ENGLAND 



2036 



ENGLAND 



has been most interest- 

 ing; indeed, many of 

 the very important po- 

 litical events, as wars or 

 revolutions, have had 

 their determining cause 

 in some religious ques- 

 tions. Since the days 

 of Elizabeth, Protes- 

 tantism has beea the 

 dominant religion ; no 

 Roman Catholic may 

 inherit the throne. The 

 State Church is the 

 Church of England, 

 misnamed Episcopal 

 Church ; while correct 



Magdalen Tower, 

 Oxford 



growth in the last half- 

 century, and to-day the 

 number of its adherents 

 is estimated at about 

 2,000,000. There are 

 almost 200,000 Jews in 

 the country, most of 

 whom are merchants 

 living in the large cities. 

 Indeed, it ' would be 

 difficult to name a faith 

 which is not repre- 

 sented, for there is per- 

 mitted perfect freedom 

 of worship, even Mo- 

 hammedanism having a 

 number of adherents 



statistics are not avail- 

 able, it is estimated 

 that this established 

 faith has about as many 

 members as all the dis- 

 senting Protestant sects 

 together. Of all these 

 dissenting bodies the 

 Methodists are the 

 strongest, as might seem 

 natural in the home 

 country of John Wes- 

 ley, but the Congrega- 

 tionalists and Baptists 

 also have large follow- 

 ings. Roman Catholi- 

 cism has had a steady 



and at least one 

 mosque. 



Cathedrals of Eng- 

 land. Closely connected 

 with the religious his- 

 tory of the country are 

 the cathedrals those 

 "investments in reli- 

 gious sentiment" which 

 form the chief orna- 

 ment of many of the 

 cities and towns. Sel- 

 dom did the people 

 who began the structure 

 witness its completion; 

 the cathedral at the lit- 

 tle town of Ely, for 



