The seventy-fifth anniversary of the foundation of the American Tract Society was celebrated yesterday afternoon at the Church of the Covenant. Rev. Dr. T. S. Hamlin, the pastor of the church, presided and conducted the devotional exercises, and Scriptural reading. He first introduced Rev. Dr. Judson Swift, of New York, secretary of the society, who gave some statistics as to the work of the organization. The society, he said, is evangelical, but non-sectarian--in fact, it is interdenominational. It does pioneer work; it prepares the way for religious development, and its mission is to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ. During the past year it has issued 2,700,000 volumes and pamphlets, which have been widely distributed. He spoke especially of the new field of labor upon which the society had entered, in the newly acquired Spanish provinces and in Mexico, where hundreds of thousands of tracts and many thousands of pamphlets and hymnals, printed in the Spanish language, had been circulated. Dr. Swift emphasized the fact that the American Tract Society operates in regions and under conditions not reached by any other means of Christian progress.
    Rev. Dr. Wynkoop followed with a brief statement of the distribution of the society's publications in India, where he was engaged for many years as a missionary. He told of the far-reaching effects of the two great Bible societies of the world, the British and Foreign Bible Society, of London, and the American Bible Society, of New York, in the circulation of Christian literature.
    The next speaker was Rev. Dr. Theodore L. Cuyler, of Brooklyn. The perpetuity of the nation and its future greatness, he said, and the upbuilding of a national character depends not so much upon the best constitution which can be devised or the wisest laws which can be enacted, but upon a Bible conscience among all peoples. It was to develop such a conscience that the American Tract Society was founded, seventy-five years ago. Its object then, as now, is to scatter broadcast through the land the best Christian literature. He proceeded to describe its influence and the power of the press as against the power of the preacher. As well kill a good man as kill a good book, he declared. During the history of the organization it had published 32,000,000 of volumes and 405,000,000 of tracts, besides innumerable leaflets and papers printed in every language and dialect.
    Speaking of the new field of labor for the society, in the insular provinces of the United States, Dr. Cuyler said:
    "In the language of our patriotic President, we owe a 'plain duty to Porto Rico,' but it is a duty more than that of relief from physical want; it is a plain duty of more than commercial and financial aid we owe to Porto Rico, and it is our plain duty to give to the island a school system and all the benefits and blessings of our Christian religion. This the American Tract Society stands ready and willing to do, and only appeals to you for your aid and support in undertaking the great work."

Source:

Unknown, "American Tract Society," The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Monday, 26 March, 1900, p. 2.