OTAGO BIBLE SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2056, 20 July 1893, Page 15

OTAGO BIBLE SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Otago Bible Society was held last evening in the Y.W.C.A. rooms, and was attended by about a score of persons, including Mr W. Brown (president, in the chair), the Revs. Dr Stuart, D. Borrie, W. C. Oliver, A. P. Davidson, W. Bannerman, Meßsrs R. S. Nicolson, G. Moore, and 0. White.

Apologies were received for the absence of the Revs. Messrs Pinfold, Hudson, North, and gaiter. The twenty-eighth annual report contained, inter alia, the following clauses : —

The work of our society has been carried on during the past year in an unostentatious but effective manner, and we are pleased to note that interest in the- work is well maintained. The board is pleased that the results of this years collections enables it to augment the donations to the British and Foreign Society and the National Bible Society of Scotland. Although this proposed addition is not large, the board is the more pleased to be able to make it at this juncture, because the incomes of these societies (although increasing in amount) have not lately kept pace with the demands on their powers of production. Their efforts have not been slackened to supply these demands, but their reserve funds have been well-nigh exhausted. We are conscious that if the Christians of Otago only realised the importance of the work which they are invited to help, the amount would be easily doubled, even trebled. There are many districts in which we have no agents, collectors, or subscribers ; there are no districts in which no room remains for more helpers. As intimated in our lass report, the work of our society is now confined to collecting funds in aid of the great Bible societies of Britain. At a meeting of the board, held on the 21st June, it was resolved that the amount collected during the year be divided between the British and Foreign Bible Society of England and the National Bible Society of Scotland, the sum of £60 being voted to each society. In addition to this we also aid the New Zealand Bible, Tract, and Book Society by an annual subsidy of j£so in supporting their system of colportage, by which are made periodical visits to unfrequented districts of Otago, carrying supplies of Bibles, Testaments, and religious works. The ready, sale and kindly welcome which these agents everywhere meet with shows how worthy this department of Bible work is of our support. It way be well to add that this work is not carried on to a profit, or indeed for profit, but, on the contrary that the expenses of carrying it on ,are greater than all that is derived from it by over £200 a year. After payment of the above donations, there will still be sufficient in the treasurer's hands to meet the cost of printing the report and other current expenses. During the past year we have been favoured with our annual visitation from the Rev. Henry T. Robjohns, M.A., Australasian agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, when meetings were held in the Hanover Btreet Baptist Church, Anderson's Bay Presbyterian Church, Port Chalmers Presbyterian Church, and Mosgiel. Mr Robjohns also conducted services at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Congregational Church, North Dunedin Presbyterian Church, and Knox Church. Contributions to the society were made at nearly all of 'these meetings, and we were pleased to learn that the information imparted as to Bible Society work was received with evident interest. We are sorry that we were unable to supply several of our collectors who wrote asking for additional copies of the annual report. The printing of these reports is a somewhat large item in our expenditure, and with the desire to economise to the utmost, we carefully limited the supply ordered. We greatly regret the disappointment, and will endeavour during the present year to so regulate our supplies as to meet all demands.. The members of the Board retiring by rotation, in terms of the constitution of the society, are —Messrs William Brown, Charles Moore, R. S. Nicholson, Hon. Thop. Dick, and Rev. R. R. M. Sutherland, and it will devolve, upon the general meeting to fill up the seats thus vacated.

The balance sheet showed that the receipts, including the balance from the previous year of £180 11b 4d and subscriptions amounting to £227 4s 9d, were £420 14s lOd, and the balance in hand ab the close of the financial year was £193 14s Bd. The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report and balance sheet, referred to the loss which bhe society had sustained in theremoval to Oamaru of Mr Robert Brown, who, he said, had been a very efficient, careful, and painstaking secretary. It would devolve upon the new board, as soon as possible after the meeting, to make a new appointment. The Chairman then proceeded to read the speech on the present position of the Bible Society, its funds and work, delivered by the Earl of Harrowby, at the annual meeting of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1892. The Rev. W, C. Oliver seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. The Rev. Dr Stuart moved— "That this meeting records hearty thanks to Mr W. Brown (the president), Mr R. Brown (the secretary), the committee, and the collectors of the Otago Bible Society for their services to the noble cause of Bible circulation in the colony and beyond it, throughthe agency of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the National Bible Society of Scotland, and the Book and Bible Depot of New Zealand." He was glad, he said, to have been connected with the Bible Society for 48 years. He became a member of the Windsor and Eton Bible Society in 1845, and though his services to that institution were crude and very insignificant, he could honestly say that he derived very great benefit from his connection with it. He referred at some length to the work performed in evangelising heathen countries, and, remarking that wonderful things had been achieved by the Bible societies, said, that yet some men, sitting at their ease in their studies, asserted that the Bible was exploded— that the time was just now about complete when ib was becoming acknowledged thab its long" reign was approaching an end. Was there, he asked, a book on this planet that was published in so many languages as the Bible P Was there a book that had so many readers P Was there a book in the world that had so many people baking ib as a lamp to their feet and a light to their path ? Was there a book in the world that took more of their money — and that willingly given— so that it might be published in the languages of mankind and circulated for their salvation P The Bible, he declared, was, as living as it ever was, and ib was making its way into the homes of all classes, bringing . light to the conscience and life to the soul,, bringing material comfort to the homes, and civilising and saving. The Rev. Mr Bannerman, in seconding the motion, said he regarded the Bible societies as necessary handmaids to the work of the church, and as doing a work which really belonged to the church — and doing ib in a way the church could nob do ib; but they were not merely handmaids to the church bub they were also in very deed bhe largest and moßb influential educational association existing in the world. The motion was carried. On the motion of the Rev. D. Borrie, seconded by the Rev. A. P. Davidson, the retiring members of the board were re-elected. The meeting then closed.

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