IN MANY LANDS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 52, 16 October 1911, Page 3

IN MANY LANDS.

Oho can always turn to the annual report of die ihidsa and Foreign Biolo Society in the sure hope of finding; there much that is interesting.' This year’s report is, if anything, of greater interest than bet ere. ‘ The Society distributed nearly 7,000,000 Bibles in 1010-1011, of which over 3,000,000 went to Asia. But it is more in the advehtures of the colporteurs, than in figures, thtt-rc*. 'port, in i a record of Christian zeal lies. Tiie , colporteur is the hero of the Bible Society’s work. “One colporteur find shelter in a camp of Kirghiz Tartars,” says the report. “Another in South India is mistaken for a wizard, from whose magic words the people llee. Another in the Soudan crosses the desert with camels, and when lie halts by the wells must keep a lire burning all night to scare off the lid ns. . At a heathen festival in Upper Burma a colporteur was beaten, and his books thrown into the Irrawaddy.. In the frozen river at Astrakhan a colporteur’s sleigh broke through tire ice; botli his horses wore drowned, and lie himself, narrowly escaped.” A missionary in the employ of the Society crossed America from Callao to the Atlantic. A Chinese colporteur, who was despoiled of all ins baggage by robbers in Manchuria, went cneerfully on his way, making no request for compensation, save for another bag to carry his Bibles- in A quaint story is told of a Chinese soothsayer, who became a convert to Christianity, and now delight in soiling Billies. When he addresses a crowd be candidly tells them, lie had been swindling them in Ins former profession. “You all know how for a few pence 1 have opened to yon some glorious night of the future. In those days I was rich at your expense. Now, realising f have cheated; yon many Limes in the past years*; 1 desire in some way to atone for mischief done.” Another Chinese agent had his stock of Bibles Stolen, and receicd word from the thieves that they had taken C>e hooks to find out whether or not they ■contained.“the -truth. It is pleasant' to fetid that the head of a shipping' qfficib in Brazil, on being asked to tiny 1 ,a_ jßihle, turned to his clerks anti sdicl, ‘ “You ought to buy this; it is the true thing. This is the religion of the English,” The influence -of the 1 English,' "b are told, is very powerful in Brazil, and the highest standard of conduct is expected of them.