Corner Stone Laid: G. $50,000
Gift from Maryland The cornerstone of the new Bible House in Peking was laid on August The ceremony was witnessed by large and representative group of Chinese, Americans, British and Europen Christians. "Wu Lei-chuan, Vice-President of Yenching University, Inid the stone and delivered scholary address which revealed a deep appreciation of the Christian scriptures.
He was introduced by Rev. Carleton. Lacy, agency secretary of the erican Bible Society, who had come from Shanghai for the occasion. Mr. Lacy spoke of the historical significance of this event, that at this time the American Bible Society is, for tthe first time on territory outside the control of the United States, erecting Bible House in the ancient capital of China. The new building, which stands at the corner of Hatamén Street and Meicha Hutung, is the gift of the Maryland Bible Society, and is being erected at a cost of approximately G.$60,000. It is expected to reach completion before the end of next your.
The building, designed by the Presbyterian Mission architects in Chinese style, will be fireproof throughout. Ample accommodations will be provided for sales room, offices, and godown, to carry on th distribution of more than a million volumes of scripture each year. In addition there will be assembly and committer rooms, a library in which will be gathered various editions of the Bible, and a vault to provide for the safe keeping of valuable manuscripts and plates. Already a number of these priceless manuscripts have been presented by relatives and friends of translators, and it is anti~ pated that more of these treasures be collected before the building is ready for dedication.
Immediately adjoining the Bible there is being erected a comfortable} residence for the secretary in charge. This faces a pretty garden looking toward Meicha Hutung. ides sealed in the placed in the stone wore numerous reports of American Bible Society work, pamphlets, a Bible with special inscription on the cover written "by! General Chang Chih-kiang, a New Testament such as is being distributed by the Million, Testaments for China Campaign, coins discovered in digging the foundations for the building, and recent Chinese Chefoo Daily News" states:—"On August 8 one of ¢he crew of the U.S.S. Pittsburgh came ashore on leave. He, with others, boarded a sampan to return to the hip. Somehow -or other on the! journey he lost his footing and fell nto the sea, and though his comrades and the sampan man did all they could, he was drowned."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.