p. 13 | CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 17, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 38.

CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA.

A RETURN has just been issued by the Indian census commissioner dealing with the number, race, denominations and distribution of the Christians in India. In the census of 1901 the total number of Christians returned was 2,923,349, of whom 1,511,749 were males and 1,411,600 females. According to the census of 1891, the Christians numbered 2,284,380, so that there has been an increase during the decade of 638,969, or about 28 per cent., a growth much greater than that of the general population, says the London Times. Out of the total for 1901, 169,739 belonged to European and allied races, while 89,251 were Eurasians, and 2,664,359 were natives. There was only a trivial increase in the number of European Christians during the decennial period, and the increase in Eurasians was only about 12 per cent. Native Christians, however, showed an increase of no less than 31 per cent. Relatively to the whole population of India, the Christian population is only 1 per cent. Under favorable conditions the annual increment of the Indian population equals the whole number of the Christians in the country. While the British provinces contain nearly four-fifths of the total population, they contain less than two-thirds of the total Christians. The stronghold of Christianity in India, it appears, is Madras, including the native States under the Madras Government. This presidency includes 1,934,480, or nearly two-thirds of the Christians of India, and of the total increase of 638,969 in the last ten years, 354,301 must be assigned thereto.