years ending May, 1896: Henry Dickinson, Henry A. Oakley, William T. Booth, Churchill H. Cutting, Charles E. Tracy, John S. Pierson, Daniel J. Holden, Robert B. Parsons, and John S. McLean.

On motion of Rev. Walter R. Long, of Long Island, N. Y.,

it was

Resolved, That the Board of Managers, as now constituted, be directed to meet in the Bible House on the third Thursday of the present month, for the purpose of organizing for the ensuing year and the transaction of such other business as may be presented.

On motion of Alex. Jay Bruen, Esq., of New York, it was

Resolved, That when the Society adjourn, it do adjourn to meet in the Bible House, in New York, on the second Thursday in May, 1893, at 3.30 P.M.

The following Minute, presented by the Rev. Wm. W. Atterbury, D.D., of New York, was unanimously adopted:

The American Bible Society welcomes the opportunity which the Columbian Exposition will afford of displaying to the World not only the achievements of our material industries, but also the fruits of those social, political, and religious institutions, for which as a people we are chiefly indebted to the teachings of an open Bible:

It therefore respectfully and earnestly asks that, by closed gates and suspended business on Sunday, the Exposition shall conform to the customs and convictions-social and religious—of the American people; to the laws and usages of our Federal and State Governments; and to the example which America has conspicuously set, of maintaining the right of Labor to its Weekly Rest.

Ordered, that a copy of this action be transmitted to the Senate and to the House of Representatives of the United States, and to the United States Columbian Commission.

The Minutes were read and approved, and the Society adjourned.

SEVENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY.

IN not a few of the earlier documents of this Society, grateful mention was made of the cordial co-operation of Christians of various denominations, in the prosecution of its beneficent work. This harmony of effort still continues, but is seldom alluded to, because it has so long prevailed as to attract little attention. It may not, however, be amiss to make grateful mention of the fact that the present list of Officers, Managers, and Standing Committees of the Society, bears names of persons identified with no less than eleven different branches of the Church of Christ, while the benefactions which reach its treasury are bestowed by Christians identified with nearly every division and subdivision of believers in the land. Now, perhaps, more than at any previous period, "the sole object of the Society to encourage a wider circulation of the Holy Scriptures without note or comment,” meets with general and unqualified approval.

The Managers have met with severe losses by death since the issue of the last Annual Report. Three VicePresidents, one Manager, and a member of the Standing Committee on Distribution have been called away. From the official minutes of the Board, the following paragraphs are taken:

"The Hon. Paul Dillingham, ex-governor of the State of Vermont, died on July 26th, 1891, in the ninety-second year of his age, at Waterbury, where he had resided since his early boyhood.

"He was chosen a Vice-President of the American Bible Society in June, 1871. Long before his connection with this Society, his reverent love for the Holy Scriptures and his deep interest in their circulation had been manifested in many ways, especially by several years of honorable and efficient service as president of the Vermont Bible Society. As a member of the bar, he was distinguished for wisdom in counsel, persuasiveness in address, and the most sterling integrity. He was for two terms a member of the National House of Representatives. In 1865 he was elected governor of Vermont, having previously served as lieutenant-governor and as a member of both houses of its legislature. In early life he gave his heart to Christ, and never wavered in his devotion to his cause. The marked simplicity of his Christian trust gave a great charm to his character, and essentially augmented his influence in positions of public duty, in all departments of church work, and in the domestic circle. In the words of another, 'His was a beautiful old age, and he passed away blessed of all who knew him.""

"Vice-President Francis T. King, of Maryland, died after a brief illness, on the 18th day of December last, in the city of Baltimore, where he was born on the 25th of February, 1818.

"Mr. King was a member of the Society of Friends, and may most truthfully be characterized as an eminent servant of God in very many departments of Christian activity. His name will be historic in its connection with several of the great philanthropic and educational institutions of the land, especially of the Hospital and the University founded by his intimate friend, Mr. Johns Hopkins. It would not be easy, and it is not here needful, to name all the financial and benevolent enterprises which were promoted by his tireless energy, his rare sagacity, his unswerving fidelity, and his Christian beneficence. The Holy Scriptures were his own daily guide, and he proved his genuine interest in their dissemination by seventeen years of service as President of the Maryland

State Bible Society, and by holding the office of VicePresident of the American Bible Society for nearly a quarter of a century."

"The Hon. David Clopton, Associate-Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, died at his home in Montgomery, on Sunday, the 5th of February, 1892. He was a native of the State of Georgia; a graduate, with high honors, of the Randolph Macon College, in Virginia; a lawyer of distinction; a judge, highly respected for his wisdom, integrity, and candor; a citizen, long and prominently identified with affairs of State; and a Christian, actively devoted to the work of the church. He was elected a Vice-President of the American Bible Society in December, 1877, and held the position until his decease. The remoteness of his residence prevented him from attending the meetings of the Society and of the Board of Managers, but there are abundant reasons for believing that the work of Bible distribution was promoted in the South by his wise counsels."

"Mr. Robert Lewis died on the 15th day of June, 1891. He was a member of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church, was elected a Manager of the Society in 1888, and was at once placed upon the Auditing Committee. In 1890 he was also chosen a member of the Committee on Publication. He brought to these duties a clear conviction of their importance, and a deep impression that to be thus identified with the great work committed to this Society, was a high privilege. While taking no active part in the discussions of the Board, he carefully and wisely weighed every question, and rejoiced in every movement looking to the enlargement of the Society's work."

"The Rev. William J. R. Taylor, D.D., passed away on the 12th of November, 1892, in the sixty-eighth year of his age, while crossing the Rocky Mountains on his way from Colorado to Utah, in the prosecution of his work as Secretary of the American Sabbath Union.

"Dr. Taylor was elected a Corresponding Secretary of

the American Bible Society in April, 1862, while he was pastor of the Third Reformed Church of Philadelphia, and in November, 1869, he resigned his position to become the pastor of the Clinton Avenue Reformed Church of Newark, N. J. His official services as Corresponding Secretary were highly appreciated, and at the time of his retirement, the Managers placed upon record the most unqualified expressions of their regard, and especially of their high estimate of the value of his services during the civil war, and at its close, in adjusting the disturbed relations of the Society with the Southern States.

"Dr. Taylor, in his letter of resignation, said: 'It will afford me great pleasure, after retiring from office, to render any services to the Institution that may be within my power.' These were not empty words. Again and again he has cheerfully and efficiently responded to the call of the Society. Since 1874 he has been a member of the Standing Committee on Distribution, rendering invaluable aid by his wise counsels. In response to the request of the Managers he delivered, first in New York, and a week later in Philadelphia, an historical discourse in the United States Centennial, on 'Our Treasure and Our Trust; or, the Bible in the Last One Hundred Years.' Two years later, in 1878, at the sixty-second anniversary of this Society, which was held in Richmond, Va., he delivered a most impressive address on 'The Bible for the Nation'; and a letter which reached the Bible House after his decease, speaks of the deep interest he had taken on the previous Sabbath, which proved to be his last Sabbath on earth, in advocating the claims of the Society in Colorado Springs. To the end he was one of the most loyal and efficient of the friends of this Institution."

NEW VICE-PRESIDENTS.

The Hon. William P. Dillingham, of Vermont, the Hon. E. E. Beard, of Tennessee, and the Hon. Charles J. Baker, of Maryland, have been elected Vice-Presidents of the Society during the year, and have signified their acceptance of the office.