Six Thousand Country Churches

9.) No less than 526, or more than one-third, of the total number of churches are Methodist Episcopal. Nearly one-tenth are United Brethren in

enominations represented, for they are for the most part neither weak nor poor. Ohio, moreover, is a wealthy S

ilding churches. We do not believe that proposition is sound. In rural Ohio the worst moral and religious co

these Eighteen Counties and the counties contiguous to them, no county has an average of less than 228 persons to a church, but it appears that Washington has one church for 226 persons, Monroe one for 214, Pike one for 211, Gallia one fo

on for having many churches, it certainly cannot be held that the bad moral and religious conditions which exist are due to lack of a suffi

the State as a whole, about one-third, or 34 per cent, of the churches have resident ministers. In only three counties outside the Eighteen is it true that less than one-fourth of the churches have them. These are Delaware, Coshocton, and Pickaway, and the latter is one of the bordering counties. But i

re are more than 1,000 persons for each resident minister, of which 13 are among the Eighteen Counties under consideration, and three among the bordering counties. Noble County has a resident minister to every 1,240 persons, Galli

poor service-how poor the reader may judge from the following description of the religious

all-round human development, and cherished and propagated by sane and sober-minded people, is rarely known. The main function of a church, according to the popular conception, is to hold these protracted meetings, to stir up religious emotion, and, under its influence, to bring to pass certain psychological experiences. The idea seems to be dominant in nearly all the denominations and churches that the presence of the Deity is made known m

d going into trances, while some things which have happened in the regular services of a church in one of the largest denominations cannot properly be described in print. The leaders of a religious cult commonly called Holy Rollers se

counties. Its meetings are large and full of enthusiasm. Except the churches of this cult, very few are now left in the western half of Pike County which show any activity whatever. In one district of 150 s

well adapted to rythmic motions of the body, by dancing and clapping the hands, sometimes by shouting and joyous screaming, rolling upon the floor, tumbling together of men and women in heaps, trances, while at least one of their preachers has exercised hy

ne which a missionary of the American Sunday School Union was trying to start in the neighborhood. Three-fourths of the parents of the fifty pupils in the local school were adherents of this cult, yet its leaders opposed having better day schools. The school principal, under the direction of the County School Superintendent, tried to hold literary mee

a tendency to break up families and destroy the peace and harmony of the neighborhood. In the judgment of

or it. In fact, good soil is found for sprouting the seed of Holy Rollerism in many sections of the State. The difference in religious beliefs and ideals between the Holy Rollers and the preachers of other

or to a number of families whom they are supposed to lead and teach. In some districts a considerable proportion of the preachers have had no more than three or four grades of common school instruction.

spirit of utter indifference towards religion, and often of gross materialism. Under such circumstances it is not surprising to find that in several sections much hostility to institutional religion exists. It is given expression by ru

requently emerge, escape their surroundings, and become good citizens, it is none the less true

est, often with deplorable results to the social, religious, and moral conditions of the communities where they are employed. (See Table B.) It is calculate

condition is the fact that the farm laborers imported by the owners of large tracts of lands were never made familiar, before they came, with a normal type of religion. These men come from the Eighte

fortunate people who live in them, but also for the sake of the other regions whose welfare is threatened by the trans

rican Sunday School Union. What is more important, there is much promise that the trouble can be reached and cured by the modern country church movement, which is already making real progress in Ohio. As a result of this movement, for example, the Board of Home Missio

a

ions Demand

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Rates from

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literacy

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any but Mi

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sons to a Res

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Property in

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Value of F

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p

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BL

ive Number of Illegitimate Births, Excessive Overchurching, a very Small Number of Resident Ministers in Proportion to the Number of Chur

from tuberculosis of the lungs per

100,000 population of illegi

lliterate males o

population who were fo

of persons

urches which have

ersons to each

of dollars at which f

se in value of farm

4 5

ties 125 43.9 4.2

6.9 0.5 26

7.4 5.3 229

3 4.3 1.

nt 164

6 8.1 1.2 19

and 1

8.6 3.5 2

123 9.5 2

13 11.6 1.8 26

58 178

5.4 2.4 21

0 194 17

.5 3.2 248

10.7 1.4 2

5 87 7.

73 7.7 3 23

8.4 .8 1

4.5 2.5 226

or 18 cou

55 7.1 1

in

fiel

55 6.2 .

55 7.8

on 217

ngum

4.6

30 61 5.7

ren

BL

Migrated from the Rural Districts of Sixt

lati

ctly

nsh

Exc

th

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Calcu

popu

191

e be

n Calcul

son

gr

0-1

l 61

12.15 26,32

4.93 28,237

51 3.81 31,61

6 2.73 20,97

82 4.22 19,50

4 12.72 19,18

6 12.47 12,00

02 14.83 24,6

1.96 18,961

13.73 23,373

7 8.07 17,90

11.28 19,46

11.48 18,172

5.6 25,758

6 9.4 15,330

,409 7.4 32,4

BL

urches in Eighteen Coun

rch

stri

u

hips

u

es All

ur

,542 59

Episcopal

rethren

t 124

ian 97

erian 9

les 87

Protesta

an Unio

lic 4

sive Discip

ited Breth

ran 2

ational

med 1

vangelic

esbyteria

ds 10

ers 182