Excerpt from Twenty-Fifth Annual Report of the American Tract Society: Containing Lists of Auxiliaries, Life Directors and Members, and Quarter-Century Reminiscences, Presented at New York, May 8, 1850

After a fervent prayer by Rev. Dr. De Witt, Dr. Plumer resumed his remarks.

One of the profoundest European writers on benevolence, said Dr. Plumer divides the friends of God and man in the-work of benevolence into three classes first, such as are chiefly engaged about the past, who study and think about their ancestors, admiring their virtues and trying to copy them; second, those who are of the present generation, who study the past but little, nor are much con cerned about the future, but are busy about our own times third, those who constantly conjecture, and are filled with anxiety about the future To which of these three classes does the American Tract Society belong? To the first Surely. If they neglect the lesson taught by the first, their sun will go down. _we ask the past to love it. Shall we give it to the present? Millions on millions look up to it for nearly all their light to aid them in groping their way to the judgment of God. But we must not confine it to the second; for the future is larger than the past or 'present. I am not fifty years of age, and yet I'was in Cincinnati when all the houses there did not cost so much as this single edifice. In one hundred years, San Francisco will be more important to the destinies of mankind than New York is now. At the close of Jefferson' s admin istration, St. Charles, in Missouri, was the extreme western post. N ow, when you get five hundred miles beyond that, in Missouri, you have but just-begun to enter the West; and then you can go thousands of miles before you reach the Pacific. 'the territory that has been acquired in the last five years is more than one hundred and twenty times the extent of Vermont, and is filling up as God filled up this land when he first settled it - sifting the old settlements to get the best men. He graphically pictured the character of the men who go to settle our new countries, where every one is active about something, earnest about everything. These new states and territories are sure to rule us. This last winter, in some cabin, perhaps in Minnesota, might be seen studying by the light of his pine torch, a boy who is yet to be President of these 'united States. These new countries, whose whole character is yet to be developed, are to rule us. With their vast dimensions, inexhaustible resources, bold independence of character, and the corrupt influences among them, it behooves us to bestir our selves. If the Tract Society and other institutions forget the West, God does not. God has it in his keeping. Men there have hearts, spirits, consciences and will do something on a great scale. If you will help them they will make good use of your help; if you will not, they will help themselves.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.