,v-r j \ v w\ e a a yi - sc - (Sob's Seal on tbe worft of tbe Bmedcan fTract Society (ifoii’H 8>eal on tiff umrk nf tfrg Ameriran Sract gwirliT ip ODIN’S “The Hand of God” represents God in the act of creating man. The record of the American Tract Society shows God at work creating and sustaining a great cause. The Society is nearly a hundred years old. Its history reads like a romance. Organized in an age when the silver- tongued orator was looked upon as the one leader in Church and State, it dared to em¬ phasize the oratory of the printed page. It recognized that the Christian religion was a book religion, that the Bible was the might¬ iest means of propaganda, and that whatever powers of persuasion men like Daniel Webster then possessed were due in large measure to the reading and careful study of a Book. It remembered that while all honor was due to Apostolic preaching, like honor was due to Apostolic authorship. It believed that John was as great an apostle as Peter, even though Peter did the preaching, while John quietly meditated, in preparation for writing these things in a book. John’s ideal was that of the organizers of the American Tract Society, a world full of books, of Christian literature, in all forms including epistles and visions. At the time of the organization of the American Tract Society, men had just heard that wonderful story of the young man Scud- der, who had picked up a pamphlet on India 2 American Tract Society while waiting in a New York office, and had sailed for that then unknown country. It has lived to learn the whole of the story of the Scudder tract, and to celebrate with his family a century of missionary effort in foreign lands. It said: “If we can inspire one man like Scudder to missionary effort, our work will be worth all it costs.” It lived to realize its highest hopes. It sent forth from its own official force. Dr. E. M. Wherry, whose family has given 168 years of service to India, and whose children are even now laboring there. To-day men see the power of the printed page as never before. They are startled by the tidings that three organizations, hostile to evangelical Christianity, print more relig¬ ious propaganda than all the Protestant de¬ nominations combined. They feel forced to do something to counteract the influence of pamphlets teaching that “Religion is the opium of the people”, which are now brought to our shores in large quantities. They are compelled to recognize the power in the silent oratory of the printed page, as they see temple after temple, rising to the memory of a woman, who, with all her faults and frailties, grasped the great truth, that people were depending too much on preaching, and too little on print¬ ing. The Protestant churches have won a few Jews to acknowledge Christ as the Mes¬ siah, while the tracts of the Christian Science cult have filled their churches with Jews, so that as Rabbi Wise says, we shall soon need Christian Science Synagogues. In letters recently written to us in answer to a questionnaire sent out some months ago, GOD’S SEAL 3 we find the strongest emphasis on the value of the work of the American Tract Society. Dr. J. Ross Stevenson, President of Princeton Theological Seminary writes, “There is des¬ perate need of the right kind of literature.” “The leaflet”, says Dr. Henry Chapman Swear- ington, Pastor of the House of Hope Church, St. Paul, Minn., “has been found very effective in commercial advertising; there should be no limit to the possibilities of this method of spreading the message of the gospel.” Dr. John Timothy Stone, Pastor of the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, assures the Society that it “has a large field and a goodly heritage”, and Dr. Mark A. Matthews, Pastor of a church of nearly eight thousand members in Seattle says, “You can do great good if you publish only orthodox literature”. Dr. A. Z. Conrad, of Park Street Church, Boston, Mass, gives a like testimony when he says, “The American Tract Society is pre¬ eminently the organization to distribute dis¬ tinctively Christian literature, which has in it positive unequivocal statements of faith and by concrete illustrations unfolds the reali¬ ties of religion.” Dr. Howard Agnew Johnston, known all over the United States through his helpful books, speaks the truth when he says: “You have not magnified the necessity of your work sufficiently. The Tract Society should be the recognized agent of a united Protestantism to put on a program of Christian propaganda commensurate with the need, at least such an attempt to meet that need as has never yet been made.” The Christian Church has 4 American Tract Society placed its seal of approval on our work, by giving to its support, and by extolling its achievements. In a recent month, contribu¬ tions came to us from forty-four states. RE-ORGANIZATION The past year has been one of reorganiza¬ tion, and steady application to the task of putting the Society in a condition where it can discharge its obligations and meet the needs of the present hour. On November 15, 1922 Dr. William H. Matthews became General Secretary, and Dr. Edwin Noah Hardy assumed the newly cre¬ ated office of Executive Secretary. March 31, 1923 Dr. Henry Lewis, who had served the Society with efficiency for twenty-five years in an editorial capacity, gave up his duties with us to return to the pastorate. Substantial recogni¬ tion of his long and faithful service was shown by the action of the Executive Committee, in creating an Appreciation Fund to which all friends of the Society were given the oppor¬ tunity to subscribe. By unanimous action of the Executive Committee, the space occupied by the retail business of the Society was re¬ duced, and a portion of the store was sublet, diminishing the rent of our premises at 101 Park Avenue to a small sum. A contract was also entered into with one of our largest publishing houses, which will enable the Society to furnish many publica¬ tions that it has been impossible to print because of the constantly increasing need for GOD’S SEAL 5 pamphlets and tracts in English and foreign languages. Through a large gift for this special pur¬ pose the debt which accumulated in the War period has been greatly reduced during the past few months, and the changes recently made make us confident that it will soon be entirely discharged. We court a close investigation of the busi¬ ness methods of the Society, by the most critic¬ al giver, feeling sure that the more careful the investigation the larger will be the interest in our work. OUR PERIODICALS The Society publishes two periodicals with real missionary merit. The Sunday-School paper, “Apples of Gold”, is issued in colors for children. It is published monthly,, but the sheets are separated into four-page weekly parts so that it provides a weekly paper for each Sunday-School International Lesson. The Spanish paper “Manzanas de Oro” is published on the same plan. Its popularity is steadily increasing. Recently an order came from Buenos Aires, Argentine Republic, for 2,500 copies. Its circulation is 25,000 copies, making a total of over 100,000 copies per month when the sheets are separated. The “American Messenger”, was discon¬ tinued in March 1923, as the cost of publishing this periodical was constantly increasing thus making a large annual deficit, which the Society did not feel justified in continuing. Plans are now being made for the publication of a small c American Tract Society paper for free distribution, giving an account of the activities of the Society and serving in a general way as its official organ. Readers of "Manzanas de Oro' in Valdivia. Chili. GOD’S SEAL 7 OUR COLPORTERS Colporter service has been a special fea¬ ture of the work of the Society from the time when it took our colporters weeks to reach unsettled sections of the Middle West, to the present hour. We have those who are carry¬ ing the message of the Master to the miners, the sailors, the lumbermen, and the immigrants. We are frequently asked concerning the type of men that we are now able to secure for colporter work, and are glad to say, that they are not only godly men, but men of education and refinement with a great deal of tact. Rev. John A. Birseneek, our Ellis Island worker, can speak his word of sympathy and cheer to the newcomers to our fair land in 16 languages. He does it while visiting the sick, comforting the troubled, and straightening out the tangled affairs of the perplexed. Gladly they read the printed page that he gives them. They ask for more. Many a man or woman could be made a lover of his country, and a lover of Christ, before he gets away from Ellis Island if every opportunity to present the way of life in the man’s own language were used. Mr. Fred Fredrikson impresses you with his spirituality. When the new General Sec¬ retary met him for the first time, he was re¬ minded of Anton Lang of Oberammergau, at whose house he was privileged to stay when he went to see the Passion Play of 1922. He is a real soul winner. In our last conversation together he modestly told us of a seaman who had recently joined the church through the influence of his tract work. He testifies to a 8 American Tract Society welcome on every side and to the greedy way men devour the literature we sell and give them. Rev. and Mrs. Francis E. Smith. The character of our colporters in the state of Washington, and surrounding country, will be readily seen from the following quotation, from the letter of Rev. Francis E. Smith of March 6th, 1923. “During the last year I pre¬ pared a document of twelve pages which was different from any previous publications, in GOD’S SEAL 9 that I gave the American Navigator, Captain Robert Gray, credit for having discovered the inland waters of the State of Washington.” This shows that Mr. Smith is a man of education with a real interest in the things that help to make our country what- it is to¬ day. It also shows a part of the unbeaten path traveled by our Colporter. Our colored colporter at the Grand Central Station was born in slavery, but years upon years of ceaseless thinking of his real Master Jesus, have given a glow to his countenance like that on the forehead of Eva’s Uncle Tom, in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s immortal story. He carries the luggage of men and women at the New York Central Station, and then quietly, with an attractive smile on his aged and dark skinned countenance, hands a tract or a beauti¬ ful card with a Bible text to the traveler. Letters and postal cards come back to him from the people themselves and from mothers and other relatives, thanking him for his kind clCt OUR PUBLICATIONS The Society published 2,210,625 tracts, leaf¬ lets, pamphlets, periodicals and books during the last year. Sixty per cent of these publications have been in foreign languages. We are especially proud of our Spanish, Italian, and Chinese publications. These have been highly com¬ mended by experts. Rev. Huie Kin, pastor of the Chinese Presbyterian Church of New York City, recently gave a telling testimonial con¬ cerning the service rendered by the Chinese publications in the Chinese missions and Sun- 10 American Tract Society day-Schools of the United States and Canada. During its ninety-eight years of service the American Tract Society has issued publi¬ cations in 178 languages and dialects. The total number of publications for this period is 311,177,900. The Gospel has been preached by the printed page under the direction, and at the expense of the Society to all Nations, thus fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission in a way that has been approved by missionaries of all denominations, and better still by the Holy Spirit Himself. We have been forced to reject books of real merit in order to satisfy the demand for our tested publications, and so have not at¬ tempted to publish any new books during the last year. We have kept up our fine stock of English and Foreign tracts, and have published an excellent pamphlet by Dr. Robert' Watson, on the Coming Revival. We have also published a bilingual leaflet of four pages in Italian and English with the Doxology, The Lord’s Prayer, The Apostles’ Creed, and a dozen of our favor¬ ite Evangelistic Hymns. We have in preparation selected chapters from the New Testament, intended especially for memory chapters and also Messianic chap¬ ters from the Old Testament. These are to be published in five different languages in large quantities, and it is expected that they will be of great use to religious workers. THE MINISTRY OF MUSIC AND SONG The American Tract Society is justly proud of its record of nearly a century in providing GOD’S SEAL 11 Gospel hymnals in many languages at less than cost for missionary purposes in this country and elsewhere. The hymnals are distributed by the tens of thousands and through them multitudes have been won to Christ, His fol¬ lowers have been strengthened in the faith and the Gospel of good cheer has been everywhere proclaimed. While this ministry is only one phase of the extensive work of the American Tract Society it alone would entitle the Society to unique distinction and to the prayers and generous support of the followers of Christ. WHITE FOR THE HARVEST A glimpse of our country to-day, cannot but convince the Christian, that the fields are white already to the harvest. There are 3,000,000 Poles, 1,500,000 Jugo Slavs, 400,000 Slovaks, 400,000 Czechs, 400,000 Russians, and 350,000 Ukrainians—more than 6,000,000 new Amer¬ icans. The report on work among these people as given at the Conference of the Home Mis¬ sions Council, recently held at Atlantic City, at which twenty-eight denominations were repre¬ sented, stated that, “Our combined missionary service to these people is wholly inadequate,” and that a united press “for co-operative pub¬ lication in foreign languages of tracts, books, and periodicals”, was the only solution of the difficulty. The denominations are helpless in doing this work alone. An interdenominational agency is an absolute necessity. The American Tract Society was organized to meet just such 12 American Tract Society a need as this. The half dozen Christian men, who met in a downtown office nearly a century ago to organize this Society, were men of vis¬ ion. They saw this new day of opportunity coming, and they laid the foundation for it by sending out 697,900 tracts during the first year of the Society’s existence. LATIN AMERICA One of the members of our Executive Com¬ mittee Dr. David G. Wylie, recently returned from a visit to the Canal Zone. He is very enthusiastic concerning the future of the work of the American Tract Society in South Amer¬ ica. He found that our Spanish hymnal was counted superior to anything published, and that many others of our Spanish publications were very favorably received. In talks with authorities on Christian work he was led to believe that the Door of Opportunity in South America was wide open for the American Tract Society. So strong was the feeling of the Secretary of the Bible Society at the Canal Zone, that he prepared an article for publica¬ tion with the caption, “Re-enter the American Tract Society”. In this article he says: “It is very gratifying news that has come to us in the Canal Zone through Dr. David G. Wylie, of the re-organization of the American Tract Society. There is still a stupendous need of just the kind of service that the Society was brought into existence to perform. What is needed is an agressive program of literary evangelism that will carry the printed Word and other helpful literature to every home in the land. GOD’S SEAL 13 “Among our neighbors in Latin America as well as in the homeland, there is a crying need for the work of just such a benevolent Christian Missionary publishing house as the American Tract Society. The American Tract Society should have therefore our prayers and best wishes and hearty co-operation in its effort to re-organize in such a manner as to meet effi¬ ciently the present need.” OUR EYES ARE TOWARD THE FUTURE The American Tract Society is rich in its past. We are proud of the fact that our Soc¬ iety has published the gospel in 178 languages, dialects, and characters, and that 811,177,900 leaflets, volumes, and periodicals have been distributed through our various agencies. A total of $2,750,000 worth of Christian literature or the equivalent of five and a half billion pages of tracts has been distributed gratuitously. Our colporters visited 25,000,000 families in this work and judiciously placed 18,000,000 volumes. While doing this they conducted 650,000 religious meetings, pointing to Christ as the one Saviour of the World. Our eyes are not on the past, but toward the future. We believe the glory of the past is given us by God to lay a foundation for a work in the future. We celebrate our One Hundreth Anniversary in May 1925, and are looking forward to pub¬ lishing millions of new tracts in the language and spirit of the day. We hope to serve all Protestant Christians in such an attempt to reach the unchurched masses through Christian 14 American Tract Society literature, as has never been made, and to be¬ come the recognized agency of a united Pro¬ testantism, in publishing such literature and pamphlets in foreign languages as will prove a mighty force in counteracting the Bolshe¬ vistic and atheistic pamphlets that Russia is now sending to our shores. We hope to increase our endowment to $1,000,000, to secure a permanent home for the Society and to have the prayers of all Evangelical Christians, that the Society may have faith to grasp its full opportunity and wisdom to properly discharge its duties toward Christ and the Church, and become a powerful agency in the Hand of God to help demonstrate to the world the fact that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the one great need of all nations. Doing this we will be true to the founders of the Society who, in 1825, thus defined its object “To diffuse a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of sinners, and to pro¬ mote the interests of vital godliness and sound morality by the circulation of religious liter¬ ature.” ANNUITIES The annuity bond or conditional gift assur¬ ing one of a regular and stated income through life and at the same time aiding a worthy cause is rapidly growing in popularity and deservedly so. This application of stewardship is based on sound business principles. It is a form of investment which guarantees the constant and ultimate security of the capital with a liberal semi-annual income subject to no trade fluctua- GOD’S SEAL IS tions or losses or risks involved in other investments. It makes possible sure pro¬ vision for the future with the privilege of determining the distribution of one’s property so that ultimately without risk, loss or shrink¬ age it shall be used entirely to further a world¬ wide Christian Enterprise. The American Tract Society after giving the most careful consideration to every phase of the subject now offers to the annuitant a liberal rate of annuity, guarantees the prompt and sure payment of the annuities with the preservation of the capital intact, and presents an object for one’s benevolence of prime im¬ portance to the growth of the Kingdom of God. The conditional gift-contract of the Ameri¬ can Tract Society is so attractive and satis¬ factory that we are confident that it will im¬ mediately interest and strongly appeal to a host of friends who appreciate the importance of the great cause the Society represents. LEGACIES To a surprisingly large extent the great volume of service rendered by the American Tract Society for nearly a century was made possible through legacies. The stories of these legacies and that which they have accom¬ plished, furnish material for one of the most interesting chapters in the history of the Soc¬ iety. Were these facts better known we be¬ lieve that most of those now contributing to the work of the Society, together with many others would heed the suggestion to make such provision in their wills as shall perpetually 16 American Tract Society provide means for the maintenance of the indispensable ministry of the American Tract Society. DONATIONS The Society should have a million dollars during the coming year to meet adequately the need for Christian literature in English and Foreign languages. Large quantities of new tracts should be published at once, and hymnals printed in Russian and several other foreign languages. Americanization pam¬ phlets ought to be put on the press and new ones prepared. Our splendid stock of plates can all be used to print editions of standard religious works. All this requires money. Churches and individuals can make no better investment than to use our equipment, secre¬ tarial force and experienced workers in putting on such a program of religious propaganda as will arouse Christendom to new hope, in coun¬ teracting the influences that are undermining Christian civilization. Will you do your share in checking the influence of the atheistic literature from foreign shores, and in leading the unchurched of our beloved country to believe in the simple story of the Christ, who made Christian civilization possible and will, if His followers do their part, yet draw all men to Him in a bond of Christian Brotherhood such as the World has never seen. C y ) f ! f General Secretary. Life Members and Directors The donation of $30 at one time consti¬ tutes a Life Member of the American Tract Society; the addition of $70, or the donation of $100 at one time, a Life Director- Life Members may receive annually tracts to the value of $1; Life Directors to the value of $2, if applied for within the Society's year, from April 1st to April 1st, in person or by written order- No individual can draw more than one annuity any year for himself- Col- porters are not authorized to supply Life Members. Have You Remembered the American Tract Society in Your Will? FORM OF BEQUEST 1 give and bequeath to the “AMERICAN Tract Society,” instituted in the City of New York. May, 1825, the sum of. dollars to be applied to the charitable uses and purposes of said Society. Three witnesses should state that the testator de¬ clared this to be his last will and testament, and that they signed it at his request, and in his presence and the presence of each other. AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY HOME OFFICE 101 Park Avenue, New York, N. Y. Hmerican {Tract Society lOI PARK AVENUE. COR. 40 th STREET - NEW YORK--- President: WILLIAM PHILLIPS HALL Vice-President: DAVID JAMES BURRELL, D. D. General Secretary: WILLIAM H. MATTHEWS, D. D. Executive Secretary: REV. EDWIN NOAH HARDY, Ph. D. Assistant Treasurer: JOSEPH E. MEIERS Executive Committee: David James Burrell, D. D. David G. Wylie, D. D. Frederick H. Knubel, D. D. Robert M. Kurts Newell Dwight Hillis, D. D. Robert Watson, D. D. Silas F. Hallock, M. D. Isaac W. Gowbn, D. D. Carlton E. Hunt Rev. Edgar Franklin Romig Robert Scott Inglib, D. D. Frank A. Hosmer, D. D. William Phillips Hall Edward L. Sufpern S. V. V. Huntington S. B. Chapin J. Frederick Talcott Finis S. Idlbman Donations for the work should be forwarded to the American Tract Society 101 Park Avenue New York, N. Y.