cannot always judge from the outward appearance. Eight of these
parochial-school churches report fifty of their sons in the ministry.*
*Some of the pastors failed to send me reports on this point, but I
have been credibly informed that within twelve years, ten of these
churches sent sixty of their sons into the ministry.

In view of such a result who would dare to say anything in disparagement
of the Parochial School? Perhaps its friends may some time see their way
clear to secure greater efficiency by establishing three or four schools
in place of the thirty, and thus relieve the individual congregations of
a serious tax upon their resources.

Some of our churches have Saturday schools and classes in religion on
other week days. The total number of pupils reported in these classes,
including the members of confirmation classes, is 5,711. Add to these
the 1,612 pupils of the parochial schools, some of whom have already
been counted in the confirmation classes, and we have at most 7,323
children obtaining instruction in religion on week days, 17 per cent. of
the number of those in attendance at Sunday School.

So far as may be learned therefore from such statistics as are
available, it follows that 83 per cent. of our children receive no
public instruction in religion except such as is given in the Sunday
School and in the confirmation class.

Our churches do not take kindly to the so-called evangelistic methods of
reaching unchurched masses, claiming that our methods, in particular the
catechization of the young, are more effective. In view of the figures
presented above, it is open to question whether our churches practice
catechization in the historical sense of the word. It is a question