COMMERCE AND FINANCE IN 1881. 



CONGREGATIONALISTS. 133 



The average effect was thus a mean advance of 

 21 '54 per cent in November, 1879, on the prices 

 of 1878; of 4 - 2 per cent in 1880 on the prices 

 current in November, 1879; and of 7'65 per 

 cent in 1881 on the prices of 1880. The rise in 

 the general average of prices between 1878 

 and 1881 was 36-4 per cent. The mean rise in 

 articles of food is seen to have been nearly 50 

 per cent, in other classes of articles about 25 

 per cent. The quotations for staple articles in 

 the New York markets in the first week of 

 November, on which the above computation 

 is based, were, for the four years to which we 

 have alluded above, as shown in the following 

 table : 



Prices are about 10 per cent higher than in 

 1860, while in 1878 they were about 18 per 

 cent lower. The purchasing power of $100 in 

 1860 is estimated to have been equal to that 

 of $78 in 1843, $126 in 1837, and $111 in 1825. 

 The sums equivalent to $100 in 1860 for each 

 year since the civil war have been calculated 

 as follows : 



CONFERENCE, INTERNATIONAL 

 MONETARY. (See BI-METALLIO STANDARD.) 



CONGREGATIONALISTS. The " Congre- 

 gational Year-Book " for 1881 gives the fol- 

 lowing statistics of the Congregational churches 

 in the United States : 



Of the churches, 2,800 were returned as 

 u with pastors," 945 as " vacant " ; of the min- 

 isters, 2,412 as " in pastoral work," 1,165 as 

 "not in pastoral work." Number of licen- 

 tiates, additional to " ministers," 224. Num- 

 ber of additions by profession of faith during 

 the year, 12,230 ; number of baptisms, 5,893 

 of adults, 4,989 of infants ; number of families 



