7th March.
The aim of the British and Foreign Bible Society is to supply every man on Gov's orth with a copy, in his own mother-tongue, of the Bible. This isa brave ambition, a task to appel the richest corporation of man's convening; but, stron in their belief in the balm and healing and virtue to be found in this encyclopedia of human emotions and thoughts, of human sins and sorrows, hopes and jumps, and strong of faith in His help from Whom they had it, the B. and F. Bible Society is not dismayed. Jonah was afraid of his commission, and relucted. Not so this Society, though facing difficulties as groat. Hidden to carry the glad tidings to all peoples, the members of the Society, now (7th March) celebrating the hundredth anniversary of their coming together, are snatching a moment's rest on rheic pilgrimage, and taking a retrospective survey of the milestones they have passed. One-hundred and eighty million Copies of the Scriptures issued in their first century of work! Every day, fora hundred years, Sundays and weekdays, they have provided 4,931 people with a' copy each ofthe news that is more important than any other item of intelligence ever published by the engine of the mighty Press. And that in 370 different languages and dialects! Eight hundred colporteurs are engaged in the work of distribution; over 600 Bible women are rendering invalu. able help. The expenditure is put down at £70) a day. In China, to select translations of the whole Bible tu Classik igs, the Society is provi Chinese, in the Mandarin, and in the Amoy, Foochow, and Ningpo colloquials whilst the complete New Testament and parts of the Old Testament are published in the Canton, Hakka, Kienning, Taichow, Swatow and Wenchow colloquials. Translations have also been made for Manchus, Mongolians and Tibetans.
It printed no less than 1,515,000 volumes of such versions of the Scriptures during 1903, and sent out from its Shanghai depot in the same pendd over 1,247,000 volumes. It employs over 350 native colporteurs, who itinerate in all parts of the Empire. Upwards of 750,000 volumes (mainly Gospels) were sold by the colporteurs last year. Twenty-seven Bible women were also at work, reading the Bible and teach women and girls how to read it for themselves. It supplies the Scriptures to Missions and Churches and for colportage at prices far below their cost, and it makes free grants of Scriptures to hospitals and elementary schools, whilst amongst the scholars attending the literary examinations it distributes many thousands of Gospels. The free grants in 1903 amounted to over 45,000 Bibles, Testaments, and Gospels. The Society hopes to n centenary fund of a quarter of a million guineas, and invites a subscription from all who already possess a Bible. There was a deficit on last year's working of £21,066, "but," says a special leaflet issued from headquarters, "we cannot retrench without withdrawing from vitally important work." The unfriendly statement that in China the bulk of the books distributed are used to make soles for celestial foot gear receives direct contradiction in the assurance that the Society "desires not so much a great, as an effective, circulation, and its books are not squandered indiscriminately." The Scriptural paradox that to lose is to gain is elaborated in the following excerpt from a centenary leaflet "In cases of poverty and distress, where there is a desire to possess God's Word: though no payment can be made, copies of the Scriptures are freely given away. As a rule, however, the Society's books are sold at prices regulated not by their original cost, but by the ability of people to buy. Thus to the poor and needy: of all nations the Bible is made accessible. For instance a Chinese New Testament with references costs 43d. to print and bind, and is sold for 23d. This example illustrates the sales in every land. The greater the number of books sold, the greater are the Society's losses. These losses however are covered by the gifts of Bible-lovers to the Society's funds; and thus the learned help the ignorant, the strong help the weak, the rich help the poor."
Among other literature we have received from the Rev. G. H. Bondfield, the agent at Shanghai, is a pamphlet entitled "The Bible in China," written by himself, and a neatly bound and well illustrated book "The Conquests of the Bible," issued as a report in narrative form of the last year's working. The illustrations of the latter include photographs of "A Street in Antioch," " Ottawa and its river," " A Tour in Brazil," "Ruins of the Tower of Babel, on the Euphrates," "the Nile," "Native Bridge in the Cameroons,"
Uganda Railway," " Native Colporteurs at Mukden," "Yakuts," "Temples at Trichinopoly," "Lhassa," i Bible-women," "Malay Temple," " Malay Village," and " New Zealand Lake,"—all fine pictures. The King, and some mem bers of. the Royal family, sent special centenary contributions, and the Prime movement ai yesterday Minister an especial interest in the the churches had special s2tvices, collec, the notability of the date. met tions, or took cognisance in some Special sermons were preached in most of the Shanghai Churches yesterday in aid of the British and Foreign: Bible Society and in spite of the bad weather the congregations were larger than usual. At the Cathedral Archdeacon Moule preached in the morning and evening. The Rey. G..H. Bondfield, the Society's agent in Shanghai, proached at the Union Church in the morning. and the Rev. C. E. Darwent preached at the even. ing service. The collections taken at these two churches during the services cannot hing fall far short of $500.
OF particular -in-torest at the present time was the fact mentioned by the Archdeacon that the Society had dispatched numbers of Russian testaments into Manchuria, and that the Russian authorities had accepted them most thankfully. Special hymns wore sung at the cathedral and at. the Union Church; it is noteworthy that these London, to-day. yinns will be sung at the Alber all, BOOKS, ETC.,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.