MILLIONS OF BIBLES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 265, 7 October 1940, Page 5

MILLIONS OF BIBLES.

SALES IN GERMANY. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Manawatu branch of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the general secretary for New Zealand, Rev. D. Calder, of Wellington, gave an outline of the society’s world-wide activities under the stress of war conditions. In the course of his speech he said that the actual sales of the Scriptures in Germany just before the present war made the year’s total distribution a little more than double that of the previous year. “Tho days of stress and strain through which the Empire is< passing,” said Mr Galder, “are sifting out the essential from the mere luxury requirements of life. This sifting has proved the necessary and vital service that is being rendered to the public by the British and Foreign Bible Society. The invincible morale of our English people has been built up on spiritual values and will be maintained only in the same way. Even the spiritual consciousness of those sections of the enemy nations, that have not bowed the knee to Baal must,be counted on when the days of peace are again to be established. The war atmosphere has been difficult for the society; but it is facing its problems with a stout heart. The strain under which the European nations have been living,' it would appear, ha 6 been driving their peoples to the Bible as never before. The actual sales of the Scriptures in Germany just before the war made that year’s total distribution a little more than double that of the previous year. The Bible Society was able to meet the need, and . also managed to cope with increasing demands from Hungary, Rumania, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Poland. All this was done in spite of a shortened income. v IN THE FAR EAST.

“The war conditions of life in Chino, have had a similar result. The circulation of the Holy Scriptures in that land increased last year by 203,000 copies. Korea and Manchukuo also reported unusual sales. In its world work the society increased its annual output by fully 750,000,000 copies, while it added nine new languages to its grand total, making 741 different forms of human speech in which it now prints the Holy Scriptures. In these services the society, recognising the urgency of tire demands, went ahead of its income, and its confidence in the’ liberality of the Christian public will not be misplaced.” Mr Calder went on to show how the difficult situations that face the work are being met in Japan, China, Abyssinia and Spain, and how also the general world work is being maintained in its efficiency. The general output of the society was now one averaging over 32,000 copies of the Scriptures per day, and at a daily average expenditure of £IQOO.