From this table it is seen that the denomination has gained in every particular. The number of organizations reported in 1916 was 9,660 as against 7,935 in 1906, an increase of 21.7 per cent, and the membership rose from 1,179,566 to 1,611,251, an increase of 36.6 per cent. The number of church edifices increased from 8,185 to 9,068 in 1916, or 10.8 per cent, and the value of church property from $114,882,781 to $150,239,123, an advance of 30.8 per cent. The debt on church property as reported in 1916 by 2,130 organizations was $7,504,138 as against $5,116,899 reported by 1,484 organizations in 1906. The number of churches reporting parsonages advanced from 3,465 in 1906 to 4,536 in 1916, a gain of 30.9 per cent, and the value reported advanced from $11,503,460 to $17,048,494, or 48.2 per cent. Sunday schools increased 16 per cent, from 8,300 to 9,631, and the number of scholars 32.2 per cent, from 1,045,056 to 1,381,682. Contributions for missions and benevolences advanced from $4,245,287 to $8,034,078, the increase in gifts for domestic purposes being 88.1 per cent and that for foreign purposes being 92.2 per cent.

Certain items not included in the above summary are church expenditures and number of members under 13 years of age, reported for the first time in 1916, and the languages used in church services.

Church expenditures, amounting to $30,166,158, reported by 9,059 organizations, cover running expenses, outlay for repairs and improvements, benevolences, and such other items as passed through the church treasury.

The number of members under 13 years of age, as reported by 7,021 organizations in 1916, was 49,444, constituting 3.9 per cent of the 1,283,312 members reported by these organizations. Assuming that the same proportion would apply to the 327,939 members reported by the organizations from which no answer

to this inquiry was received, the total number of members under 13 years of age for the entire denomination would be 62,079.1

Of the 9,660 organizations, 9,222, with 1,542,413 members, reported church services conducted in English only; 225, with 50,732 members, reported services in foreign languages and English; and 213 organizations, with 18,106 members, reported services in foreign languages only. The number of foreign languages reported was 26. The principal language used was German, reported alone or with English by 128 organizations, with 16,811 members, of which 51 organizations, with 5,928 members, used German only; next in order were the Indian languages, reported alone or with English or Spanish by 67 organizations, with 4,469 members; Italian, alone or with English, by 52 organizations, with 17,969 members; Spanish, by 51 organizations with 3,078 members; and Bohemian, by 40 organizations with 5,521 members. As compared with the report for 1906, this shows an increase of 5 in the number of foreign languages reported, but there was a decrease in the proportion of organizations using foreign languages exclusively.

The number of ministers on the rolls of the denomi

nation was given as 9,299. Schedules were received from 6,597, distributed, by states, in the following