18G PERILS. — THE CITY. 



Brooklyn had in 1840 one Evangelical church to 1575 

 souls ; in 1850, one to 1760 ; in 1860, one to 2035 ; in 1870, one 

 to 2085 ; in 1880, one to 2673 ; in 1890, one to 2997. In New 

 York City there was in 1840 one Evangelical church to 

 every 2071 of the population; in 1850, one to 2442; in 

 1860, one to 2777 ; in 1870, one to 2480 ; in 1880, one to 

 3048 ; in 1890, according to the government census, one 

 to 3544, and according to the police census, one to 4006. 

 That is, if we accept the latter enumeration. New York 

 had in round numbers, one Evangelical church in 1840 to 

 2000 people; in 1880, one to 3000; and in 1890, one to 

 4000. These three cities seem to be exceptional only in 

 degree. So far as I have made investigations, there is a 

 general tendency, with variations, in the growth of 

 urban population to outrun church provision. It is true 

 that church buildings are larger now than they used to 

 be, but after recognizing this fact, it is evident that 

 church provision is becoming more and more inadequate 

 to the needs of the city. 



In Chicago, " There is a certain district 'of which a care- 

 ful examination has been made; and in that district, 

 out of a population of 50,000, there are 20,000 under 

 twenty years of age, and there are Sunday-school accom- 

 modations for less than 2,000; that is, over 18,000 of the 

 children and j^outh are compelled to go without the gos- 

 pel of Jesus Christ, because the Christian churches are 

 asleep. Mr. Gates says : ' What wonder that the police 

 arrested last year 7,200 boys and girls for various petty 

 crimes? The devil cares for them. There are 261 saloons 

 and dago shops, three theaters and other vile places, and 

 the Christian church offers Sunday-school accommodation 

 to only 2,000 ! " ^ The writer has found similar destitution 

 in the large cities of Ohio. And the statistics given 

 above indicate that in the large cities generally, it is com- 

 mon to find extensive districts nearly or quite destitute 

 of the gospel. In the Fourth and Seventh wards of 

 New York City there are 70,000 people, and seven Protes- 



* Dr. H. A. SchaufiBer's address at Saratoga, June, 1884. 



