 206 -46.1 —30.5 5.920 2,050 1,656 2,214 6,167 2,125 2,425 1,617 4,282 1,626 1,207 1,449 5,597 1,879 2,308 1,410 25.8 1. 105 25-5 Danby Newfield Northern or Good Land Tier Total.' 18.78 1,051 23-4 Ulysses Total Ex- penditures * 1890 1910 Total Ex- penditures of Big Village Churches 1890 1910 Total Ex- penditures Big Village Churches Deducting Contribu- tions of Rural At- tendants 1890 1910 Total Ex- penditures from Rural Commu- nities 1890 1910 Southern or Poor Soil Tier. . . 11,114 4,388 2,539 4,187 7,875 1,736 3,857 2,282 5.968 2 181 Caroline Danby 1,298 2,489 8,745 I 234 Newfield Northern or Good Soil Tier 15,455 4,012 3,857 7,586 17,072 3,286 4,334 9.452 Groton 2,695 2,279 2,276 2,052 4.334 3,177 Ulysses 6,648 7,797 5,304 6,275 * In purchasing power. TOMPKINS COUNTY— GOOD AND POOR LAND 219 TABLE 54 {Continued) Total Ex- Per Total Ex- Per Per penditures Cent penditures Cent Cent from Rural Gain Including Gain Per Capita Gain Communiiies or Large or Expenditure or Loss Villages Loss Loss 1890 1910 1890 1910 1890 1910 Southern or Poor Soil Tier 5,968 —46.3 1.877 1.393 (— JS.8) Northern or Good Soil Tier 7,875 8,745 +11 15,455 17,072 +10.5 1.277 1.562 (+22.3) APPENDIX In the following table the figures are given showing for a single township the changes in prices of various articles in different years. The securing of such figures as these is the first step of the process by which the change in the cost of living was determined. (See Part I, sec. 6.) 222 THE COUNTRY CHURCH .0 :^2Sg^^2^?> i^ss^^a^sss - - 8 - .0 :?28Si??2?^ :^28?^a^888 .0 g M p HHMHMC-lOOlM -OioinOfOiOHOON .g. p - -S, " H „ommmhOOMiocO -t^ .io»o>r)0>oOQO -§ 0^ 1 10 00 } rfOM>0-i-ic1>J^«'-'c^'OtoioO>oO -m HH>-1M -MMOW -O .OOCO>OMlO-rt 4» & MMMMMM -Ol-l •Mt^OO'+lOMO ^ s si Ul -Ji • ; ; iiii CHRISTIAN UNITY AT WORK A volume setting forth Christian Unity as expressed in the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, which unites in service thirty Evangelical denominations, including in its Com- mission on the Church and Social Service a department of the Church and Country Life of which Gifford Pinchot is Chairman and Charles O. Gill an ofiScial representative. Edited by Charles S. Macfarland, Secretary of the Council $1.00 net With every volume of Christian Unity at Work a second volume of the Business Proceedings of the Second Quadrennial Council, containing full data, will be sent free. Postage to cover both, fifteen cents. 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PUBLISHED BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York Social Idealism and the Changing Theology A Study of the Ethical Aspects of Christian Doctrine The Nathaniel WilHam Taylor Lectures for 191 2. Delivered be- fore the Yale Divinity School By Gerald Birney Smith Associate Professor of Christian Theology in the Divinity School of the University of Chicago Cloth, izmo, $1.25 net; postpaid, $1.37 "It has for some time seemed to me," says Gerald Birney Smith, in the preface to his new book, "that theological scholarship is in danger of pursuing a course which might end in a somewhat exclusive intellect- ualism. As the progress of Bibhcal criticism has compelled us to re- construct our conception of the way in which the Bible is to be used, the appeal to the Bible, which to Luther seemed so simple and democratic a matter, has become hedged in with considerations of critical scholarship difficult for those who are not specialists to comprehend. 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