Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

circulars to Young People's Societies; 5,000 handbills in the Spanish language, and the same number in Portuguese; 10,000 of "The Man with the Wonderful Book;" 5,000 Work in the Home Field; 2,500 Missionary and Benevolent Work of the Society, and various brief circulars.

SCRIPTURES PRINTED AND PURCHASED. These have amounted during the year to 1,559,666 copies, as follows:

Bibles.

Total.

Printed at the Bible House. 377,300 460,000 296,200 275 1,133,775

Imported from abroad

Printed abroad

Purchased abroad

Totals

Test's.

Vol's for
Portions. the Blind.

[blocks in formation]

The total issues for the year, at home and in foreign lands, amount to 1,447,659 copies, as follows:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Of the volumes issued from the Bible House, 75,194 copies were sent to foreign lands, and are not here counted among the issues in foreign countries. It is interesting to notice that of this number 218 volumes were sent to Canada, 21,797 to Mexico, 775 to Central America, 8,292 to the West Indies, 35,989 to South America, 563 to England and Wales, 755 to Turkey, 1,127 to Persia, 3,626 to Africa, 1,110 to China, and 928 to the Hawaiian Islands

and Micronesia. Much the larger part of the books circulated in foreign lands were manufactured or purchased abroad.

THE ISSUES OF THE SOCIETY DURING SEVENTY-EIGHT YEARS AMOUNT TO FIFTY-EIGHT MILLION THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED

AND THIRTY COPIES. (58,374,430.)

The following table classifies the issues from the Bible House:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

81

53

124

112

860

Hebrew Testaments.
Hebrew Psalms

[ocr errors]

Ancient Syriac Test's & Ps.
Modern Syriac Testaments
Modern Syriac Test's & Ps.
Modern Syriac Psalms.
Modern Syriac Bibles
Armenian Bibles.
Armenian Testaments
Armenian Psalms
Arabic Bibles .
Arabic Testaments
Arabic Four Gospels
Arabic Parts
Chinese Bibles
Chinese Testaments.
Chinese & Eng. Test's.
Chinese Scriptures
Chinese & Eng. Gospels
Japanese Testaments
Japanese and Eng. John
Zulu Bibles.
Zulu Testaments
Grebo Scriptures .
Benga Scriptures.
Mpongwe Scriptures.

219 Choctaw Testaments
106 Choctaw Scriptures

7 Choctaw Psalms
262 Dakota Bibles.
730 Dakota Testaments..

1 Ojibwa Testaments
196 Muskokee Testaments
86 Muskokee Scriptures

25 Hawaiian Bibles.
85 Hawaiian Testaments
60 Ponape Testaments .
77 Gilbert Islands Bibles.
58 Gilbert Islands Test's
68 Micronesian Scriptures.
8 Volumes for the Blind .
181 Arrawack Acts
50 Kusaien Gospels
30 Icelandic Bibles
454 Icelandic Testaments
11 Croatian Bibles

18 Croatian Testaments
1,001 Ruk Genesis & Exodus
1,984 Sheetswa Gospels & Acts .

1 Marshall Islands Test's.
506 Hindoostan Testaments
412 Lithuanian Testaments

MISSIONARY AND BENEVOLENT WORK.

I. WORK IN THE HOME FIELD.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

The history of this country is unique. In all the past we search in vain for a parallel. Within a little more than two centuries a land before inhabited by a few roaming savages has been reclaimed and peopled by over 60,000,000 of human beings. This amazing growth has been largely due to immigration. Not only in its large cities, but all over its extended territory are to be found men differing widely as to language, manners, customs, and religion. Left to themselves, the numerous discordant elements must eventually result in the disruption of the bonds. which now bind the nation together. The question is applicable to national as well as to social life, "How can

two walk together except they be agreed?" The problem thus given for this Republic to solve is most complex. The education of the masses, temporal prosperity, a higher civilization, and the adjustment of labor and capital are impotent here. The hope of the future is in the Church of God.

But even here an insuperable obstacle presents itself. The Church no longer possesses the gift of tongues. How then can it address itself to these peoples of such diverse speech? How can it raise up in this generation the men who can proclaim to them the gospel in the tongue in which they were born? With all its consecrated wealth and talent the Church cannot work miracles. Must then these millions remain unevangelized, and their children and children's children grow up in ignorance of the principles of the gospel and strangers to its saving power?

There is only one agency which can give the inspired word to the entire population of this country, and that is the American Bible Society.

The Commissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island, New York, in his report for the year 1893, shows that the total number of immigrants arriving at that port were 353,885, representing twenty-five different nationalities. Not one denomination, nor even all the evangelical denominations combined, could provide for this immigration of a single year. Where could the Christian missionaries be found who could deliver their God-given message so as to be understood by this mixed multitude? Not in this nor in any other Christian country.

But behold what the American Bible Society could undertake through one of its auxiliaries! It met these foreigners with the Scriptures in twenty-one languages, and before they became scattered from Maine to California put into their hands at least some portion of the word of God, in their own tongues, that they might carry it with them to their distant homes.

The long list of Bibles, Testaments, and Portions which the Price-list of the American Bible Society contains

shows what provision the wise forethought of its Managers has made to meet an imperative demand of the home work of the Society.

The unifying effect of a common language is freely conceded, and without question the English language should be the language of all the people of the land. But it is also admitted that only the rising generation can be expected to acquire the language of their adopted country. Those who have come from foreign lands advanced in years must continue to speak the language which they learned at their mother's knee, and must be influenced by it for good or evil throughout their whole lives. How important then that they should have the Holy Scriptures in their own tongues! What the Bible has done for the fathers in the past, what it has done for the present generation, it will do for them. The Holy Spirit, who not only inspired the Scriptures but also spoke through Peter to the multitude gathered at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, still speaks through the printed page.

Impressed by the condition of the home field, the Board of Managers have employed every agency they could command for giving the Scriptures to all the nationalities in every part of the country in their own tongues. Auxiliary societies or Bible committees have been formed wherever it was practicable. enlisted as Bible distributers. Young People's Societies have been appealed to for the purpose of securing their cooperation. Sunday school superintendents and teachers have been entreated to restore the Bible to its lost place in the Sunday school, and make it their text-book in place of the disconnected passages which for so many years have usurped its place. Grants have been freely made to missionary and other societies, that they might give the Bible to those with whom their laborers came in contact. Colporteurs have been employed, so far as the means of the Society would permit, to visit the waste places and supply every family which would receive it with a copy of the Scriptures, while to give system and efficiency to these

Pastors and missionaries have been

« AnteriorContinuar »