The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-12
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY.

Meeting Last Night Mt Madison Square Pres
byterian Church.
meeting Of the friends OF the American Tract
Society was ned last evening at the Madison square
Presbyterian church. The meeting was called for
the purpose OF hearing report or summary OF
the transactions and lab0rs Of the society
during the past year. Rev. DR.. Adams
presided. The Rev. F. E. shearer the District
Secretary OF san Francisco, gave some interesting
personal observations OF the progress of the mission
on the Pacific Coast He SAID there was in that
region great moral and spiritual destitu.
ton; whole counties without any Sunday
schools 100000 children deprived OF religious
instruction. The mission has organized
Sunday schools ana preaching the Gospel
TO heather. The Spanish.speaking population
have no preachers, except the coporteurs and the
three hundred Spanish publications. OF the society.
There are also some sixty-three Thousand CHINA
men, who are reached through the schools and COL
porteurs of their own race employed by the society.
The Home Secretary then gave detailed account
OF the workings OF the association for the past year.
OF which the following Is summary
sS to % S
70 l5 9ooO0o pages ss,cluding annual Of
IS self sustaining esao'es are wholly devoted
last IS
travelling expenses Of missionary coportenrs and
grant. Q! 60 the s, VaS.
OF xo2 the benevolent expenditures thus exceeding the
receipts and the whole Of collection and
administration being met from other summary
aud others In great without the living
supplied with saving truth Pastors home aud foreign
issSs
vdual organized Christian timely
ad and the efficiency OF their abors greatly increased
The value OF these grants about thousand dollars per
%'; Ssa
made since the formation Of the society. The appro
The institution, \ aids abroad y print. IL ias
missionaries the right hand Of In mission efforts
the aborer teach the central truths the Gospel
than UNCONVENTIONAL differences. 1t will be
will f''1 be- aa ss Ss. sd ne
committee have approved be Issued at foreign
mission stations over four thousand distinct publications OF
society reaches the homes OF the destitute. II Is the
organized lay preaching of the churches in which nearly
i've thousand men, representing all the evangelical denom
nations have abored and in which over ten million Chris
tan family visits have been made During past
coporteurs have abored chiefly In the needy districts of
South and west These go from house to house, en-
quirers to Christ lift up their voices in prayer,
induce attend churches when ACCESSIBLE
prayer meetings distribute Bibles TO the needy and sup
ply by sale grant, books tracts and papers adapted to
the wants OF the people, In less direct connection
In this copoage than three thousand hopeful con-
versions reported from the South during year
The labor of these coporteurs directed from eight
such as Richmond, Chicago ST. Louis and San Francisco
will give details coportage the field Of the Rocky
Mountains.
Addresses were also delivered by Rev. John
Cotton Smith, by william +. Dodge, who has Just
returned from syria, ana Mr.. RUFUS W. Clark, who
has recently returned from Japan.