GROWTH OF BIBLE SALES

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 75, 21 December 1929, Page 34

GROWTH OF BIBLE SALES

The annual report of the British and Foreign Bible Society was published recently, and also a popular report entitled “Another Milestone,” which deals more particularly with the last quarter of it century. This has been prepared by the Rev. Edwin W. Smith, the literary superintendent of the society. It records that when the society celebrated its centenary, it Issued 650 copies of the Scriptures every hour, and at the end.of the following 25 years the issues had reached the record figure of 1301 volumes au hour.

In 1904 the Bible House in Queen Victoria Street was practically the only property it owned. Since that date 56 Bible Houses have been erected and paid for apart from ordinary revenue, providing a definite centre for Bible publication in the world capitals outside Europe. While the extent and claims of countries outside the Homeland necessitate a larger distribution of the Scriptures overseas, yet the society never escapes the duty that lies at home. Within the British T sles it circulated last year 912,773 volumes, being an increase 27,070 over similar issues during the previous year. “Whatever may be said of the decreasing habit of Bible reading,” says the Rev. E. W. Smith, “our figures do not show an/ sign that the British people are ceasing to purchase the Scriptures.’’ Gratifying progress in circulation and' organisation is shown by Mr. Smith in the British Dominions. Canada, after financing I'fs own Work, sent the parent society in 1904 £4039, in 1928 £14,000, and it is now raising a thankoffering to headquarters of 100,000 dollars. In Australia and New Zealand during the quarter-century, the circulation of the Scriptures has grown from small dimensions to 204,000 copies per annum, and gifts to London from £2OOO to £lB,OOO a year. In India an increase is shown from 694,000 books in 1903 to 1,333,000 in 1928, and In Ceylon from 25.000 to nearly 90,000.

In Moslem lands, in China, Japan, and Korea, in South America, arid over a large portion of Europe, the society pursues its work by means of agents and colporteurs. The holy places of Islam in Persia, Iraq, and Morocco, which less than twenty years ago could not lie entered by the Bible seller, or could only be entered stealthily, can now lie visited openly, and the Scriptures are sold without molesta (.ion. Russia, however, remains practically a closed door to the society, through the action of the Government. Dr. Kilgour, superintendent of the Biole Society’s Translation Department, states that in 1904 the number of languages In which the society had circulated copies of the complete Bible was 99; now it is 146. The number for the New Testament was 91 :• now it is 150. The languages which possessed at least one complete book of Holy Scripture were 18S: now they are 322. Through this one agency alone during these 25 years, no fewer than 47 languages have been enriched by receiving a complete Bilde where formerly only some portion of Scripture was available, 5!) have similarly obtained a complete New Testament: and 134 some portion of God’s Word, in each case at least one complete book—a total of 240. This means that’on an average one new language was added to the Bible Society’s list almost every five weeks for the last 25 years. During the pa.-t 25 years the society has expended £7,912,000 on the publication and circulation of the Scriptures. In the same period it has received nearly £5.000.000 from a generous public. It is now endeavouring to raise its annual income to £450,000,