The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-12
The National Conventi0ns-The He
ngious, Social and Political Re

/ t0rmcrSs
During the course of last week our columns
were largely devoted to reports of the pro-
| ceedings of the various societies-rehSious,
| social and political-the annual meetings of
which have been held in New York or in our
! sister city, Brooklyn. Our intelligent readers
will candidly admit that these reports, which
have been given at great length, have been
singularly interesting and not little instruc-
| tive We question whether so much reform
| ing energy was ever exhibited in New York on
| any former occasion, or, indeed, in any city in
the world, either in past or present times
Whatever may be said Of the American charac-
ter, it is undeniable that it is full of vital
force; nor can any one refuse to admit that
here in this New World we are in the habit of
looking at difficulties fearlessly and courage
ously seeking to overcome them. Here during
the past week have met the Methodist General
Conference, the American Seamen's Friend
Society, the Reform League, the American
Tract Society, the Association of Universalists,
the Universal Peace Union, the American
Home Missionary Society, the National Tenn
perance Society, the American Women's Suf-
frage Association, the National Suffrage Asso-
citation, the American Congregational Union,
the Society for the Conversion of the Jews,
the Human Rights Association and others-a
goodly array, certainly and sufficiently indi-
cative Of the multiplicity of our American
modes of thought and of the unrest and
activity which are VIGOROUSLY characteristic of
our people.
Of the reports submitted and of the pro-
ceedings generally of the various religious
societies, with one or two trihing exceptions,
we feel it to be our duty to speak with praise.
The sums of money raised and expended have
been enormous The Methodist Church must,
we believe, be regarded as the largest and
most prosperous Church in the Union.
The quadrennial report read at the Con-
ference on Wednesday last showed that the
society was in most healthful condi-
ton, and that it was aggressive and success
fully so in high degree The corporate wealth
of the denomination has enormously increased
The annual collection for the relief of aged
and needy ministers or their widows and
orphans since 1871 amounted to S., 255, 237,
being an increase over the previous year of
over one hundred and thirty-seven thousand
dollars. The Methodist Society, while it does
| good work at home, is not neglectful Of the
foreign fields of labor, and it's missionaries
among the heather are, in numbers and eff
cheney, second to those of no other religious
denomination Pity that our good friends
and neighbors have not yet done with this
sickening Book Concern, which seems to be as
hopeless a muddle as the famous Schleswig-
Holstein question, and Of which, SO far as we
know, the public is heartily tired. 1t is
gratifying to notice that the Ameri-
can Tract Society, which, if we
except the Tract Society of London,
has no rival among associations of the kind, is
in most fourishing condition. The annual
report speaks volumes in its favor: Receipts
| for the year, in donations and legacies,
s126,833 GA; sales, S41O,9O3 75-making
with balance in the treasury, 1888, 1872 06;
expended in manufacturing books and tracts,
1926, 900 10; manufacturing and issuing peri
odicals, s133,381 a. colporteurs agencies
and repositories, S107,211 03; district secre-
taries, $11,251 80; appropriations for foreign
and pagan lands, $1,000; investment on ac-
count of the George Wood fund, 3,4S7 so;
all other expenses, as by the Treasurer's
report, S49, 1862 10. Total, 1857, 1914 Is Bal
ance in treasury, 1887 81. During the year
263 colporteurs, including AZ students from 10
colleges and theological seminaries, labored
in 81 States and Territories and in the
adjoining British provinces. They held or
addressed 1856 religious meetings made
253, 408 family visits conversed on personal
religion or prayed with 176, 1873 families; found
1882 Protestant families who habitually neg
lected attending evangelical preaching,
11,917 families of Roman Catholics, 2O,9S4
families destitute of all religious books except
the Bible, and II, 200 Protestant families with
out the Word of God. During the thirty-one
years since mission colportage was inaugu-
rated by the society the statistical results
have been as follows:-Time employed
equal to the service of one man
for 56,243 months 9,993,520 volumes
sold, $780, $50 volumes granted, 354, 4O2 reli-
gious meetings held or addressed, 10, 1885, 697
family visits made, 5,S39,013 families con-
versed with on personal religion or prayed
with, ], 473,37O Protestant families habitually
neglecting evangelical preaching; 800, OO4 fam
lilies of Roman Catholics, SOL, $3.50 Protestant
families destitute of the Bible; 904, 729 families
destitute of all religious books, except the
Bible" We rejoice at the continued prosper
ity and increasing usefulness Of the Tract So
ciety; but We must be allowed to
take exception to the public con-
versation which took place on Wednesday
last regarding the publication and sale of a
certain kind of questionable literature. The
subject in our Judgment would have been
more proftably discussed by o private COM
mittee and most certainly such q course