Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/387

 NEW ENGLAND REVIVALS 373

England, or the work of the Tennants in New Jersey, and others, as well as the remarkable revivals of Kentucky a hundred years ago. But statistical data of any great value are utterly lack- ing. Besides, it seems quite unnecessary. The material we now have from all New England for three or four denominations, for four great revival periods and covering as a whole 104,716 additions to churches in revival years and with a special study of 337 churches most increased by revivals having 25,935 ''ad- ditions in the revival year, would seem quite sufficient for some safe conclusions. Some of these conclusions may now be indi- cated.

I. A large decline in additions usually follows a revival. This is apparent even on looking at Tables I and II in which all the churches of a state or denomination contribute to the result, whether they had a revival or not. But Table III brings this out distinctly. Here are 24 groups of churches from different denominations, and from all over New England, pro- portionately distributed between city and country and in four widely separated periods, all with two or three exceptions show- ing the same general result. These exceptions, which are chiefly those of degree only, are among the Methodists where con- ditions are different from those of other churches. The Metho- dist practice of continuous evangelistic effort and a large float- ing population in their city fields make the movement following revival years in some of their city churches more nearly uni- form with that of revival years. But note their great losses following the large additions in 1842 and 1843, when the excite- ment over the teaching of Miller concerning the immediate second coming of Christ had subsided. But of the 299 Baptist and Congregational churches that contribute to the last table less than a dozen of them show any exception to the general movement. And these exceptions are due to one of three reasons. The revival sometimes continues into the second year, or it is repeated three or four years later, or a changing popu- lation with a pastor of an evangelistic method keeps up the movement. A country church in Connecticut added 136 in