BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9030, 17 April 1888, Page 3

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

AUCKLAND AUXILIARY. The annual meeting of the Auckland Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Society was held last evening in St. James , Church, Wellington-street. There was a rather thin attendance, and the proceedings in the earlier portion of the meeting were somewhat interrupted by the band which played in front of St. James' Hall previous to Mr. Molloy's lecture. The Rev. Mr. Robjohns attended as a deputation from the parenb society, and Mr. T. Peacock, M.H.R., presided. There were also on the platform the Rev. Messrs. Tebbs, Macnicol, Lawry, Best, and Thomas, and Dr. Konderdine, Messrs. Prime and Braken rig. After devotional exercises, the Chairman introduced the object of the meetiner, and in an eloquent speech referred to the work of the Bible Socioty. He concluded by saying that it was because the Society was impressed with the importance of circulating the Scriptures, ana reoogniaed the right of private judgment in interpreting them— which was the great distinction between Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church—that they sought to send forth the knowledge of the truth whioh would make wise unto salvation. He would not detain them with further remarks, but call on the Rev. Mr. Lawry, the secretary, to read the annual report. Mr. Lαwry then read the report, as follows :—

Committee's Report. April 16, 1888. The committee of the Auckland Auxiliary to the British and Foreign Bible Society, on this, their forty-second anniversary, gratefully acknowledge the large measure of Divine blessing which baa attended their efforts, and more especially thank Almighty God for the ever extending circulation of His Holy word, through the agency of the British and Foreign Bible Society and other kindred societies. The last report of the parent society states that its issues for the year amounted to 8,932,678 copios of the Holy Scriptures in whole or in part. The total issues from the commencement havo reached tho enormous number of 112,263,647 copied. Its total receipts were £221,754 5s lid, and its expenditure £231,776 3s Id. The American Bible Society shows that its work is extending in all its branches. The record of the work of the National Bible Society cf .Scotland during ISSUis an oiicouiaginß one. Both tho income and tho circulation wore in adVance of the preceding year. Tho society is especially honoured in the extensive and successful work it is enabled to carry on in China and Japan. The Hibernian Bible Society tells of well sustained work and finances.

Turning now to the affairs of our own auxiliary, vour committee thankfully report that tho finances havo suffered far less from the existing depression than there was much reason to expect. The issues from the dep6t, at the junction of Wellesley-streot with Albert-streot, show a good increase over those of last year. They amount this year to 2521 copies as against 2271 last year; an increase of 250 volumes. Of tho above total, 73 were issued as free grants, and 124 wore sold at half-price ; the remainder, 2324, were issued by sale. It may bo interesting to note that 1878 of these were in the English language, 412 in Maori, and 34 in other languages, ancient and modern. During certain months of the year your colporteur has been actively engaged in endeavouring to bring the Holy Scriptures within easy reach of the people, by house to house visitation in outlying and neglected districts, and lias met with considerable huccohs in his sales. With respoct to tho revised edition of the Maori Bible, your committee have to re|>ort that, shortly after the last anniversary, "proofs" were received from the editorial superintendent of tho British and Foreign Bible Society, extending from Dent. xx. to Joshua viii. The.su were immediately piussed through tho hands of the Revision Committee, and returned at once to London in the beginning of July last; together with these were forwarded, in a registered book-post parcel, the remainder of the revised copy of the Old Testament, being from Isaiah lxvi. 18 to the end of Malachi. It is presumed that tension of the society's funds has delayed the progress of publication, and therefore an effort is being made to remit as much of our funds as can be spared, in addition to the usual freo grant from this auxiliary, in order to enable the parent committee to print off for us the new edition of the Maori New Testament, tho revision of which is already completed anil in type. A desire to obtain the Scriptures in the Maori language having arisen among natives belonging to the old King party, and been convoyed to your committee by the llev. W. Giitos, a box of Maori Bibles from the depot at Te Awamutu has been placed at his disposal for circulation among them by sale or otherwise.

During the recent visit of the Rev. H. T. RobJohns to Cambridge a movement was originated for the distribution of copies of the Knglish Jubilee New Testament among the school children of that neighbourhood, and a sum of £6 was remitted direct to the parent society for the purchase of tho books, with tin additional sum of £12 10s on free grant account.

Ln connection with Mr. Itobjohn's visit to Cambridge, ho was also able to visit Te Awamutu and Hamilton, where a branch society was formed, with Colonel Forbes as secretary. The zeal for the cause of God, which has been so constantly shown for so long a period by our friends at Waipu, is again manifested by their usual large contribution in aid of the funds of the parent society for the spread of the Word of God throughout the world, lint the gradually diminishing amount shows that the original founders of that settlement are gathering away by degrees to that city which hath foundations, whose maker and builder is God, During the year now closing an application was received from the Women's Christian Temperance Union for grants of Scriptures in aid of their effort to promote Bible-reading classes among the scholars who attend the public schools. But the state of the funds at the disposal of the committee at the time precluded their doing more than offering to provide the desired supplies at the pricethey cost Uβ.

Privileged as we are on tho present occasion with the presence in our midst of the representative of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Rev. H. T. Itobjohns, h. A., the society's agent for New South Wales, and Queensland, and New Zealand, it is necessary just to mention only his visit to this auxiliary. In January lie addressed a largo, influential, and a very deeply interested meeting of the committee and other friends of the socioty, in the Young Men's Booms. With considerable benetit to tho interests of the society he has also visited tho branches of this auxiliary at Onehunga and Otahuhu, at Cambridge, To Awamutu, and Hamilton, at the Thames, at \Vaipu, and at Gisborne. From his journey further South he has now returned to enlarge our information about the great work in which we are engaged, to enliven our hopes, and inflame our zeal. In conclusion: Let us earnestly pray that the Blessed Lord, who has said " The words that 1 speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life," may so bless the circulation and use of the Holy Scriptures, that the time may speedily arrive when none shall say to his neighbour, "Know thou the Lord," for all shall know Him from tho least to the greatest. And to Him be all the glory. Amen !

Mr. Prime read the statement of accounts. They were not yet quite complete, returns having yet to bo received from several places, but so far the receipts wera £356 8s 9d, and the expenditure was £352 2s 9d, leaving a balance of £4 b's, besides which they Had in the Savings Bank £63 18s 8d On deposit. The Chairman moved the adoption of the report, and that it be printed, together with the names of the office-bearers read by the secretary. The Rev. W. Tebbs seconded the motion, and referred to the marked success of the Society during the past year, in the increase of funds, and increased circulation of the Scriptures. He regretted that the Bible was not publicly recognised. It was not only neglected, but it was not tolerated in the public schools. He was accused of being a visionary in this respect, and was asked what good he expected by the mere reading of the Bible in schools? Did he think there was a charm in it ? No, he did not expect it to act as a charm, but he expected it to act by its own inherent vitality and power as the word of God. The motion was unanimously carried. The Rev. Mr. Robjohns was then introduced, and was received with applause. After a few preliminary remarks, he moved, " That this meeting render thanks to Almighty God for the continuously increasing circulation of the Holy Scriptures by theagency of this and other kindred societies, and pray for tho continuance of the Divine blessing on their efforts to extend the knowledge ot the Gospel of Jesus Christ." He congratulated the Auckland Auxiliary on their satisfactory reports, notwithstanding signs of distress which he had met everywhere he had been, and on the extremely business-like way in which the proceedings were conducted. Hβ then proceeded to deal with the salient points of the work of the Society for the past year. Mr. Robjohns referred to the extraordinary advance in every department of the interests of the British Empire during the fifty years of Queen Victoria's reign, as proved in such a book as Mr. Mullliall's "Fifty Years of National Progress." In that forward movement the Bible Society had shared. For example, in 1837 the circulation of the Scriptures in France was 120,654, last year it was 130,572 ; so small an advance as ■that showing that Bible work was in 1837 pretty well established in France. On the other hand the issue of the Scriptures in Italy was at the Queen's accession nil—it is now 129,328 per annum. The agent of the Bible Society in Italy testified last year that there was no book in the Italian language which had anything like the circulation of the Holy Scriptures. In 1837 the issue to Russia was 7474 ; last year ib was 452,115. The Bible Society was about to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee by the issue of a volume illustrative of its own progress, and also of a special Jubilee Bible, in four volumes, quarto, limp cover, with large type for the aged, the first copy of which would be sent to the Queen. The Jubilee Now Testaments movements was described. It began with the colony of Victoria distributing 200,000 in the State, schools, amongst all who were_ willing to accept them. South Australia followed with 40,000, the president of that auxiliary,

J. H. Angus, himself paying the.whole bill. Then came Queensland, with 48,000. The 280,000 Testaments for Australia weighed 28 tons. Special attention was then drawn to the fact that this Jubilee New Testament movement is spreading to New Zealand. The question was—will Auckland join parts of the colony in this matter ? What is to be dono should be done at once. There had been a serious decline in the society's free income—that is, income other than that for sale of books—of £31,300 in two years. That is, the income has fallen by about a quarter. The main causes are the worldwide commercial depression ; the dying of old friends, showing the need of a new generation of eupporters ; and the multiplication of fresh societies for all manner of purposes. The society is nowaddressing itself to the smaller languages of the world. Itfinished June 30bh, 1887, the Bible in Japanese, the last of the great languages. The Bible has now been translated into 333 languages, 279 of which can be had of this Society, but much remains to be done. There is going on a change in the Society's policy in countries that may be safely left to do their own Bible work. The Society has withdrawn- from Sweden, and will gradually withdraw from Switzerland, Germany, Holland, and Denmark. For the present, however, in Germany Captain Von de Witz is carrying on the late Major WestphaFs work in the German army—who in 30 years Circulated 800,000 copies of Scripture. Captain Von de Witz will take in hand also the supply of the German navy. The Society's agent in Austria is retiring in favour of hie son, after 40 years of service, having sent out 4,758,262 volumes of the Divine Word in the Austrian Empire. The Rev. Mr. Thomas seconded the motion, and bore testimony to the influence of the Bible in Wales.

The motion was carried. The Rev. Mr. Best moved that the thanks of this meeting be accorded to the Rev. Mr. Robjohne, the deputation from the parent society, for his address, to the chairman for presiding, to the officers and committee, to the minister and officebearers of St. James's for the use of the church, to the choir for their services, and especially to the collectors for their efforts in aid of the Society. The motion was briefly seconded by Mr. T. Buddle, and carried by acclamation. The meeting was closed by the singing of the doxology and prayer.