The New York herald., 1876-01-02
PROTESTANT PIOUs FRAUDS.

LOWER LIFE MEANS TO SECURE "HIGHER LIFE"
ENDS -sANcIIFIED sHARPERs IN THE Bos-
TON TRACT SOCIETY.
The Observer condenses from the Congre9dhondlist
skctch pious fraud which perperatcd upon tho
American Tract Society }oston) June The facts
have been made public because they have
before civil court And what makes tho fraud more
rcprehensibe is the fact that its perperaor is Of
the "hgher life" Christians OF which VIC have many
lying around loose in all the denominations, who
neither useful nor ornamental to any, and the further
fact that hc officer the society II appears that
last June meeting Of the society called to elect
depositary, in the place of Mr. Broughton, who had
previously been removed by tho Executive Committee
treasurer to be elected Also Mr.. J. wyeth
Coolidge the assistant treasurer, and he coveted
the vacant treasurcrship with its salary Of $1,000
year. responsible gentleman friend OF the society
willing 10 perform the duties of treasurer without
salary and lest he should get the position and Office,
Mr.. Coolidge purchased votes enough al 500 each
to elect himself And being "sanctI1od" man he
used money gwen 10 the society for other purposes TO
secure his selfish end Among the new voting
members OF tho society many groccrs' clerks me
chanics' apprentices and young occupying similar
useful and respectable positions but whose tastes and
tendencies seldom lead hem to take interest enough in
such society to purchase the right of membership
TO attend its meetings Nearly all the young men en-
poyed about the Tract House and many personal
friends of the deposed official and OF the higher life"
candidate we're also present, and when the books
tered in the handwriting OF Mr. Coolidge having
been constituted life members the last two days OF
the financial year. This led to inquiry, Where did
the money come fromS Mr. r. W. Morville advanced
So 600 to the society TO be returned to him certain
conditions. These were not complied with, and he
sued the society for his money and il then out
that part Of it applied to the manufacture of these
voters. who TO make Mr.. Coolidge treasurer
Further still, the late Mr.. John Tappan had
gvcn 81, 900 to the society for the publication
OF Higher Life tracts and after repeated conferences
between Mr.. Coolidge and of Me- Tappan, liberty
had beer procured TO place certain upon the
cictys list of life members in virtue of that donation
The use Of Mr. Morvile's money, says the Observer,
fraud and the use OF Mr. Tappan's questionable,
and the whole transaction utterly unjusti1able. The
Morville matter concealed from the Executive Com
mtee and intended to create voters by means OF
which the plans OF the Executive Committee could be
thwnrted and Mr. Coolidge himself secure the Office and
salary Of So 600 The Observer Is willing to concede
much moro than would-namely that the contrivcr
and engineer OF this pious fraud conscientious and
thinks he is doing God service by thus promoting tho
publication of Higher Lfe' tracts and that the end
saucti1es the means But such transactions adds
contemporary, are fraudulent inconsistent with re-
lgion common morality. And. whether perpctrated
by OF higher life or lower life by saints sinners
there only place where the perpetrators belong
and that Is not in the Church.