The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-05-22
TRACT SocurY.

-, TRACT SOCIETY.
The business meeting Of the American
Tract Society was held at Reformed Dutch
Church, Lafayette Place, Chief Justice vii.
linms of Conn, in the chair, at o o'clock
Wednesday morning None were admitted
without tickets, and there was considerable
grumhliug at the trouble occa,ioucd by hi,
regulation, members being compelled to 60
10 the basement aud await their tu,n H. pro-
curing the necessary admission cards. There
va, 0n unusual interest in the proceedings
outside and great crowd OF people were
about the doors vuinl asking admitnucc,
The chairman having called the meeting to
order prayer was offered by Dr. llumbcr Of
Pennsylvania. The report Of the executive
committee Wa, then read by Drr Adams. Il
referred TO the death Of Dr. Knox who had
often made the report Of the committee, and
paid tribute 20 his christian virtues. Also
the death of DR., Ludlow of New jersey
Tic report deliberately aud at great length
defends the course OF the committee, urging
essentially the same reasons which have from
TING TO time been put forth hy their friends
in the newspaper discussion, during the las,
itw months.
At the conclusion Of the report the Rev,
Dr. Mngcc made few remarks. After the
full explanation which had been given hc
- s4i,i4iii4ts st,,-ii.it iittir
Two truths we've plain To- the committee and
these considerations had governed them
Had they published the tract to which refer
cncc had been made, they would have dis
mcmbcrcd the society Ihat.HD, one con-
cuSion NJ which they had arrived. The evil
dtncc on which 1t was based, was not and
could not be so well appreciated by those
who had not 40 opportunity of Judging it,
They did fully believe il. Another was that
a large majority OF the friends OF the society
were not prepared 20 adopt coarse which
should thus result \ further equally plain
consideration. was that tract addressed 10
masters would have but a small circulation
in the South and among those TO whom it
was addressed, and which in the North, was
-lAat-A-4- tt+-eitlt-tt-trr1t-tu mix
the American Tract Society with the great
exciting question. This was their simple de-
csion. The matter was now before them,
aud in Judging it he hoped they had sought
the grace of God and would act upon it
Great interests were at stake. Should they
adopt course which would separate them
from Gftocn.Statcs and 100000 of pcople,
Il
Hfor?
Some applause having been audihly OK
pressed, the chairman requested that it should
toe refrained from, lie said this was chris
tian and not political meeting.
The Right Rev. Bishop Mcllyanc, OF Ohio,
was then introduced, but gentleman i'm the
gallery rose and said that several in that part
o! the house were anxious to- come to "A vote.
The chairman was not willing, at the then
stage Of the proceedings, to prevent any gen
tleman who had been called for from making
few remarks if he pleased,
Bishop Mcllyano proceeded to move that
the action of the committee as reported
he sustained AMI approved. In long and
fervid address he defended t1icr$committee.-
( lie said he was the oldest Vice president of
the Society, which he had always loved, and
he did not now despair of the maintenance of
their fundamental principle, that alt Jicnomi-
nations of Evangelical Christians could stand
on the same platform. The question decided
was one properly for the committee, accord
ing to the constitution, which limited the
number to six, and required that they should
be of as many different denominations. The
vote which they were about To give would de-
eide MhGlhGr-t -SacintI d ~ lrrrrtf--
should be nt an end. Wuuld they say To the
presses "be still p" Would they say. h.Sccto=
rinn bigotry, rush out and destroy the bar
rier against you has been broken down ~
Would they say to the different dcnomiua-
| tons of Christians, go separate YOU can
no longer walk together ?" If they were pre-
pared to send forth that declaration, this de-
struction OF great Protestant institution
would be hailed with a shout of triumph sim
liar to that which followed the massacre Of
st. Bartholomew
The debate was of an exciting character,
and the slavery question gave rise to u lengthy
discussion. The anti-savery wing of the So
ciety were defeated, and the Society finally
endorsed the action of the executive commit
tee, aud rescinded the resolution passed ut
their late annual meeting with respect to the
distribution of tracts among slavcholdcrs.-
The motion for sustaining tho executive COM