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479 RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA Tract Societies Tractarianism earnest, and strong tracts. Consequently efforts were early made by individuals to furnish these cheaply in such forms and quantities that they could be widely diffused. One of the first American societies was the Connecticut Religious Tract Society at Hartford, founded as early as 1808; in 1812 the New York Religious Tract Society arose, and in 1814 the New England Tract Society of Andover, afterward transferred to Boston, which in 1823 changed its name to the American Tract Society. The friends of this form of Christian activity, however, were soon convinced that the needed work could be carried forward advantageously and effectively only by a national association, centrally located, and securing the confidence and support of all Evangelical Chris tians and denominations. Hence, there was organ ized in May, 1825, the American Tract Society at New York City. The movement received general approval and rapidly expanded, and took rank with the Bible Society among the chief interdenomina tional Christian charities of the nation. The socie ty's first publications were tracts, and at the end of two years volumes were issued; hand-bills, leaf lets, Christian tracts, illustrated cards, wall-rolls, etc., followed in quick succession. Publications have been issued in 174 languages, dialects, and characters. Its publications are for all ages and classes, and treat all ordinary phases of truth and duty. As early as 1843 the publication of periodicals began. These have varied in number from time to time The American Messenger, Amerikanischer Botschafter, Apples of Gold, and D7anzanas De Oro being the peri odicals now issued. The society furnishes large quantities of its publications either gratuitously or at reduced prices in order to aid missionaries and Christian workers in their efforts to reform and save. Its publications go to soldiers, sailors, to freedmen and immigrants, to hospitals, prisons and asylums, to needy mission-churches and Sunday-schools, to the destitute and neglected in cities, and throughout the entire country. A large number of colporteurs have been employed to visit from house to house, supplying some of its publications to all, either by sale or grant, conversing with the household, holding meetings for prayer, and organizing Sunday-schools. The importance, neces sity, and efficiency of this plan of evangelization has been only partially recognized. The time undoubt edly must come when it will be fully understood I. Preliminary Influences. II. The Tractarian Development. The Oxford Group (§ 1). The Tracts (§ 2). John Henry Newman (§ 3). Repression (§ 4). , By Tractarianism is commonly understood the ecclesiastical-theological movement starting out from Oxford in 1833 and profoundly affecting the Church of England. It was an effort to overcome the religious decline of the beginning of the eight eenth century not by recourse to the deeper native resources, but to the older ecclesiastical traditions;

that the nation's greatest need is the need of the nation's homes, and that this need lies in the necessity of the moral knd spiritual uplift of both parents and children unreached by saving influences. The one essential lesson yet to be learned is that national transformation can be effected oxply through the nation's homes. The Society, therefore, has never failed to prosecute this line of work to the fullest extent of its ability, and during seventy years of colportage has made 17,361,611 family visits and circulated. 17,002,881 volumes. Its publications issued at the home office during eighty-four years are 456; 154,267 tracts, 34,206,914 volumes, and 285,634,668. periodicals, making a grand total of 775,995,849, not including the millions of tracts published at the mission stations abroad by aid of the society's appropriations. Its foreign work has been indispensable through the supplying of grants in money to create Christian literature in the vernacular at mission stations in the Orient. The total now reaches $779,267.43, not including many thousands of dollars in electrotypes. Special mention should be made of the publication of Christian literature in Benga, Bulu, Buluba-Lulus, Fan, Umbundu, and Mpongwe for missionary work in Africa, and the much-needed literature in the Portuguese language. The gratuitous distribution of literature has reached two and a half millions of dollars, more than $30,000 worth being sometimes distributed in a single year. The society has issued over 300 distinct publications in Spanish, which have been indispensable in successfully prosecuting missionary work in all Spanish-speaking countries. Its operations are directed by an executive committee, composed of constituent committees, known as publishing, distributing, and finance, six members each. The publishing committee represents six different denominations, which assures the interdenominational character of its publications, and the action of its committee must be unanimous. There is one general secretary with assistants and helpers to carry forward the work.

· The society's work is wholly dependent upon

donations and legacies. It makes an earnest ap

peal to all people for sufficient offerings to carry the

Gospel truth into every non-Christian home through

out the land. The Western Tract Society of Cin

cinnati (1851) cooperates with the American Tract

Society of New York. JUDSON SWIM

Re· Ports,

of the

TRACTARIAiITISM. III. Puseyism. Doctrinal Controversy (§ 1). Papal interference (§ 2). IV. Ritualism.

the

I).

2).

3).

4).

5). ,

6).

such as the conversion of the creedal faith into devout mysticism, and an inner approximation to Roman Catholic principles. Following its course in the three forms of Tractarianism; Puseyism, and Ritualism, the new movement turned; on the basis of the Old Anglican theology, against the voiding of valuable religious assets, undertaken by the ag-