A LIVE TRACT SOCIETY by William C. White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 21, 1879

A LIVE TRACT SOCIETY.

By William C. White

A living, prosperous Tract Society is one that has earnest, active members, and a librarian who is awake to the responsibility of his or her office, and watchful of the interests of the society and the work in its various branches. A live librarian will make the capabilities and opportunities of each member a special study, and will aid and encourage each to labor in that branch of the work where he can do the most good.

There are three grand divisions in our work: 1. The loaning and gratuitous distribution of our papers and tracts; 2. Canvassing and obtaining subscribers for our periodicals; 3. Mailing copies of our pioneer papers to various addresses, to obtain interested readers, and then persuading them to subscribe for the paper, and to read our denominational tracts. Each of these divisions has many branches, so many and so varied in their nature that any one who wishes to work can find one at least in which he may be successful. The faithful librarian will assist each in selecting and understanding that part of the work where he can do the most.

Let us see how the live society will keep out of debt. There is no work of the society requiring more skill, or which will accomplish more good, than that of canvassing. Every subscriber will be a regular reader. This work will cost the society nothing, and if wisely managed may be a source of some profit. The librarian should obtain pledges from those best adapted to this work, that they will donate a certain definite amount of time to it during the quarter. Two or three weeks’ work by as many canvassers, in every town or village where there is a society would accomplish something.

Clubs of the Signs, Tidende, Harold, and the French and German papers may be paid for in advance, or, as is more usual, by monthly installments. And here is where the honesty of the members and the librarian’s faithfulness are tested. It is promptness in these little things, or a lack of it, that will insure the success of a society or sink it. If any fail to pay their installments monthly, let all be squared up at the end of the quarter; and to accomplish this the librarian may find it necessary to visit some who absent themselves from the meeting. If the librarian cannot do this, let some one be appointed who can. If any one cannot or will not pay his pledge, persuade other members to pay for and use his papers till the close of the subscription. If this cannot be done, stop the papers unpaid for, and thus cut down the size of your club rather than let the society run in debt. The expense of the other part of our work is growing less in proportion to the amount of work done every year, because on many subjects smaller and cheaper tracts have been prepared, and also because our workers are learning that it is more effectual and less expensive to lend a large tract or a pamphlet, than it is to give it away. Where the one-third is paid regularly, it will pay for all the tracts needed; but where this has been dropped, they must be paid for by donations.

How and when shall the necessary amount be raised to pay for tracts? Let each member make a donation when he sends in his report. The librarian should present a statement of the financial standing of the society at the quarterly meeting, with the amount and cost of books needed for the next quarter’s work. If there is not enough cash on hand, start a subscription paper at the meeting, and carry it to each member of the society and the church, and thus secure the money necessary to pay for the books. Usually people will be more liberal in giving money to buy books which they want, than in giving to pay for what they or some one else has had and used.

Some say that very little money can be raised in some seasons of the year, and we have to wait till fall to pay our debts to the society. Why not be ahead for once, instead of always behind? At our October meeting let us buy enough tracts to last a whole year, and pay for them; or let us raise enough money to buy tracts for the year, and order them from quarter to quarter as needed.

This plan of working would free our districts from debt, and would be quite as easy for each church. To accomplish this we must have earnest willing members, faithful untiring librarians, vigilant experienced officers,—in fact, A LIVE TRACT SOCIETY.

W. C. WHITE.