Cosmestany ox THE New TestaMesr, The missionary conference of 1890 felt that the Scriptures, Christian and Jewish, need s commentary to bring the writers into touch with the Chinese reader. The enormous circulation of the Bible in China during the last two years is one of the greatest marks of the change that is now passing over the Chinese mind, There is a map of total sales of Bibles, New Testaments and portions in the British and Foreign Bible Society's Annual Report. The whole Bibles sold in China, in the years 1890 to 1897 were 1,041, 1,690, 1,561, 2,556, 1,817, 3,011, 3,204, 4,689.' Daring the same eight years the New Testaments sold were 4,703, 6,021, 4,360, 7,055, 6,509, 8,034, 12,437, 18,576. There are four times many copies sold now in a year as there were eight years ago, It becomes a duty therefore for the friends of Bible circulation to supply commentaries. The total circulation in the Bible Society Agency was in 1898 761,901 books, an advance of 282,364 on the previous year. The sulas have quadrupled within eight years. The cause of this is found in a movement towards reform among the people, in activity the Bible Society operations, in the increase of the number of colporteurs, in the efforts made by the Diffusion of Christian and General Knowledge Society, and in the multiplication of stations where foreign missionaries reside over the whole country. Among the causes of the great demand must also be placed the activity of trade, During the quarter from July to September the increase of Customs revenue at Newchwang was double what it was in 1898 and 1897, At Tien tsin it was one fourth greater than in the same years, This means increase in the sales of foreign articles. A taste for things of foreign origin is growing. While the sale of books is rapidly incre: ing, men's minds are in a ferment. They bein to ask the same question which the Ethiopian eunuch addressed to Phill "Of whom speaketh the prophet He had Philip to answer his question. 'This is the niche which the conference commentaries are intended to fill, and uow after nine years' preparation we have three portly volumes constituting the commentaries on the New Testament.
In Germany in 1896 the copies of the Scriptures circulated amounted to 730,328, In 1897 they amounted to 773,972 and to $69,466 in the year 1898. At the same rate of increase the sales would be doubled in ten years. But trade is also increasing in Germany. The Bible helps trade and trade helps the Bible. It is certain therefore that in sucha country as China the time has come for the commentary to obtain a large circulation and to achieve a large amount of ood. Increase in population means increase intellectual force. In Austria-Hungary
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.