POTENTIAL CHRISTIAN VOTERS IN U. S. IN 1890.

From Tables by Rev. W. H. Roberts, D. D., LL. D., in The Independent, Feb., 1895.

Total potential Christian voters, Protestant, 4.558,412; Catholic, 1,942,682. The proportion of persons under age in the totals of male Protestant communicants given in the statement is probably about ro per cent. Inasmuch, however, as the percentage of non-naturalized foreigners in the totals of potential voters is also about to per cent., it follows that the percentages given in the fourth column have a political as well as an ecclesiastical value. The latter column indicates, therefore, the highest possible proportion of potential Protestant voters.

13.230 4,108

1.3

3.524

1.5

28.3

6.2

1,235 6.3

394

2.2

07,178 37.6

0.5

84,447 7.3

2.349 3.5

8.8

14,628

9.6

31,229 75-5

5,899 25.0

5-958

1,849

3.6

REVIEW QUESTIONS.

1. What is the position of humanitarianism in the teachings of Christ? What is the definition of Christian sociology?

§ 2. In what aspect is Christ the center of Christian sociology? What distinction is made as to the means of social regeneration as compared with the means of personal salvation?

3. What trilogy does the law of Christ include? Are there other New Testament laws of Christ? In what two senses is the Decalogue the law of Christ? What laws besides those of the Bible are included in the law of Christ, and why?

4. What is the most serious error we have inherited from the Middle Ages? What sub-kingdoms does Christ's kingdom embrace, including one to be added to current classifications? What is the peculiar characteristic of this last? That part of it we call the Church is what in its essence?

5. What form of Church action does the solution of social problems require? Through what does the Bible promise the salvation of society, and to what extent is this way of social salvation revealed? In what Bible passages? What is the regal significance of "The Lord's Day"? $6. How is the Kingship of Christ rather than the Saviorship of Christ the Bible's ultimate theme?

$7. What evidences can be given that the Kingship of Christ is less considered to-day than his Saviorship? Why has the Kingship of Christ been so little regarded in our day?

§ 8. How is man's natural selfishness an obstacle to social reform, and how is this obstacle to be removed? What is the origin of our unselfish social ideals, and what inference does this origin suggest as to their realization?

$9. What two fallacies are involved in the claim that social evils may be removed by individual conversions only? With what form of action must revivals be followed in order to make them effective against social evils?

10. Before Christ emphasized human individuality, what was the social unit? Whom did the Old Testament prophets chiefly address? To what social and personal elements of the prophets' work is the preacher of to-day a successor? How can the social message of to-day be most effectively and wisely delivered? Is the New Testament wholly individualistic in its plan of salvation? What new methods of reading both Testaments are suggested? Is the larger portion of the Bible theological or sociological? Give samples of sociological passages.

§ II. What is the central theme of the New Testament, and what is Christ's most concise explanation of it and the implication of that explanation? What is the sociological import of the closing chapters of the New Testament? What was Christ's immediate, and what his ultimate aim as to man? What law did he proclaim as the practical working principle of society, and how broadly did he apply it? What are some

of the changes in the social life of to-day that a practical application of that law would produce? To what error was the word of Christ, "My kingdom is not of this world," a reply; and how does its historic occasion confirm or correct the use of these words by opponents of Christian politics?

12. What is named as Christ's most novel doctrine, and how was i applied and with what result?

13. Why should we read church history sociologically?

§14. What quality of the early Church most impressed and attracted their pagan neighbors? What might be expected from a restoration of this Christian grace? What approach to it has been made in recent years? What are the evidences that it is yet largely lacking?

§ 15. What three periods theologically dark were times nevertheless of sociological progress, and what new name for them has been therefore suggested?

16. What practical lesson has the first of these periods for us?

17. How was individuality on the religious side checked?

18. In what respect did Christianity gain while theologically corrupt?

$19. How was individuality developed in charities? How are charities shown to be of Christian origin? What was the limitation of Roman "justice"? What does the context of the words of Terence, "I am a man," etc., suggest as to the supposed humanitarianism of paganism?

20. How did individuality work out in medieval politics?

21. What effect did the Reformation have upon individuality? What seems to have been the providential purpose of the late discovery of America? What was the relative position of Protestantism and Roman Catholicism in America early in the eighteenth century? How was this position changed by Protestantism? How did the idea of individuality work toward popular government and emancipation? What is the relation of the idea of human individuality to the history of civilization?

§ 22. Charities and political progress are how related to Christ? What new development of Christian ideas seems to be at hand?

23. What were the characteristics and what the defects of the Reformation of the sixteenth century? What new reformation is now needed?

24. From what general and special dates should the beginning of our new social era be reckoned, and what were its first words and deeds? What was the status of the new social movements at the end of the eighteenth century and in the first third of the nineteenth?

25. What date is given as that of the full dawn of the new era? What were the chief achievements between that date and 1867?

26. In what three particulars have evils in the United States outrun the population in this closing third of the century, and to what extent? What other evils belong to this same period?

27. What defect in the relation of the Church to ethics is named as one reason why it has not proved more successful in restraining these evils? How are the utterances of various churches on ethics defective or ineffective? How do the official schedules of church benevolence indicate that the Church as yet regards all social reforms as "outside matters"? How are charity and reform related to each other and to religion?

28. How is the lack of cooperation of churches related to the growth of social evils? Why are there so many associations of charity and reform apart from the churches, and by whom are they supported chiefly? Is public worship the chief end of the Church?

29. What is said of the relation of religious conservatives to recent "forward movements"?

$30. What remedies for social ills can be applied by Christians individually? What is the current feeling as to personal liberty and personal responsibility? Has the power of individuals decreased in this social age?

31. What remedies for social ills can be applied by local federations of churches?

$ 32-35. How should the churches cooperate in public charities? How did the Church promote pauperism in the Middle Ages? Does this evil to any degree remain in the churches to-day? By whom are charity organization societies chiefly conducted? By what means might deacons or other charity-dispensing church officers magnify their office? What Bible incident best pictures the "new charity"? In what respect is ordinary alms-giving most injurious? What is the best feature of the "new charity"?

36. Have institutional churches, in adding humanities, weakened spiritualities? What is their most distinctive feature? How does their work resemble that of the Y. M. C. A.? Where are institutional churches

most needed? Describe the Jersey City People's Palace. How can controversy as to amusements for such places be best escaped?

$37. What incident in Congress illustrates the need of a national federation of churches? Describe the Presbyterian Federal Council as to its sociological proposals?

$38. What union celebration of the completion of nineteen Christian centuries is suggested?

$39. How can church federation be best promoted? What facts show the potential strength of the churches?

SOCIOLOGICAL THEMES FOR MINISTERS' MEETINGS, CHURCH CLUBS, CONFERENCES, ETC.

1. Have orthodox churches underestimated humanitarianism? 2. Is doctrine given undue attention, as compared to ethics, in the examination of ministers and members? 3. Should the Kingship of Christ be given a larger place in preaching and teaching? Are the new views of the kingdom of God as a Christianized human society correct? 4. Are individual conversions sufficient to correct the evils of our times? 5. Should the Church have an ethical creed as exact as its doctrinal creed? 6. To what extent should down-town city churches be institutional? 7. Has the United States progressed morally since 1867? 8. Is a permanent local federation of churches to promote social reforms desirable? 9. Is a National Federal Council of all Protestant churches to act for the churches in the promotion of moral reforms needed? 10. Is it practicable to unite charity-dispensing officers of the churches in the study of scientific charity? 11. Can the church sociable be made the

12.

means of breaking down class feeling and promoting brotherly love? How can busy pastors best obtain a practical knowledge of current social problems?

FIELD WORK.

1. Visit charitable institutions within reach. 2. Study the causes and cure of poverty as friendly visitor" of some charity organization society of poor relief. 3. Interview pastors as to church methods. 4. Find out names of church members who rent property for saloons, etc., and sign license petitions. 5. Visit, or study by correspondence, institutional churches and Y. M. C. A. 6. Read the Bible sociologically. 7. Study the local Christian vote.