TRACT AND MISSIONARY WORK.
By A. S. Hutchins
The object of the organization of T. and M. Societies was to secure union of effort, and to give strength, success, and permanency to the work. In this, as in all other important enterprises, there must be system and order, to secure favorable results. The constitution presents a simple, yet effectual, form of organization. It gives to every member a work to do with the needful instructions how to do it, that organization may be maintained, and all may work to the point. That there is an increasing interest in T. and M. work generally in our State, we are happy to record; but some points should be more closely guarded or we may expect confusion in the work, which will weaken and retard our efforts for good. I refer to the practice of individuals in doing T. and M. business directly with the Offices of publication instead of through the secretary. This greatly confuses both the clerks with whom the business is done and our secretary, needlessly consuming their precious time and strength. In some cases it renders it impossible to keep books correctly. Before me is a card from the REVIEW Office addressed to our State secretary, stating that a certain amount has been charged to our Society, the business being sent by different persons; and then follows this explanation: “This business was sent at different times without a word of explanation, so we decided it should be charged to your Society.” Now who can correctly guess what district or districts to charge this business to? The secretary knows the director who sent part of the business, and naturally presumes he was acting for his district; and he is of the opinion that part of the balance of the business should be charged to one district and part to another, but there is nothing certain about it. If I am right in my conclusion as to one of these persons who sent the business to the REVIEW Office, she lives but a few steps from a business agent for the church, and he not far from a prompt district secretary. Had the business gone through their hands to the State secretary, and so on to the Office, all would have been right. The above-mentioned perplexities would have been unknown. But this, you may say, “is a small item.” So it would be comparatively if my finger were out of joint, and yet it might be very painful. Again, the workers sometimes get a subscriber for the REFORMER with premium. They take the one dollar and send directly to the REVIEW Office, and order the REFORMER for one year. Who should pay for the premium in this case? There is really but one reason for doing business otherwise than through the proper officers of the Society, and that is to secure more ready returns from the Offices. It is not unfrequently the case that brethren live on a line of slow mail, or quite a distance from the post-office. In this case some have expressed a wish to do their business directly with the Offices, and acting in harmony with the advice of Bro. Haskell, we have asked our publishers to grant this favor in two or three cases, the sender reporting the business done, to the secretary promptly, and thus far, we know of no difficulty arising therefrom with these brethren. But as but little more time would be required in securing returns from our Offices when the business is done through the State secretary, T. H. Purdon, New Haven Mills, Vt., than when sent directly, it would be better to do it through him. And where much time must be consumed in sending through the different Officers, you can communicate the business directly to the secretary, booking all names sent to him with the date when sent and the amount of the same. Every item of this business should be reported regularly each quarter to the secretary of your district also, otherwise his books will not be in harmony with the books of the State secretary. Dear reader, let us be faithful in the cause of the Lord. Let us act with promptitude, and maintain order, humbly asking Heaven’s blessing upon our efforts to save souls.