THE BIBLE SOCIETY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 305, 23 November 1932, Page 6

THE BIBLE SOCIETY.

“To encourage a wider circulation of the Holy Scriptures without note or comment.” In this simple phrase was the original aim of the British and Foreign Bible Society announced at its inception in 1804, and in the 128 years that have since elapsed it may be said for this, the most important society of its kind, that it has adhered closely to its purpose. A 'committee of 36 — six were foreigners who later became distinguished and lived in London, 15 were representatives of the Church of England, and 15 came from the Nonconformist Churches—administered the Society’s affairs at the beginning, and the support it received from all Christian bodies at once placed it in a most prominent position. The subsequent years have unfolded a story of rich accomplishment. Nearly 432 million copies of the Bible have been distributed in its life of more than a century and a-quarter, more than one-fourth being in the English language. The Bible was the best seller last year, the Society having sold no fewer than 633,041 English Bibles. This, its report states, is a record. All told it issued in the period under review 1,065,662 complete Bibles, 968,864 New Testaments, and 8,517,758 integral books of the Bible, chiefly Gospels and Psalters, a total of 10,552,284 volumes. This was a very slight decrease from that of the previous year, for which the depression was responsible. Yet, this circulation has only been surpassed four times, and as many copies of the Scriptures were issued as in all the first 35 years of the Society’s existence taken together. In his Popular Report, issued under the title “The Impossible,” the Society’s literary superintendent (Rev. E. W. Smith) states that “right across North Africa, from the Atlantic to the Red Sea, and far into the Sudan, the Society’s colporteurs are constantly presenting the Book to Moslems; they travel where no missionary society has planted stations. Palestine, Transjordania, Syria, Iraq, Persia—all these predominantly Moslem lands witness their pioneer labours.” Millions of Moslems in South-Eastern Europe, those who have emigrated to South America, the 70,000,000 in India, the 35,000,000 in the East Indies and the 8,000,000, in China, are also the subject of the Society’s Christian endeavour. Afghanistan, it is stated, is closed to missionary and colporteur, but the Book crosses the frontier; all but a small part of Arabia is also closed, but “the Book penetrates and we have good reason for believing that it is treasured and read in the most sacred city (Mecca) itself.” The report notes the opposition to the Society from Soviet Russia, where by decree no Bibles may be printed, circulated, or even studied in public in any part of the republics. But the Society can claim to have done a great deal for Russians living in other lands. Then, again, in Central Europe, and especially in Germany, a considerable section . of the populace have proclaimed themselves “Godless.” In Spain, however, the Society is making considerable headway. To-day, it employs over 1000 colporteurs who sell the Scriptures wherever they travel. The Bible, or some part of it, so it is recorded, has been translated into. over 900 languages, eleven versions having been added during the past twelve months, eight of these being in the African tongues. So yearly the great and wonderful work of the Society goes on, for “there is no evidence that people are less ready to acquire the Scriptures.”