RELIGION IN THE DANISH WEST INDIES.
MR. A. GODET LIGHTBOURN has been making a study of the Danish West Indies for the Churchman, especially of the religious conditions prevailing there. In the great mixture of races he finds adherents of most of the Christian sects, some Jews and a few non-believers. The population of the three islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John is about 30,000, one-half of which is composed of negroes and mulattoes of the laboring class, the other half of foreigners representing fifty-one different nationalities. The Church of England has the largest following, the Roman Catholics coming next, followed by the Moravian Brethren (“Unitas Fratrum”), the Lutherans (State church), the Wesleyan-Methodists, the Dutch Reformed, and Jews. Very recently the Baptists and Seventh-Day Adventists started missions in St. Thomas, and now claim a few converts. The Roman Catholic mission maintains an asylum in St. Thomas and a few schools there and in St. Croix. The Moravian Church conducts day schools for children and until a few years ago had here an excellent theological seminary, where negroes were trained for the ministry, and from which many able workers have gone forth to labor in the cause of Christ. This seminary is now located at Antigua, British West Indies. The Jews, who number 125 souls, have a synagogue in St. Thomas. In the Lutheran or State church, services are conducted in the morning in Danish and at noon in English for the natives. The pastor is appointed from Copenhagen and his salary is guaranteed by the State. The offerings of the congregation are made for three objects: the “Prost” (pastor), “Faltige” (poor), and “Kirke” (church), and the collection box passed around during the service is divided into three sections marked as above, so that one may contribute to whichever fund he elects. There are Sunday-schools in connection with all of the churches. The Lutheran ministers occupy positions of importance. The islanders, in their Acadian simplicity, will go to their pastor for the adjustment of a dispute, rather than to the law courts, and will abide by his decision. Just how the religious conditions of these islands will be affected by annexation is a question of considerable moment in the minds of those interested. Whether or not the State church will be placed on the same basis with the other denominations is a much discussed topic. Mr. Lightbourn ventures nothing on this subject beyond the statement that all sects are looking to the United States for aid.—Public Opinion.