TO THE T. & M. WORKERS OF DIST. NO. 1, VT.
By Charles F. Whitford
DEAR BRETHREN: In view of the responsibility resting upon me as your chosen director, I wish to make such suggestions as it seems to me will, if carried out, tend to increase the interests of the T. & M. work in our midst. We all profess to believe that the Tract Society is an institution brought into existence by the will of God; that he designs to accomplish through it very much of the work of bringing the light of truth before “many people, nations, tongues and kings,” and that it has been instituted so that you and I, with our one talent, may have some humble part to act in the soul-stirring work of scattering the light of present truth. We have not realized what must be done to accomplish this work. If the world is to be warned, and the truth is to find its way to every State and territory in this union, and to every civilized nation on the globe, the question arises, How is this to be accomplished? We all answer, It must be done largely through the instrumentality of the press. God will not send an angel from Heaven to preach the truth, and, as for ministers, we all know that not one call in twenty for ministerial help can be supplied. The Tract Society has been brought into being, then, to accomplish that which could not well be done without it. And what an exalted privilege is this, to be chosen of God, and authorized by him to act as his agents in carrying forward his last work here upon earth. And shall we complain of our burdens and wish them lighter? I fear that if we do this we shall be called by our Master unfaithful stewards, and that others will be chosen who will have an unselfish interest in his work. The work in which we are engaged is one of great importance. It cannot be trifled with without terrible consequences ensuing. I have a great desire that those who have enlisted in this work, and have their names enrolled as T. & M. workers, should not be unmindful of the fearful responsibility resting upon them. The times call for action. The Lord is soon coming. Do you believe it? You say, Yes. We call upon our T. & M. workers to show us their faith by their works. Every man and woman, and every child who has reached the years of understanding, should be at the post of duty in a time like this. Our district has done well in the past. There are those among us, who, with commendable zeal and devotion, are laboring in this good cause, and who at the close of each quarter have a good report to bring in. One of our members during the last quarter wrote twenty missionary letters, and others did nobly in other branches of the work, but yet we are not satisfied. We want a report from every member belonging to the Society in our district, and we know no reason why we may not have our request granted unless it be for a lack of the true missionary spirit in our midst. No one need plead inability. There are none among us so weak or feeble but they can do up a tract and send it to a friend. They can also write to that friend, and ask how the tract is liked, and in this way a reply may be obtained that will be of interest to read at our regular quarterly meetings. We also invite those who can to write essays to be read at our next quarterly meeting. CHARLES F. WHITFORD, Director.
Berkshire, Vt., Feb. 20, 1876.