PERILS.— THE CITY. 185 



New York Supreme Judge, a few years ago- " There is a 

 large class — I was about to say a majority — of the popu- 

 lation of New York and Brooklyn, who just live, and to 

 whom the rearing of two or more children means inevit- 

 ably a boy for the penitentiary, and a girl for the 

 brothel/' ^ " When an English Judge tells us, as Mr. Jus- 

 tice Wills did the other day, that there were any num- 

 ber of parents who would kill their children for a few 

 pounds' insurance money, we can form some idea of the 

 horrors of the existence into which many of the children 

 of this highly favored land are ushered at their birth. "-^ 

 Under such conditions smolder the volcanic fires of a 

 deep discontent. 



We have seen how the dangerous elements of our civ- 

 ilization are each multiplied and all concentered in the 

 city. Do we find there the conservative forces of society 

 equally numerous and strong? Here are the tainted 

 spots in the body-politic; where is the salt? In 1890 

 there was in the United States one Protestant church 

 organization to every 438 of the population. Including 

 all Protestant churches, together with missions, there 

 was in Boston one church to every 1778 of the popula- 

 tion, and in St. Louis, one to 2662; not including mis- 

 sions, there was in Cincinnati one Protestant church to 

 every 2195 ; in Buffalo, one to 2650 ; in Chicago, one to 

 3601. The average city church is larger than the aver- 

 age country church, but allowing for this fact we may 

 say that the city, where the forces of evil are massed, 

 and where the need of Christian influence is peculiarly 

 great, is from one-half to one-quarter as well supplied 

 with churches as the nation at large. And church ac- 

 commodations in the city are growing more inadequate 

 every year. Including all Protestant churches, Chicago 

 had in 1836 one church to every 1042 of the population ; 

 in 1851, one to every 1577; in 1860, one to 1820; in 1870, 

 one to 2433 ; in 1880, one to 3062 ; and in 1890, one to 3601. 



1 Henry George's Social Problems, p. 98. 



2 lu Darkest England, p. 65. 



