BIBLE SUNDAY OBSERVED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19939, 7 May 1928, Page 11

BIBLE SUNDAY OBSERVED.

ADDRESSES IN CHURCHES. SOCIETY'S VALUABLE WORK. •• ' " , •_ The value of the Bible in every-day life and th"e work carried out by the British and Foreign Bible Society in its distribution, formed material for addresses given in Auckland churches yesterday, which was obscrvf.fi as Bible Sunday,

Preaching in, St. James' Presbyterian Church, Rev. Evan R. Harries took for his subject "Everyman's rsook for Every Man." The Bible, he said, was the incomparable story-book, being also the book of universal experience, with a divine and therefore universal message. The British and Foreign Bible Society had issued in the 123 years of its existence over 375,000,000 copes of the Scriptures.

In part or in whole tie Scriptures tad been rendered into over 600 languages. More than 10,000,000 copies had been published during the past year. Hie society's assistance to missions was incalculable. The cost of printing the Bibles was not covered by the sales. Every copy was sold at a loss, and it was to the Churches the society looked to make up the deficit from contributions. "The British and Foreign Bible Society is one of the glories of modern English Christianity," said Canon Percival James, preaching in St. Mary's Cathedral. Since its foundation in 1804, he said, it had issued the complete Bible or some part of it in nearly 600 languages. Last year, on an average, it issued the Scriptures in one fresh language every 26 days. The fact that it had translated the Scriptures into 84 of the languages of Oceania, should enlist increased financial support from countries such as New Zealand. Mentioning that the Bible Society produced Bibles and Scripture portions a remarkably low cost, the Rev. A, W. McMillan, of the Green Lane Congregational Church, said in his address thai missionary organisations were under a great obligation to the society. American, British, Continental and Colonial missionary societies all co-operated in helping this great inter-denominational agency. An appeal to parents to teach their children the Bible was Axade by the Rav. E. I>rako, of the Epsom Methodist Church. In an address given by Major Hufy quist, of the Salvation Army, the speafeea» said Biblical knowledge was of vital importance tc the young and rising generation.