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 STATISTICS

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STATISTICS

only to cover the heavy expenses, but also to obtain a moderate return for their work. This points out clearly the way in which other countries can reach the same goal.

Each year the "Annuaire pontifical eathohque", edited by Battandier (Paris), offers a great variety of useful statistical information which can be found elsewhere with difficulty or not at all ; it contains also many historically and otherwise instructive articles and other valuable ecclesiastical information. For a number of years there has been published in Italy the comprehensive work "Annuario ecclesiastico", which presents the conditions of the Church in Italy with great minuteness, if not always with clearness and reliabihty. The large amount of matter that may be drawn from its records is shown in the present writer's volume, "Kirchliche Statistik" (Worishofen, 1905). It should be said that the editors make every effort to overcome the inequalities still to be found in the contributions. The material offered by the "Annu- ario" for countries outside of Italy has no claim to consideration. If it were possible to develop this second part, so that it should be unexceptionable, there would be the beginning of a statistical hand- book for the entire CathoUc world. In that case the Itahan part would have to be somewhat abridged, and the whole work divided into two volumes. The "An- nuaire complet du clerg6 beige et repertoire des ctab- lissements religieux" (Brussels) is well arranged and copious in matter. It would have been well to include in it also the statistics concerning the Congo. The same excellent standard is maintained by the year- book issued in Holland, the "Pius-Almanak". Be- sides informal ion regarding the Church there are also literary contributions, while the Dutch colonies receive suitable mention. Up to 1904 two year-books were issued in France, of which, unfortunately, the larger and better, the "Clerge frangais" (Tours) ceased with the publication of 1904. The volumes of this annual still have a great and permanent value, because they have presented in a manner that is absolutely a model the life of the French orders. The second publication, "La France ecclesiastique", has existed for sixty years and meets more modest statis- tical demands. As to the two Spanish hand-books, "Anuario eclesidstico de Espana" and "Guia ecle- sidstica de Espana", no recent information is forth- coming, and it is doubtful if new editions have appeared diu-ing recent years. The Hungarian year- book and schematism "Evkonyve 6s N^vtdra" is a successful work in which much industry has been dis- played, as far as the specific Hungarian records are concerned. The statistical data concerning other hierarchies have been obtained at second and third hand.

The small book, "Taschenkalender fiir den katho- lischen Klerus" seeks, more or less successfully, to collect the data for Germany, and the " Frommes Kal- ender fur den katholischen Klerus Oesterreich-lTn- garns" undertakes to do the same for the Austro- Hungarian monarchy. Neither is suited in any way to the importance of the hierarchies of both countries. The excellent "Kirchliches Handbuch", edited by Krose, issued by Herder since 1908, gives full infor- mation regarding the affairs of the Church in Ger- many; every effort is made to improve and develop the work. (For fuller discussion of ecclesiastical statistics in (ierniany, see below.)

As the majority of Catholics in Canada are of French descent and still speak French, especially in the Province of Quebec, tlie Canadian year-book is published in French; it is entitled "Le Canada ecck'- siastique". The book is accurately and carefully prepared and does good service. However, nearly all its statistical records are to be found in the "Offi- cial Directory" of the United States, so that it is sel- dom necessary to consult the Canadian work. There

are a few other smaller publications which need hardly be enumerated here. The foregoing description will serve as a sufficiently exhaustive summary of the statistical authorities of official or semi-official char- acter. It should also be said that in waitings on the subject reference is made to a kind of general statis- tical outline for the whole of Portugal, but when the statistical tables for the present writer's large work, "Die kathohsche Kirche unserer Zeit und ihre Diener in Wort und Bild", were being prepared it was not possible to find a copy of this Portuguese publication. Neither is it known whether any general ecclesiastico- statistical work has been published in the South American countries, except the "Guia eclesidstica de la RepubUca Argentina". Such compendiums would be all the more desirable, because the zealous activity of Pius X in increasing the number of eccle- siastical provinces and dividing dioceses has greatly increased the difficulties in determining from a dis- tance the statistics of these territories. (See sum- maries in " Theologische Revue", 1904, Nos. 4, 5, 12, 15, 16, and in "Literarische Rundschau", Nos. 7, 8.) After the year-books for entire countries or conti- nents come the diocesan comjiendiums, so far as the contents of these exceed purely liturgical information in reference to the observances of the church year, commands or prohibitions for the clergy, and similar administrative matter. Excellent samples of general outUnes, and large historical and statistical records are to be found in Bavaria, Austria, Hungary, as well as a number in Germany outside of Bavaria and in Switz- erland. They are model diocesan compendiums and are of great value to the statistician. Although all are not issued regularly, yet so large a proportion are pubhshed annuallj' that they can easily be placed among the ecclesiastical year-books. Publications of the same character containing serviceable matter also appear in some other countries, but copies are hard to find, so that it is impossible to present an exact sum- mary. Official compendiums of this kind should be issued, if not in all dioceses, at least in all ecclesiasti- cal provinces. The aims of the Landesdirektorien, or government directories, are frequently other than those of ecclesiastico-statistical compendiums, from which many more details of their subjects are ex- pected. (See Briining, "Bemerkungen zu den Hand- biichern und Schematismen der deutschen Diozesen" in "Literarische Beilage der Kolnischen Volkszeitung", No. 42, 19 October, 1911; Liese, "Die Diozesansche- matismen", ibid.. No. 44, 2 Nov., 1911.) Some years ago, when, owing to the pressure of modern conditions, the former customary general parochial supervision was replaced by the sujiervision of the individual members of the parish, all ways and methods were sought to reach the individual in some practical way, especially in the large cities. This led to the excel- lent proposal to issue periodical parish papers, so as to give the members of the parish all the essential facts of the parochial life. This method has been suc- cessfully tried in a good many places in Austria, Ger- many, England, and, here and there, in the United States. In these papers, which appear at regular or irregular intervals, statistical records and reports col- lected by the parochial authorities are iniblisliod with constantly increasing frequency. These statements have in all instances attracted much attention and have often developed new interest in the parish and its religious services. If this good custom wore intro- duced everywhere, it would soon be easy to draw up a really lifelike presentation of the Church in every diocese.

After this enumeration of the various kinds of sta- tistical works prepared by the church authorities, or at least liberally aided by them, it must be noted that in not a few countries the government authorities collect information concerning ecclesiastical matters or present, in the national statistical works, first-hand