BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 212, 1 June 1908, Page 3

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

The Rev. Edward Walker, of Halcombe, who has been temporarily relie'vod of, his pastoral duties .to servo, the Bible Society as its deputation, has been recently occupying pulpits and addressing meetings in : Wellington in the intorests. of tho Society. He claims for tho Society that it is ojio of , the most magnificent Christian missionary institutions in the;'world, its object being to place the Scriptures within the' reach of every man in the world in his. mother tongue. Among the facts Mr. Walker emphasised are tho following., . .... ' .■.. Tlie Bible Society ha! 1 already helped tho Gospel to speak, in '409. ditforent ; languages and dialects; eight new names wero added .to its list of : versions-last year. ■ It has made the .Bible the cheapest .book in tho, world. It co-operates with tho missionaries' of almost every Christian communion in preparing tho versions which they need. From the Society the_ Church of England, with com-, paratively -insignificant exceptions, obtains almost, all. the Scriptures required for its foreign missions, and non-Anglican foreign missions obtain, the .bulk of all the Scriptures they use, directly: or- indirectly. It has issued, since its'foundation in 1804, pver'2o4 million copies' of the Scriptures,' and has expended altogether nearly . £15,000,000. Tho languages in which the Society has published tho Scriptures, in whole or-'part, are'spoken by 1000 million people, or 7-lOths of tho race, but there are 450 millions, the remaining 3-10ths, without a single' Gospel printed in their, own tongue.. During these last two Vears it has been driven to cut down " both its staff of workers and its stock of books. Out of every £1 which it spends in producing and distributing tho Scriptures, only about Bs. comes back to it from;the proceeds of sales; for tho remaining'l2s. it must rely simply upon the gifts of Christian people. For eight successive years its income foil so far short of its expenditure that its reserve capital has now been reduced below its proper limit.. Since 1905, its annual expenditure has been perforce cut down by £32,000. For the Society to meet tho urgent claims on its help, its income must be augmented by £32,000 per annum. , .... The £27 from subscriptions and congregational contributions which Wellington and sent through tho local auxiliary to the Society last year, Mr.' Walker contonds ■does not represent a tenth of what the liberality of Wellington would provido if knowledgel of the Society's doings and its claims wore adequately diffused.' He suggosts a recognised annual Bible Society Sunday, when those congregations which could fall in with the arrangement might give at least a retiring collection, probably some 50 or 60 con-' gregations, large and small, in tho city and suburbs. Ho also suggests, and has been able to olTcct, some little furthor development, of tho auxiliary's organisation, in connection with which Mr. Morton Clark will bo superintendent of collectors in tho Anglican communion, and Rev. C. E. Porter in the non-Anglican, the object being.to seek, through the proper authorities in oacli. congregation, to get appointed collectors for the Society, keep the roll of them, see that they are supplied with necessary literature, got vacancies filled, and generally soo that what can bo done for, tho Society shall be done, and done from year to year. ' Mr. J. G. W. Aitken, M.P., is the local president, Rev. W. ,Shirer secretary, Mr. A. Hoby treasurer, and tho subscribers constitute tho auxiliary.