TABLE 31.-ORGANIZATIONS AND MEMBERS USING FOREIGN LANGUAGES ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER LANGUAGES, FOR EACH SPECIFIED FOREIGN LANGUAGE: 1916 AND 1906.

TABLE 32.-ORGANIZATIONS AND MEMBERS USING FOREIGN LANGUAGES, BY DIVISIONS AND STATES: 1916 AND 1906.

the two cases is available, the figures for church mem- | languages; the states of Michigan and Wyoming an bership being for 1916 and those for the foreign-born population for 1910. Such comparison is also rendered difficult by the fact that a portion of the foreignborn population is not identified with church life, and that in some sections, especially in the West, it is so scattered that organizations have not been formed, and consequently there is no report of membership.

A comparison of the figures in this table for the two years shows, in general, no marked difference in the distribution except such as may be accounted for by the natural growth of membership and the tendency, heretofore noted, of consolidation in number of organizations. In nearly all the individual states, according to the table, there is an increase in the number of languages used in church services in 1916 over that in 1906. Thus, the states of New York and Virginia each report an increase of eight in the number of

increase of seven each; the states of Alabama, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, New Jersey, Texas, and Wisconsin, an increase of six each; Massachusetts and Iowa, five each; and Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, four each. This increase in these and other states in the number of languages used is significant as showing the incoming into these states of new nationalities, or success in reaching new nationalities and bringing them into connection with church life. A general survey of the situation in regard to the languages used in church services, as illustrated in the preceding tables, shows that, while the churches have not failed to supply the need of immigrants for services in their mother tongue, there has been during the decade, in all parts of the country, a decided trend toward the substitution of English for foreign languages in church services.

WORK OF DENOMINATIONS IN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN FIELDS.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION.

The statistics relating to work of the denominations were not obtained from the local organizations, but from various denominational boards, societies, etc., through which the local organizations act.

In the early history of the churches of the United States all activities, even those outside their own immediate bounds, were conducted for the most part by the local organizations. Gradually, however, it became evident that this was not the most effective way. At first a few individual churches joined forces, but soon for greater economy and efficiency they formed general societies to which they gave the necessary funds, these societies conducting the work and reporting its results and cost at such meetings as might be arranged. There were several such boards or societies in the Eastern states, whose chief work was among the Indians or in isolated districts, but the first general missionary society was the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, organized in Boston, Mass., in 1810. This board combined work. in foreign lands with work for Indians in America, and was supported by the churches of a number of denominations. Subsequently denominational societies were organized, and at the present time almost the entire work of the churches outside the limits of the local church organizations is conducted by them.

it was impracticable to secure information directly from the individual organizations, so application was made to the denominational officers or others who prepared the descriptive statements of history, doctrine, and polity printed in Part II of this report. Sometimes they furnished the information themselves, sometimes they sent in published reports from which the desired facts were collected, and in some cases they gave the names of others from whom information could be obtained. In many instances there was considerable correspondence for the purpose of supplementing or correcting the figures obtained. Such items as are available for tabulation appear in the tables presented in this section, while others are noted in the text descriptions of the work of the denominations in Part II.

In this connection reference should be made to the diversity in the form of organization of these societies in différent denominations, which rendered it frequently very difficult to combine in tabular form the data they submitted.

In most of the larger and more thoroughly organized bodies, as the Congregational Churches, the Methodist and Presbyterian bodies, and some of the smaller denominations, the different phases of work are under the care of distinct societies. Thus there is one society for home missions, which combines general evangelism, the erection of church buildings or parsonages, and special evangelistic and educational work among Negroes, Indians, and the foreign-born population; another society for Sunday school organ

ization and the supplying of religious literature; another for the assistance of educational institutions or of students; another for foreign missionary work; besides a considerable number of minor societies for special objects. With the exception of the society for foreign work, these cover largely the same territory and often have similar general aims, but are independent of one another. In some instances, as in the Protestant Episcopal Church, a single general society nominally covers the whole field, but practically a considerable amount of the work in each department is done by diocesan organizations. In the Roman Catholic Church there is no general organiza

This has not been true, however, of the Primitive Baptists, the Plymouth Brethren, Churches of Christ, and some other loosely organized denominations. In the Southern states the term "missionary" is frequently applied to those churches that conduct their missionary work through societies. Certain churches called "antimissionary" are not so much opposed to missionary work in itself as they are to its conduct by organizations outside of the local church, which they fear may acquire some ecclesiastical authority over the churches. In the early history of the Disciples of Christ this was very manifest, and the formation of the two societies for the conduct of their missionary work, home and foreign, was looked upon with great disfavor and was a principal occasion for the refusal of the Churches of Christ to be identified with them. One body, the Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarian Baptists, is opposed to missionary work on principletion as interfering with the prerogative of the Almighty in the election of individuals to salvation. The Plymouth Brethren are active in missionary work, but with them it is conducted on a purely individualistic basis, which permits of no classification or even of report.

For those denominations having no organized societies for conducting activities outside the churches,

for any one of these various departments, but the religious orders, and sometimes the dioceses, carry on the work on mutually independent lines under general ecclesiastical supervision. In the smaller bodies there is a smaller number of societies, and in a few there is no society at all for the carrying on of general religious, benevolent, or foreign work, all initiative in these directions being taken by individual, churches or by the regular ecclesiastical divisions.

ments is under one general direction, the evangelistic type being more pronounced than the educational or philanthropic, and no separate statement of contributions or property is feasible.

DOMESTIC WORK.

Another serious difficulty in tabular presentation | field, however, the entire work in these three departarose from the very diverse methods of financial statement. One general purpose of the tables was to show the amount contributed by the churches of the United States for the various departments of missionary and benevolent work during the year under review. The reports received included, however, in many cases, not merely the contributions of the churches, but income from invested funds, fees for tuition, or for treatment in hospitals or asylums, etc. In other instances the figures covered not the exact amount received during the year, but amounts expended or even appropriated for the respective departments of work.

In general, the work of the denominations, whether in the United States or abroad is conducted along three lines-evangelistic, educational, and philanthropic. In the United States these distinctions are reasonably clear, although there is much interlacing of different departments, and the contributions and property value for each are presented. In the foreign

The following table gives for 1916 and 1906 a statistical presentation of the general missionary, educational, and philanthropic activities carried on in the United States under the auspices of the denominations.

The items include: (1) The contributions classified as missionary, educational, and philanthropic; (2) the number of home missionaries and the number of churches aided; (3) the number of schools of higher grades and of their students; (4) the number of philanthropic institutions and of persons relieved; (5) the value of the property and endowments held for educational and for philanthropic purposes.