Aliens or Americans? Part 29

MISSION WORK OF THE AMERICAN BAPTIST HOME MISSION SOCIETY IN 1906, AMONG THE FOREIGN POPULATION

Nationality No. of Field Members of Mission Fields

Bohemians 6 196 Chinese 12 209 Danes 20 484 Finns 13 175 French Canadian 29 650 Germans 148 5,196 Hungarians 3 42 Italians 25 391 j.a.panese 2 68 Jews 2 ....

--- ------ 260 7,411

Lettish 2 31 Mexicans in U. S 18 113 Norwegians 50 1,095 Poles 6 82 Portuguese 2 42 Russians 2 71 Slavs 5 77 Swedes 205 7,623 Syrians 1 ....

--- ------ 551 16,545

FOREIGN PEOPLES IN BAPTIST CHURCHES, THE RESULTS OF HOME MISSION WORK

Churches Memb's.h.i.+p

Germans, 1906 266 26,274 Dane-Norwegian, 1903 90 5,530 Swedes, 1903 331 22,625

The number of missionaries among the foreign populations was 312. The Women's Societies maintained a number of workers, including the efficient missionaries at Ellis Island. The Home Mission Society is supporting Italian missionaries in twenty cities. Aside from organized effort, Chinese Sunday-schools are conducted by many local churches, which do not report to any central organization. There is a considerable work done also by the city mission societies, which work independently in part. In some places, local churches also maintain missions among the Italians, Hungarians, and Slavs.

MISSION WORK OF THE CONGREGATIONAL HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY IN 1906

Total number of Missionaries 215 German Missions 73 Scandinavian Missions 89 Bohemian " 20 Polish " 5 French " 7 Spanish Missions 10 Finnish " 6 Danish " 2 Armenian " 6 Greek " 1 Chinese and j.a.panese 22

STATEMENTS SHOWING NUMBER OF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES FOR FOREIGN SPEAKING PEOPLES, WITH THEIR TOTAL MEMBERs.h.i.+P

Churches Members Average to a Church

Germans 170 8,000 47 Scandinavians 95 7,495 79 Slavs 12 636 58 All other Nationalities, (including Italians, French, Greek, Armenian, Chinese, Welsh, etc) 102 8,222 78 --- ------ --- 379 24,353 262

WORK OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH AMONG THE FOREIGN POPULATION

The Domestic Section of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States carries on work to a limited extent among the Swedes. There is a general missionary in the East, who has charge of this work in the three dioceses of Rhode Island, New York, and Ma.s.sachusetts, and one in the northwest. In the eastern dioceses named there were in 1906 fifteen Swedish missions and parishes, with 1,897 communicants, ministered to by five clergymen. The western general missionary visited Sweden during the past year for the purpose of finding suitable university students for the ministry in this country. There are missions in Duluth and at other points. The Annual Report says: "Of all the work under the care of the general missionary, none is more important than the mission to Scandinavian immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, New York, for it acts as a special feeder to the church. The Scandinavian immigrants outnumber those from any other Protestant country."

What further work is done for the foreign peoples is carried on by the local parishes, such as Grace Church, Trinity, Saint George's, and Saint Bartholomew's in New York, which work among the Italians and other nationalities, and equip their missions in a manner worthy of imitation.

LUTHERAN WORK IN THE UNITED STATES

Large numbers of the immigrants are Lutherans. The resources of the Lutheran church in America to care for her people are thus stated by the Rev. J. N. Lenker, D.D., in the _Lutheran World_, the church organ:

For the Germans, 5,000 pastors, 8,000 churches, and 1,200,000 communicant members.

For the Scandinavians, 1,800 pastors, 14,300 churches, and 500,000 communicant members.

For the Finns, three synods, 58 pastors, 187 churches, and 22,149 communicant members.

For the Slovaks, about 200 organizations with a growing number of pastors and a very loyal const.i.tuency.

For the Letts and Esthonians, 21 organized congregations and preaching stations, divided into the eastern and western districts.

For the Icelanders, one synod, 10 pastors, 37 organized congregations, 3,785 communicant members.

For the Poles, Bohemians, and Magyars, work is done by the various German synods, the late statistics of which are not at hand. Besides congregations in these languages, many understand German and are served by German pastors.

The whole Lutheran Church of America, including the Swedish Mission Friends with 33,000 members and the German Evangelical Synod with 222,000 members, the const.i.tuents of which are nearly all Lutherans, making in all 8,956 pastors, 15,135 churches, and 2,123,639 communicant members are the results of immigrant mission work or mission work in foreign languages or languages other than English.

a.n.a.lYSIS OF THE IMMIGRATION FOR 1905, WITH REGARD TO RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONS AND EASE OF a.s.sIMILATION[102]

First cla.s.s and the easiest to a.s.similate are

English 50,865 Reformed Scotch 16,144 Reformed Germans 82,360 Luth. and Cath.

Scandinavians 62,284 Lutheran Irish 54,266 Catholic.

Finns 17,012 Lutheran Letts, et al. 18,604 Lutheran Slovaks 52,368 Lutheran ------- Total 353,903

Second cla.s.s and the second easiest to a.s.similate:

Magyars 46,030 Ref. and Cath.

Bohemians, etc 11,757 Ref. and Cath.

French 11,021 Ref. and Cath.

Ruthenians 14,473 Catholic ------ Total 83,281

Third cla.s.s and the most difficult to evangelize and Americanize and the cla.s.s that makes the new problem difficult:

Poles 102,137 Catholic Italians 226,320 Catholic Hebrews 129,910 Israelites ------- Total 458,367

APPENDIX D

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bernheimer, Charles S., Editor. The Russian Jew in the United States. B.

F. Buck & Co., New York $1.50. Written mostly by Jews; replete with facts gathered in the various centers--New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston. Should be read by those who would understand this remarkable people.

Brandenburg, Broughton. Imported Americans. F. A. Stokes, New York.

$1.60. Description of experiences while making personal investigations in New York, Italy, and the steerage, of immigration problems.

Crowell, Katherine R. Coming Americans. Willett Press, New York. Paper, 25 cents; Cloth, 35 cents. A book for Juniors, putting in attractive form for children and teachers of children the leading features of immigration.

Gordon, W. Evans. The Alien Immigrant. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. $1.50. Describes the Hebrews in European countries, with chapter on situation in the United States.

Hall, Prescott F. Immigration. Henry Holt & Co., New York. $1.50. The latest volume of comprehensive character, taking the restrictive position. The author is secretary of the Immigration Restriction League.