GENERAL SUMMARY OF MISSIONARY LABOR.
By M. L. Huntley
We are happy to present to the missionary workers the above quarterly summary of missionary labor from the various tract society reports. General quarterly meetings not having been held in many of the State Conferences the past quarter, it has been difficult for the State secretaries to obtain full reports from the various districts. Reports from districts No. 1 and 2, New York; 2, 6 and 7, Kansas; and 3, Missouri, have been forwarded to us since the regular reports from these societies were received. This is much better than to keep the report of the whole society waiting for a report from, perhaps, only one or two churches, until it is too late for the Supplement. In a note received from the secretary of the Kentucky tract society (which she will please pardon us for introducing here), she says, “I intended to have sent our report to you before this, but Bro. ——, of ——, has delayed sending me his, on account of one of the churches not having reported to him.” This doubtless illustrates how it is in every Conference. Some churches and districts are always prompt, while others are always inclined to the opposite. It is not just, that such should share with those who are remiss in this duty the mortification and discouraging effect of apparent negligence. Therefore we say to the State secretaries, Send in your reports directly after the third Sabbath in each quarter, even if but one district and one church in that district has reported; and thus render honor to whom honor is due. We feel very grateful to the State secretaries who have taken so much pains to give in full reports, but are sorry to note the absence of reports from other societies. New England will please excuse us if we notice a few points in the N. E. report to illustrate some of the defects shown by our “T. and M. looking-glasses.” No objection to other societies taking hints. 1. Only about one-half the members have reported (see N. E. table); however, every district is represented by labor in nearly all the different branches, and the number of members and reports returned is given in the report from each district, which is commendable. 2. Only sixteen subscribers have been obtained for the REVIEW, two districts having obtained none. This indicates that our brethren generally, in this Conference, and in these two localities especially, are all subscribers for the REVIEW; or that there has been a failure in looking after this matter. We trust the former is true, but would it not be well to extend the conquest a little farther and obtain subscribers among those who are not Sabbath-keepers? 3. Only two districts, out of eight, report subscribers obtained for the HEALTH REFORMER. Here we can give the society the benefit of no doubt. In every community there are those who will subscribe for this journal when the matter is properly set before them. Neither is there any excuse for this delinquency. It is not possible that all the members could be on the sick list during this time, and lack of time or means would be no hindrance to obtaining at least one or two subscribers. All that would be required is a little effort, which every member of the society could make without personal loss or inconvenience. The same can be said of the YOUTH’S INSTRUCTOR. Judging from what we know, nearly all the thirty-eight subscribers reported for this paper were obtained by a little boy who is a deaf mute. We can hardly help feeling a little ashamed for the active boys and girls in New England, many of whom are members of the tract society, who have done nothing in this direction, when we think of what has been done by this unfortunate lad. Instead of less than one hundred subscribers for the REFORMER and thirty-eight for the INSTRUCTOR, several hundred might as well have been obtained for each of these periodicals without loss of time to any one, if every member had made it a point to obtain at least one subscriber for each, during the quarter. However, a good amount of labor has been performed by this society. In district No. 8, every member has reported. Although the present is an unfavorable time of the year for missionary efforts, there are sure indications that the interest in this branch of the work is increasing in some Conferences; and it is hoped that the likenesses of the various societies presented by the T. and M. looking-glasses at the close of another three months will evince the fact that such has been the case in every Conference. M. L. HUNTLEY, Sec. Gen. T. & M. Society.