We do not believe
that proposition is sound. In rural Ohio the worst moral and religious
conditions are found where there are the largest number of churches in
proportion to the number of inhabitants.

In 39 counties out of a total of 88 in the State, there is one country
church for each 275 people or less. (See Map 5 and Table A, column 5.) Of
these 39 counties, 17 are among the Eighteen Counties under our special
consideration. Outside these Eighteen Counties and the counties contiguous
to them, no county has an average of less than 228 persons to a church,
but it appears that Washington has one church for 226 persons, Monroe one
for 214, Pike one for 211, Gallia one for 197, Morgan one for 194, Jackson
one for 193, while Vinton has one for 182, and Meigs one church for 178.
In the rural sections of these Eighteen Counties there are 1,542 churches
and 248 townships, or more than 6 churches to a township.

While the fact that this region is more difficult to travel, because more
hilly, than many other parts of the State might constitute a reason for
having many churches, it certainly cannot be held that the bad moral and
religious conditions which exist are due to lack of a sufficient number of
them. Nor is support here to be found for the contention sometimes made
that religious work thrives best under competition.

The larger the number of churches in proportion to the population, the
more difficult it obviously becomes to secure, support, and retain
resident pastors. In proportion to the number of churches, the Eighteen
Counties have a comparatively small number of ministers. (See Map 6 and
Table A, column 6.) In the State as a whole, about one-third, or 34 per
cent, of the churches have resident ministers. In only three counties
outside the Eighteen is it true that less than one-fourth of the churches
have them. These are Delaware, Coshocton, and Pickaway, and the latter is
one of the bordering counties. But in 13 of the Eighteen Counties less
than one-fourth of the churches have resident ministers. It will be noted
that less than one-fifth of the churches in Scioto, Pike, Lawrence, and
Meigs Counties have resident ministers, one-sixth in Morgan County, and
less than one-sixth in Jackson, Hocking, and Gallia.

In the Eighteen Counties the number of resident ministers in proportion to
the population, as well as in proportion to the number of churches, is
small. (See Map 7 and Table A, column 7.) There are 24 count