Home › Countries of the World › III. Principal Cities: Roman
III. Principal Cities: Roman
The Constitution of the United States guarantees the free exercise of religious profession and worship, and this guaranty is repeated in the Constitutions of the fortyfour States. Nearly all the sects and religious denominations existing in Europe are represented in the United States. At the census of 1880 there were 86,132 Protestant and 5,975 Roman Catholic Churches: 70,864 Protestant ministers, and 6,366 Roman Catholic clergy. The Protestants returned 8,975,260 "members," or communicants; adding to this an estimate of the families of members, and of adherents, the total attached to the Protestantism would probably be about 30,000,000. In 1870 there were in all 63,082 churches, of which 3,806 were Roman Catholic; and in the same year the number of "sittings" returned was 21,665,052, of which 1,990,514 were in Roman Catholic churches. There were in all 45 separate religious bodies returned in In 1890 the membership of the most important Christian bodies, as compiled from official sources, was as follows:-Roman Catholics 6,250,045; Methodists of various sects, 4,980,240; Baptists of various sects, 4,292,291; Presbyterians, 1,229,- 012; Lutherans, 1,086,048; Congregational, 491,985; Episcopal, 480,176; Reformed Church (German and Dutch), 282,856; Friends, 106,930; Mormons, 144,352. In 1880 the Jews numbered 13,683.
INSTRUCTION.
The former Each State of the Union has a system of free public schools established by law. The work of these is largely supplemented by private and parochial schools. Nevertheless, owing partly to the former existence of slavery, and partly to the constant influx of numbers of uneducated immigrants, there exists a large mass still totally ignorant of the first elements of education. According to the census of 1880, in the whole country, out of a total population above ten years of age of 36,761,607, 4,923,- 431 were returned as unable to read, and 6,239,958 as unable to write. is 13.4 per cent., the latter 17 per cent., which contrasted with 16 and 20 per cent. (the proportions of the corresponding classes of 1870), shows a very decided gain in the direction of rudimentary education. "cannot writes" formed 9.4 per cent. tion of but 8.7 per cent., while foreign portion of the illiteracy of the country, and especially of the South, is seen to be among the colored population, where the "cannot writes" form 70 per cent. of all above ten years of age. Most of the illiteracy of the country exists south of Mason and Dixon's lines, the Ohio, and the south boundary of the Missouri. The results of the census of 1890 yield a better showing.
Of the whites above ten years of age, the The native whites, however, show a proporwhites show 12 per cent. A very large pro- In 1889-90 there were enrolled in the public schools 12,688,467 pupils of ages varying from 4 to 21. Of this total about 3.5 per cent. were in public secondary schools. The average number of school days was 134.5, and average daily attendance 8,151,810.
The pupils enrolled in private and parochial elementary schools, not included in these numbers, was estimated at 1,200,000. The private middle-class schools, in 1886-7, numbered 1,324, with 8,511 teachers and 146,561 pupils. In 1889-90 the number of colleges and universities, in many of which, however, the course of study is not advanced, was 415, with 6,163 teachers and 103,970 students. The United States Government makes no direct appropriation of moneys for the support of the elementary public schools, but has set aside for that purpose in each of the newer States a certain portion of the public domain, the proceeds from the sale of which form a part of the permanent school fund, the income alone being used for support of the Schools. This income is supplemented by direct taxation in the different States, or by local taxation, or by both, so that in these States it forms only about - School Age.
Children of School Age.