, 1862-04-05
Annual meetInE OF the Western
agency Of the American Tract So.

AAnNNA kA6Ek4AE VI kn8 " &&&6EA
4gency Of the American Tract So.
clety, RoktO0,
The second annual meeting Of the Western
Tract Agency, was held Thursday afternoon
in the First Baptist Church in this city. The
meeting VAS called to order by the Secretary,
Rev. G. 8. T. Savage, and Rev. ". ". Evarts
WAS appointed Chairman. The records Of the
last annual meeting having been read, the re-
ports Of the Treasurer, Tuthin King, ESQ.,,
and OF the Committee Of the Agency, were
read by the Secretary.
From these reports it appears TINT, "not-
~ithstanding the pecuniary embarrassments
occasioned BY the war, there has been graft
lying advance the past year in the cont1ibu-
lions OF the churches to the Agency. The re-
ceipts for the year, from all sources, hare been
$3.50 of which 81 ,Saowas grant from the
American Tract Society, Boston, for co1port-
age, and for the army in the West.
This does not include the collections rom
this field, sent directly to the Societies at
Boston and Cincinnati; nor the sales from the
Depository, by Messrs. Church, Goodman and
Kenney, which latter are over 81 500.
The expenditures have been s., ,950.97, leay-
Ing balance of assets On hand to the value
Of SS59.96. These are mostly army publica-
tions, which the Secretary viii take with him
this week, to distribute in the camps and hos
pitals in Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, DC.
A general Depository has been established
with Messrs. Church, Goodman and Kenney,
No. 81 Lasal1e street, where a full assortment
OF all the books, tracts and publications Of
the American Tract society, Boston, and the
American Religious Tzact and Book Society,
arc kept.
In order to meet the urgent demand for pub
locations Ia the army, the agency here has re-
dueed the number Of its Colportors to four.
The extracts from their reports which were
given, indicate that good work has been
done By them. They visited nearly four
thousand families; held or addressed over one
hundred meetings, and in addition to their
sales donated to the destitute over ESQ, 600
pages Of books and tracts.
A good work has also been dole by yo1un-
tary colportage.
The most important and hopeful work Of
the Agency has been in the army. The report
gave full details OF this work, and embraced
large number Of letters Of thrilling interest,
from chaplains and others in the army, who
had been furnished with publications for gra-
tnftous distribution a1none the soldiers.
The admirable scr;es Of soldiers, books
tracts and periodicals prepared by the Ameri-
can Tract Society, Boston, furnished the gen
cy with the material needed for its work; and
that society which has distributed nearly
twenty millions pages in the army, at the
east and south, generously duplicated for the
Western army the amount contributed to the
Agency for this work. As result, over two
million pages of reading matter have been
distributed in our Western army by the Aren-
CT. These have rome into nearly one hundred
req7ments from Michigan, Indiana Illinois.
wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri. Kan
sae. Nebraska and Kentucky: also into the
HOSPITALS at Chicago, Cairo, Springfield. ST.
| Louis, Mound CITY, Paducah, Jefferson CITY
and Ironton: and among the rebel prisoners
| at Camp Douglas and Springfield.
The eecreta1v has visited many If +ha comma
and nerson,11r dist,;hnted thcsc nn1,,ic,t7ons
-h,o1, ha,.a aiaa,. 1,ao,, ra,o;,.od .4t1, ,rr,o+
..1s-za-a u.ta.s 80 49, .-.z:., 49,
.'.s: sS -.
slon ~ s.ts sno E.ouo s1 ~ sl.s oessla'
' 4se.:-N - ~, - .1..",- -
| lesumony 10 Inc nseaalaess OF tnas VOTE, IN
the reiofnauon o1 tne VICIOUS, fhe conversion
| OF tAe lrnpeni1ent, ana tae edlncatlon and COM
tort OF christians. There are now over ao,UN
soldiers IN the heId OF the aseney, and all that
Is needed TO greatly enlarge this benevolent
VOTE Is The necessary funas- fres1dcnt Lin
CON, inc secretary OF war, aud our leading
generals, nave gwen Their cordial sanction tc
this work, and afford every facility for its per
foraanca. The Boston society have agreed tc
| tious for cur Western soldiers. And it /;
hoped that the friends In the West OF our no
bic volunteers, who are hazaraing not oniy lif
and health in this righteous cause, but moral:
and piety also, will contribute generously II
| aid in aiyinn them an abundant s1,nntv of 1ooi
readine.
That mart of tho re1ort which rafp-r r., ~,
rp,ations of the ao,ncv r., +1,o a,,a,5,,,, ,r,,a
| socie1v. BOSTON. and he American Ra1;o;ors
TRACT and Ronk Society f.inc;nn,tf ~,
taken m. and ,aft,.r d;sc,ssion refe,re;, =, R.v
" ~ pattor ppv r,.1,-, o,a ~ o
| tatterfon, to prrparc a series Of resolutions
, T.c committee reported the following, whic]
= wer+unanimouely adopted;