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RELIGION IN NEW SOUTH WALES.
The census figures bearing?; on the religious
beliefs of New South Wales, says the Sydney
"Daily Telegraph," may be regarded as
reliable to the same degree as such returns
usually are. There as not here so strong a
reason for collecting information. on this
head as exists in countries where a particular.
lar religion is recognised and subsi'dmeil.^
by the State. But the question of what
forms of religion the people adopt is one, in-
timately related to most other questions
dealing with the moral, social, and political
condition of a community. The facts gathered
in this department of enquiry bill
the Government Statistician are of considerable
interest, and some of them will please
sion surprise to most readers. Among
these the most unexpected, perhaps, is the
disclosure that during the past decade the
Church of England has shown much the
largest numerical und- proportionate in
crease of membership. The complaint that
owing to conservative administration and
lack of vigorous missionary effort the
Church of England was retrogressing, or,
at best, stationary, has been frequently,
heard here indeed, it is always to be
heard. If it is true that its preachers have
been in many cases old-fashioned, and its
committees apathetic., this advance
in its membership is the more surprising.
The percentages of increase or decrease for
ten years in some of the most prominent
sects work out as follows:
Church of England, increase .. 1.24 per cent.
Methodist, increase. 0.19 per cent. a
Roman Catholic, increase .... 0.10 per cent Presbyterian,
increase. 0.00 per cent. !
Baptist, increase.0.08 per cent.
Congregationalist, decrease .. 0.31 per cent.
Salvation Army, decrease ... 0.21 percent.
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