DEATH RATES PER 100,000 POPULATION FROM IMPORTANT CAUSES OF DEATH and municipalities as in the judgment | States has lagged far behind a numof the Director of the Census possessed records affording satisfactory data in the necessary detail. Ever since the passage of this Act the Census bureau has made annual collections of mortality statistics from a steadily increasing area, but until recently very few of the states have maintained reliable birth-registration systems. In this respect the United | ber of the leading foreign countries, in some of which (such as England, France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden) adequate birth-registration systems have been in operation for many years. A beginning was made in this country in 1915, however, and for the first time statistics are now available relating to an area having a population of such size and heterogeneity as and Includes District of infantile-mortality rates for the calendar year 1915 in the states of the registration area and in the cities having an estimated population of 50,000 or over on July 1, 1915, the data being separated for the white and colored races in a few important cities. to render them of great value and sig-birth-rates International Statistics.-In the following tables, taken from the latest Annual Report of the Registrar-General of England and Wales, are given birth and death rates per 1,000 persons living in the principal countries for which complete and accurate statistics are available: 1885 1890 1895 1900 1905 1910 ANNUAL CRUDE DEATH RATES IN PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES PER 1,000 PERSONS LIVING, 1881-1914 (Annual Report, Registrar-General of England and Wales, 1914) Countries (arranged in order of rates in 1901-5) Quinquennial Periods 1881-1886-1891-1896-1901-1906 1885 1890 1895 1900 1905 1910 ANNUAL BIRTH RATES IN PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES, PER 1,000 PERSONS LIVING, 1881-1914 (Annual Report, Registrar-General of England and Wales, 1914) Countries (arranged in order of rates in 1901-5) 1911 1912 1913 1914 49.1 48.2 48.2 49.3 47.7 40.2 42.5 38.9 38.1 Chili 39.1 35.5 37.0 35.0 36.4 38.3 38.5 38.7 39.5 37.0 33.6 31.4 31.3 .... 31.1 28.1 28.2 25.5 26.1 25.6 25.6 25.3 25.2 24.123.8 23.1 22.9 22.6 24.0 18.0 XXVIII. RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS BAPTIST CHRISTIAN CHURCHES H. K. CARROLL National Baptist Conventions.-The division which occurred in the Na at its meeting in Chicago in September, 1915 (A. Y. B., 1915, p. 715), appears to be of a permanent character. In 1916, the two bodies met separately, one in Savannah, Ga., the other in Kansas City, Mo. They distinguish themselves in name by adding the word "Incorporated" to the title of the Savannah body, and "Unincorporated" to that of the Kansas City branch. Each has its own boards. The two Conventions have a total of about 2,000,000 communicants. (See also XV, Social Work of the Churches.) Southern Baptist Convention.-Four tional Baptist Convention (colored) Baptist annual conventions embrace the great body of Baptists in the United States-the Northern, the Southern, the National (Incorporated), and the National (Unincorporated), the last two being colored and representing a division which took place in 1915. The Southern Baptist Convention, by far the most numerous body, reported at Asheville, N. C., that the Judson Centennial Fund of $12,500,000, described as the greatest achievement in the history of the Convention, had been completed. This fund will be applied to the equipment of the Convention's foreign missions. The chief subject of discussion was a proposition to consolidate the Home and Foreign Mission Boards. The fact that each Board reported a considerable debt may have added weight to the movement, which, however, was postponed for another year. Northern Baptist Convention.-The Northern Convention was held in Minneapolis. Its most important action was to consolidate the Home Mission Society of New York and the Publication Society of Philadelphia. The work of the two was found to overlap in some particulars and they were merged to remove friction, on the recommendation of a committee which reported in 1915, action on its proposal having been postponed. The various boards reported a successful year, with generally increased income. Prof. Clarence A. Barbour, of Rochester, N. Y., was elected president of the Convention to succeed Prof. Shailer Mathews, of Chicago. LUTHERAN Union of Norwegian Lutherans.The outstanding event of the year 1916 in Lutheran circles in the United States was the union of three Norwegian bodies, the Norwegian Synod, Hauge's Synod and the United Norwegian Lutheran Church. The united body, which includes nearly all Norwegian Lutherans in this country, will be known as the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America. The negotiations had been on foot for some time, resulting in agreement by a joint committee on a form of constitution for union. There was a joint meeting of the three bodies in Minneapolis in May to ratify and confirm the project of union. Of the three bodies, the Norwegian Synod has been the most conservative, and Hauge's Synod the most liberal, the United Norwegians occupying middle ground. There was a minority at Minneapolis opposed to the constitu tion on the ground that it did not sufficiently safeguard the doctrinal interests involved. The vote for the adoption of the plan of union was 522 to 202, the latter consisting of 103 ministers and 99 laymen. The minority refused to enter the union unless the proposed constitution, which they declared showed a distinct departure from confessional Lutheranism, were modified. The particular point of difference is the statement of the doctrine of election or predestination. The "Opgjor," or agreement, does not accept the view that God arbitrarily elects certain persons unto salvation and ignores the rest, but rather that election is due to "foresight of faith." The former view, developed years ago by the Lutherans of the Missouri school, has long been a subject of controversy tending to division. The demand of the minority at Minneapolis was rejected and it is left to them to decide whether to come in or stay out. The united body will embrace about 310,000 communicants, upward of 3,000 churches, and nearly 1,300 | ministers. One other Norwegian Lutheran body remains outside the united synod, the Norwegian Free Synod, with about 26,000 communicants. Other Union Movements.-There are not wanting signs of other movements toward union. A year or so ago the Texas Synod, one of the small independent synods, became united with the General Council, which, by the exercise of much tact and diplomatic skill, has prevented the Augustana Synod from separating from it. In the latter part of 1915 and the first part of 1916, conferences were held in Minneapolis of various Lutheran elements with the object of bringing about a better understanding. Theological professors were excluded, perhaps with the idea of preventing doctrinal debate. Those participating were from the Missouri, Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin synods, the second and third being large independent synods and the others members of the Synodical Conference. There were about 300 German ministers in the conference, which discussed unifying rather than divisive questions, all recognizing the value and desirability of union. Other | signs of approach to common ground may be found in the fact that a Lutheran Hymnal has been prepared conjointly by the General Synod, the General Council and the United Synod, South, supplementing the common liturgical service in use by English-speaking Lutherans; and that the General Synod, the General Council, the United Synod, South, and the Synod of Ohio have united in the preparation of a Lutheran Year Book. The Four-Hundredth Anniversary of Luther's Reformation.-All Lutheran bodies in the United States and many other Protestant communions will observe the quadri-centenary of Luther's posting of the 95 theses at Wittenberg. The particular date set is Oct. 31, 1917. A joint committee, with headquarters at 925 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, is preparing programmes, literature, lectures, etc., and urging that public meetings in commemoration be held in all communities, and has designated Oct. 31, 1916, to Oct. 31, 1917, as the celebration year. A medal has been struck representing on one side Luther and his "Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott," on the other the reformer nailing his theses to the Wittenberg church door, and the dates 1517-1917. Lutheran Growth.-The Lutheran organizations comprise four general bodies and sixteen independent synods which do not coöperate with one another. The four general bodies embrace upward of 1,700,000 communicants out of 2,434,000. There are in all 15,269 churches and 9,688 ministers. The net increase of all Lutheran bodies in the last quarter of a century has been 1,203,000, or a little less than 98 per cent. METHODIST General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.-The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, held at Saratoga, N. Y., enacted much important legislation. (1) It took favorable action on the subject of the unification of Methodism, approving the general principles laid down by the Joint Commission on Unification (A. Y. B., 1914, p. 720; 1915, p. 718). These principles had been passed upon by the General Con |