After the utmost that candor can allow in behalf of teachers, who are grossly illiterate, one solemn and unquestionable fact should not be forgotten. In those parts of our country, where the defence of the gospel is chiefly committed to such teachers, open, avowed infidelity is fashionable, especially among the higher classes of society; while it is driven from the field, and scarcely has a public existence, in regions that are furnished with able preachers. Nor can Nor can it be said that this influence is limited to mere external decency; for the same preaching, before which infidelity has fled away, has been accompanied, under the blessing of God, with the most powerful revivals of religion.

In this view, it is to be deeply lamented, that efforts to raise the qualifications of ministers should be opposed, and even stigmatized, by any professed Christians, who exhibit an ardent, though, in this respect certainly, a mistaken zeal for the cause of religion. While we think that experience and the word of God most plainly condemn these prejudices, we would not speak of them in terms of asperity; but the magnitude of the subject requires us to speak distinctly. What then is the state of those regions, where these prejudices exist in their greatest strength? A respectable gentleman now resident in the West, says, in a letter to the Directors, "The objects of your Society have long had the next place in my heart, to those of the Bible Society. I have too often seen, in other parts of the country, professed preachers of the gospel, who could not teach, and would not learn.' Judge then, how I must have felt, in this region, where I have seen more than one preacher, who was ready to avow that he could not read the Bible." From another region, a gentleman of equal credi

6

bility writes, that there is a considerable number of preachers, who can neither "read nor write." In other extensive districts of the United States, preachers are to be found, who acknowledge that they have read only. parts of the Bible; and some whose ignorance is not so great, are notwithstanding incapable of teaching children, in a common school, the rudiments of the English language. Will these men think themselves injuriously treated, when it is said, that they are incompetent to teach and guide the church of God? We would not say that no man, in any circumstances, ought to preach, without respectable literary acquisitions. But the time is come to say unequivocally, that without such acquisitions, no man ought to regard himself, or to be regarded by others, as competently qualified for this great work. While we would give ample credit for all the good accomplished by men of piety and sound understanding, though defective in education, some of whom have been great blessings to the church; we hope that the Christian public, and especially the members of this Society, will keep steadily in view the importance of a learned, as well as a pious ministry.

A fourth difficulty, closely connected with the foregoing is, that many who admit the necessity of ministers being learned men, are in no proper degree aware, how great is the deficiency of such ministers in the United States.

In all calculations which have been recently made on this subject, it has been common to allow that the country would be properly supplied, if there were one edueated minister to every thousand souls. That there should be at least this number, will appear reasonable, when we reflect that in England and Wales, with a pop

ulation of 10,150,615, there are 10,434 clergymen of the established church; while the dissenting ministers are supposed to be even more numerous than those of the establishment. If only one half of these were estimated to possess competent qualifications, there would be

more than one to 1000 souls.

In 1753, there was in New England on an average, one liberally educated minister to every 628 souls. When we say then, that there should be, in the United States, one minister to 1000 souls, we only claim that the country should be supplied a little more than half as well as New England was actually supplied, within the memory of many now upon the stage.

The United States contain about 9,000,000 inhabitants. At the rate of one minister to 1000 souls, this population requires 9000 ministers. Let us now see what is the actual number.

To avoid misapprehension, the Directors wish two things to be kept in mind. One is, that while the College Catalogues are taken as the only basis of accurate calculation, the estimate of competent ministers includes, as will be seen, a large number, not educated at Colleges, who are supposed to have acquired, in some other way, sufficient learning to be safe interpreters of the Bible. The other is, that this estimate has no respect whatever to difference of religious denomination.

From the triennial catalogues of the following Colleges, viz. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Union, Brown, Middlebury, Williams, Bowdoin, Columbia, Carlisle, South Carolina, Transylvania, and William and Mary, it appears that only 1465 settled ministers, alumni of these colleges, are now alive.* It will be perceiv

*See Table No. I.

ed that this calculation stops at the year 1810; as from the nature of these documents, it can never be brought up to the present time. The University of North Carolina has furnished a few ministers; though one of its officers speaks of the number as very small. The Colleges at Brunswick, N. J., and Hampden Sydney College, Virginia, have very meritoriously struggled against great difficulties; and have each furnished the church with a number of respectable ministers; but we have no official documents from either. Washington and Jefferson Colleges in Pennsylvania, and Washington College in Virginia, were more recently established. No catalogues, and no other means of exact information have been obtained from any of these. It will not be deemed essential that we should pursue these statements into an exact account of Colleges lately established. Indeed the object of these statements does not require that they should be perfectly exact. Hundreds more of ministers might be reckoned, without any considerable change in the principles of reasoning, or in the result.

Of these 1465 ministers educated in the above named American Colleges, probably there may be as many superannuated and infirm, as ought to be reckoned for the number educated in foreign countries and now resident among us. But to make a liberal allowance for this latter class, some of whom are highly respectable, let 135 more be added, making a total of 1600 educated minis

ters.

With respect to the number of ministers, who have not received the advantages of collegial instruction, but who may yet be considered as competently educated, we have no means of exact information. Probably, however, the pious and intelligent of every denomina

tion, will be satisfied, that it would be a large estimate to consider them one half as numerous as those who have been publicly educated; that is, to reckon them at 800. But place the estimate at 900; and then the whole number of competent religious teachers in the United States of all denominations, will be 2500, and the deficiency 6500.

The general view, which has now been given of this subject, is strongly confirmed by the following statements respecting particular districts of our own country.

In North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, containing according to the last census, a population of 1,223,048, there are but about 110 competent ministers. leaving 1,113,048, destitute of proper religious instruction. A respectable gentleman, who is a native citizen of South Carolina, informs us, that in an ancient district of the state, embracing an extent of 900 square miles, contiguous to the sea coast, there is but one place of worship, and that not used; and not one Christian church or minister of any denomination.

The states of Indiana, Mississippi, and Louisiana, with the Territories of Alabama, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri, contain a population of about 350,000, and nearly the same number of square miles as the whole of Europe, with the exception of the Russian Empire. Yet in this vast region, which is becoming populous and wealthy, with unexampled rapidity, we cannot ascertain after much inquiry, that there are more than 17 compe tent and stated preachers of the gospel; that is, less than one to 20,000 souls. And it is affecting to learn, that such important places as Mobile, Blakely, Fort Claiborne, Huntsville, Madisonville, Baton Rouge, and Nachitoches, which are becoming seats of enterprize and