International Tract and Missionary Society.
THE seventh annual session of this society (formerly General Tract and Missionary Society) was held at Rome, N. Y., in connection with the General Conference. The following is from the Secretary's report in the Review and Herald:— A report showing the labor performed by the various State societies, the General Society, and the societies in England and Switzerland, was read, of which the following is a summary: No. of members 6,981; reports, 10,383; visits, 25,030; letters, 24,015; subscribers obtained for periodicals, 6,643; pages publications distributed, 4,947,486; periodicals distributed, 550,324. The financial report showed the receipts of the General Society for the year to be $859.58; expenditures, $647.57; cash on hand, $2,068.07 Of this labor an amount equal to the distribution of about 60,000 pages of tracts and 15,000 periodicals has been done largely by persons not of our faith, under the supervision of the General Society. Remarks were then made by the President respecting favors received from such persons, and the willingness with which they are granted. We now have free transportation of publications from New York City to London, thence to Hull, and from there to Christiana. There are also outside agents who distribute our reading matter on vessels, and in many of the seaports of England, and to quite an extent, in this country. The following resolutions were presented and adopted after suitable consideration:— 1. WHEREAS, There is a disposition in some localities to criticise the present plan of organization of our State tract societies, and an expressed desire to so change the Constitution and plan of operation as to have the church librarians transact all business directly with the State Secretary, and— WHEREAS, The workers in several of our largest and most prosperous societies regard the work of the district secretary as indispensable to the highest efficiency of the organization; therefore— Resolved, That we recommend adherence to those plans which have proved successful, and that great caution be used in the introduction of new and untried methods; and further— Resolved, That we recommend that any State society which regards such changes as essential to its prosperity should consult with the officers of the General Tract Society before introducing them, and that they shall not publish or recommend any such experimental plans till they have been tried for at least one year, and have the acceptance of the General Tract Society. This resolution led to a free discussion, in which the difficulties which have been experienced in connection with our present organization, and also the utility of the organization, were thoroughly canvassed. Of the points made in this discussion more may be said hereafter. 2. WHEREAS, Our work is fast enlarging, and in the providence of God we are called upon to take advance steps and enter upon important enterprises, sometimes on short notice, and as such enterprises cannot be entered upon without means; therefore— Resolved, That we consider it absolutely necessary, in order to carry on the work successfully, that each State society have a reserve fund on which it can rely in time of need; and we urge them to keep their reserve fund large enough to meet emergencies which may arise. 3. WHEREAS, We believe that there is a great work to be done in our large cities, and Chicago appears at this time to be a promising field for the constant employment of an efficient colporter, and— WHEREAS, New York especially needs the constant presence of a laborer to act as ship missionary, and to forward missionary publications to Europe; therefore— Resolved, That we station a colporter in each of these cities as soon as possible, and that we request the assistance of the General Conference in the appointment and maintenance of the same. 4. WHEREAS, The SIGNS OF THE TIMES has been the means of bringing many to a knowledge of the truth, and each year's experience strengthens the confidence of our missionary workers in its efficiency in the missionary field; therefore— Resolved, That we recommend its more general circulation in that capacity than ever before; and— WHEREAS, Experience has shown that thousands will subscribe and pay for the SIGNS when offered with a desirable premium, and as the International Sunday-school Lessons for the coming year will be in the Acts of the Apostles, thus making the Life and Epistles of Paul a desirable book for general use; and the publishers of the SIGNS propose to offer the Life and Epistles of St. Paul by Conybeare and Howson with the SIGNS to new subscribers for $2.25 per year; therefore— Resolved, That we recommend the above premium offer, and urge that a thorough and energetic canvass be inaugurated in all of our societies. 5. Resolved, That we recommend to the careful attention of all our ministers and tent workers the plan that has been introduced in some localities of using the SIGNS OF THE TIMES with the tent-sheets, in special efforts to prepare the field for tent labor, and in developing the interest in connection with such labor. Remarks were made in favor of this plan by brethren in New York, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska, who adopted it in their work the past summer. 6. WHEREAS, The public libraries throughout the country afford the means of presenting our denominational reading matter to the public, and— WHEREAS, Many of these libraries are now open to the presentation of this reading matter; therefore— Resolved, That we approve the steps already taken toward the presentation of some of our bound books to these libraries by the General Society, and that we pledge our active co-operation in the speedy prosecution of this work. 7. WHEREAS, The immediate introduction of our denominational books among all the churches and companies of our people, as soon as they are published, is very desirable, and we believe that many more can then be sold by a proper effort than at any later time, and— WHEREAS, The publishers propose, in order to save time and hasten orders on important works, to send samples to the secretary of each State society, that they may be forwarded with circulars and blank order sheets to the librarians and agents, without waiting for orders for the sample copy; and as the publishers propose upon notification to furnish postage for the return of any of these samples which may not be accepted; therefore— Resolved, That we recommend the above plan, and urge the prompt co-operation of our librarians and agents in its execution. 8. WHEREAS, Washington is our nation's representative city, and many persons visit it, not only from every State and Territory in the Union, but from all parts and countries of the world, and— WHEREAS, Our publications and works on present truth are not found there, either for sale or free distribution; therefore— Resolved, That Washington City be taken into consideration, in connection with Chicago and New York, for ministerial and colporters' labor. This resolution called out some very interesting experiences of our brethren in connection with men holding high positions in the Government. It was stated that while it is probable that but few of these men will embrace the truth, the impressions which it is now possible to give them will affect their future action, should they be called upon to make decisions in connection with our work or people. 9. WHEREAS, The work of health reform is recognized as one of the most important branches of the cause of present truth, and— WHEREAS, There has been a general backsliding on this subject, and there is at present a general lack of interest in this branch of the work; therefore— Resolved, That we recommend an earnest effort to revive the interest upon this question by securing a more general reading of our health publications on the part of our people, and by inaugurating an energetic canvass for the circulation of Good Health everywhere. 10. WHEREAS, Persons subscribing for our periodicals through the tract society do experience a delay in receiving their papers, and— WHEREAS, Our State Secretaries can probably use, in various ways, several copies of each of the same; therefore— Resolved, That we recommend our State societies to take clubs of these periodicals, particularly the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, so as to be able to supply new subscribers until the paper can be received by them from the office of publication. The officers for the coming year are: President, Eld. S. N. Haskell, South Lancaster, Mass.; Vice-President, W. C. White, Oakland, Cal.; Secretary and Treasurer, Miss M. L. Huntley, South Lancaster, Mass.; Assistant Secretary, Miss Nellie E. Sisley, Battle Creek, Mich.; Executive Committee, Elds. S. N. Haskell, G. I. Butler, O. A. Olsen.