“TELL THE WORLD”

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18236, 3 November 1933, Page 9

“TELL THE WORLD”

BIBLE SOCIETY’S WORK 10,600,000 VOLUMES ISSUED LAST YEAR LONDON, Sept.l4. Tlio British and Foreign Bible Society publishes to-day its popular report, “Tell the World,” prepared by the Rev. Joint A. Patten, the society’s literary superintendent, which tells the story of its operations for the past year. Notwithstanding commercial depression and international difficulties, the society exceeded its remarkable iiguros of the previous period and published no fewer than 10,617,470 volumes, an increase of 65.186 over the number for the previous year. An analysis of these figures shows that while there was a decrease of nearly 25.000 in the distribution of portions of Scripture, there was an increase of more than 31,000 Bibles and almost 59,000 Testaments, an encouraging advance. The purchase of a Chinese Bible, for example, is usually an indication of serious interest in Christianity on the part of the buyer, for it is a bqok of 1500 pages, and, though sold much below cost, represents the full day’s wages of a working man. ( Owing to the generous gift of Canada in celebration of the society’s, one hundred and twenty-lifth birthday, the general committee was able to issue in July, 1931, a new Knglish Shilling Bible. This edition has proved most popular, and up to the end of the financial year in March 817,000 copies wore sold. At the present time the society has published over 1,000,000 copies of this shilling edition, and the sales are still encouraging, both at home and in the British Dominions. In this respect the committee has justified its claim of dealing fairly between the British and foreign demands to which the society is subject. The missionary requirements of the Church of England m respect to the provision of the Scriptures for its great societies —such as flic 0.M.5., S.P.G., and U.M.C.A.—are met every y?av. Provision is also made for the missionary organisations attached to the Free Churches—the London Missionary Soei- 1 ety, the Wesleyan Missionary Society, the Baptist Missionary Society, and the

English Presbyterian Society. Equally true is it that the China Inland Mission and the missionary agencies connected with the Plymouth Brethren and other undenominational organisations turn to the Bible Society for their supplies of the Scriptures. Its editions arc to be found in the great majority of mission schools in all parts of the world. After the primer used in teaching the child to read, the Gospel in the native language is the principal lesson book. These children read the Bible as a story, and thus the Bible in. the schools of the missionary societies exercises an all - pervasive influence both as an educative force and as a religious guide. 667 LANGUAGES The languages now used by the Bible Society number 667. Twelve new versions were added during the year—four for Africa, six for Asia, one for America, and ono for Europe." 'in 00-operation with the American Bible Society, the British Society has issued St. Matthew’s Gospel for the Bulgarian gypsies. Central Bulgarian Romany is the language of at least 160,000 souls. This is described as “a genuine new translation for the tinkers and metal workers.” It is printed in the Bulgarian Cyrillic character. The translation was made by M. Atanasakicil’, an active adherent of the Bui-' garian Orthodox Church, who lias grown up with and lived among gypsies all his life. AH the operations of the Bible Society are. organised on a missionary basis. Anglican bishops in far-distant dioceses and missionary leaders of other churches receive from tlio society their supplies of the Scriptures on the most generous terms. The society is in the best sense interdenominational, and assists to the fullest possible extent the U.M.C.A. as well as the work of the Plymouth Brethren. During the last year or two its income, lias not kept pace with worldwide expenditure, due to the present financial conditions, but there is gratifying evidence that the society’s friends in all tlio Protestant Churches arc rally, jug to its support in order to extend its