RURAL DEPLETION 49 



population. The church is holding her own better than 

 other institutions in the country. But a glance shows 

 the inevitable trend. That trend is common to all de- 

 nominations. Surveys of rural conditions made re- 

 cently in the United States show conclusively that the 

 increase or the decrease of the churches is a communal 

 experience. Where one suffers all suffer with it. In- 

 vestigation would doubtless show the same to be the case 

 in Canada. But let us look at representative facts as 

 found in the Presbyterian Church in Canada. 



When we open the Blue-book the first congregation 

 found on the official list in the Statistical Tables is 

 Boularderie, in Sydney Presbytery. Let us look over 

 its record for a decade. Its households numbered in 

 1902, 290; in 1903, 274; in 1904, 270; in 1905 the 

 pastorate was vacant and no returns are given; in 1906, 

 250; 1907. 249; 1908, 246; 1909, 246; 1910, 231; 

 1911, 161. The severe loss in the last year is doubtless 

 due in some way to the extension of the plant of the 

 Steel and Coal Company at Sydney : the steady decline 

 for the decade reflects general conditions. This con- 

 gregation was taken simply because it stood first upon 

 the list. Let us take a larger unit, a Presbytery, by 

 selection as a representative one. Lanark and Renfrew 

 may fairly be called such. It lies in a fertile and pro- 

 gressive district. It has an excellent record in church 

 activities. Its congregations are strong, the self-sup- 

 porting ones averaging 130 households to the pastoral 

 charge. The average stipend or salary of its rural min- 

 isters is above $1,000. It appears to increase. It con- 

 tained 3,362 households in 1901 and 3,763 in 1911, an 

 increase of 401 for the decade. Let us see how this in- 

 crease is accounted for. Six mission fields have been 

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