General Tract and Missionary Society.
THE third annual session of the general tract and missionary society convened on the Battle Creek camp-ground, October 8, 1878. The meeting was called to order by the president and opened with prayer by Elder D. M. Canright. The minutes of the last session were read and approved, also the following summary of missionary labor performed by the various tract societies :— The above includes four quarterly reports from Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska, Michigan, California, New York, New England, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, and Maryland; three from Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee; two from Vermont and Texas, and one each from Missouri and Virginia. Many of these reports failed to give the number of reports returned by the members, and the amount of money received by the societies. The number of new members reported is 796. The tract societies have purchased during the year, not including premiums, 13,525,465 pages of our publications. The number of premiums is 16,688; Annuals, 95,268. A tract society having been organized in Europe, a report from it was read, which was as follows :— Number of members, including those in Germany, Italy, France, Egypt, and Switzerland: 201
Number of missionary visits: 340
" " letters written: 198
" " periodicals distributed: 1137
" " pages of tracts distributed: 79,007
Money received: $55.80 The receipts of the general tract society during the year have been $447.15; expenditures, $455.08. The larger portion of this expense has been incurred for publications, which have been sent to nearly all the Southern States, and to England, Holland, Italy, and Africa, and, by means of agents in these places, to all parts of the civilized world. Extracts from letters calling for publications from these different countries were also read. In the South, not less than four companies are reported as having embraced the Sabbath from reading, besides scattered individuals who have received the truth in this manner. In some of these companies, Sabbath-schools have been organized, and they are using our books. Elder Burrill, who has recently labored in the South, stated that ninety-nine one-hundredths of the reading matter sent to the South is not only read but re-read by the people, even though it be back numbers of our periodicals. Elder Wardner, delegate from the Seventh-day Baptists, was present, and made interesting remarks, in which he gave his experience in tract-distribution while in Britain. He stated that as the result of this distribution, which was accomplished by sending matter by mail, and by visiting from house to house, one company of forty were now keeping the Sabbath in Holland, and also that there were individuals and companies in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Norway. Remarks were also made by Elder Haskell, in which he spoke of the increasing demand for missionary labor, and mentioned in particular the opportunities which are now presented for placing reading matter on board vessels, by which our publications can be sent to all parts of the world without cost. The chair being empowered to appoint a nominating committee, Elders J. Fargo, J. N. Andrews, and U. Smith were named as said committee.