Untitled

THE TRACT SOCIETIES IN CHINA. 341Canton Tract Society. Circulation (estimated), 40,000 issues ;expenditure, $1,600.Manchurian Tract Society, Mukden.40,000; expenditure, $1,350.Circulation (estimated),It is not possible to reduce all the "issues" to acommon denominator. One "issue"may be a leafletand another a book of hundreds of pages. The importantfact to be noticed is that these nine societies occupypositions of strategic importance in China. They haveexpended some $70,000 during the year and havecirculated millions of tracts. They provide literaturefor the colporteur and text-books for the theologicalstudent.If these societies did not exist it would be the firstduty of the church in China to call them into existence.As it is they are fortunate in having on their board menof experience and erudition, but the very success of theevangelistic work, resulting in the accelerated growth otthe churches, makes it even more difficult for these mento give the time to the direction of the tract societieswhich is needed and which they could well afford togive in the earlier days.The record of progress, as given in the variousreports of the tract societies, is not only encouraging, butis, in a measure, alarming. The West China TractSociety placed eighty- five new books and tracts on itscatalogue last year. The Central and the Chinese TractSociety also added a considerable number of new books.There is a forward movement all along the line. As aresult of this movement new needs insistently claimattention. Man} 7 of the societies need enlarged officeand depot accommodation. A depot manager is needed inHankow. A Christian business man who knew theChinese language would find here a splendid opportunityfor the exercise of consecrated business talent. Theaged secretary of the Chinese Tract Society in Shanghaihas tendered his resignation. The Board of Directorsare naturally loth to lose the services of one who has