NEW YORK'S MISSION FIELD.
By L. A. P.
FIGURES representing the remarkable growth of our large cities are astonishing things, but connected with certain facts they may present subjects truly marvelous. Such is true of New York City and its population. In the beginning of the century Manhattan Island had 60,000 inhabitants. In 1896 the number was 2,000,000, one-half of which represents the growth of the twenty years preceding. This tremendous growth is due to immigration from foreign countries, and in this connection facts and figures play the interesting part. Within the confines of this immense seaport are great cities of people from every nation on earth. The races form colonies bearing distinctive names, such as the "Italian Colony," the "German Colony," the "Syrian Colony," etc., located within quite well-defined street limits, where may be seen the customs peculiar to the mother country, and heard the languages of the Old World. In 1890 the proportions of natives and foreigners, according to the United States census, were as follows: Persons of foreign birth, 42 per cent.; American born, of foreign parentage, 38 per cent.; American born, of American parents, 19 per cent., showing 80 per cent. of the population of the greatest American city to be foreigners born abroad or the children of foreigners. But, interesting as are these figures, the matter becomes far more interesting and significant when the religious status is considered statistically. The estimated population of Greater New York in 1896 was 3,102,544. The Protestant church-members numbered 254,853, or 8 per cent. of the total population. Of Roman Catholics, Jews, and others there were 838,249, or 27 per cent. of the whole. Those professing no religion numbered 2,009,442. Taking from this latter sum the number of supposed Protestant adherents not church-members, there is left the surprising figure of 1,372,009 non-religious city dwellers. Then compare this with the population of say, Tokyo, Japan, the second largest heathen city of the world,—1,200,000,—and it will be seen that at our threshold, even within the borders of our nation's metropolis, there is ample scope for extended foreign mission effort. Further comparisons show a population non-Protestant of 1,118,393 between Harlem River and Fourteenth Street as against the 1,000,000 population of Pekin, China, and below Fourteenth Street 592,518 as against 530,640, the combined populations of Yokohama, Hongkong, and Rangoon. The City's Millions, a quarterly sheet, published by the Evangel Band at 21 Mott Street, New York, to which we are indebted for the above figures, says that in 1845 the percentage of evangelical church-members was 13.5 as compared with only 7 per cent. in 1896. City missions thus far established are wholly inadequate for the great work to be done, through lack of workers, means, and interest. Who is able, indeed? And yet here are souls as needy for the bread of eternal life as are their brethren beyond the seas. L. A. P.