The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1863-08-11 00:00:00

Elliltsbf re.

BBITISFI AND FOBEIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Salisbury and Wilton
auxiliary of the above society was held on Wednesday
evening at the Council House. The att. nilonce was
very smalL J. C. Wheeler, Reg , occupied the chair,
and among those present were the Rev. It. J. limns,
Rev. M. Cooper, Rev. H. J. Chancellor, J. Hill. Eaq.
Rev. H. Graham the deputation, T. W. Gilbert,
Elk martin opened with prayer*
The Cu.astltax having briefly opened the proceedings,
called 2411 the
Rev. . CFI A NCILUM, who read • brief report, which
expressed • regret that the committee could not speak
more encouragingly of the support given to it by the
Christian Church in this city and neighbourhood. The
committee also regretted the absence from the
auxiliary of those whose countenance and help on
occasions as this would greatly promote the blessed
work contemplistexl by the Bible Society. That
fact was becoming increasingly obvious daring the
last few years, that as the friends of the establishment
had from various causes been removed from this neigh-
bourhood. others had not been found willing to supply
their pliers. The report regretted the loss of the Hon.
and Rev. W. Waldegrave, removed to the Bishopric of
Carlisle, and by the removal from the neighbourhood of
the Rev. M. Cooper and Rev. M. Phelps. Mr. Chan.
oellor concluded by proposing that the Rev. G. Walker,
rector of Hindon, be one of the clerical secretaries
of the auxiliary in the room of their late friend, Rev.
J. Phelps.
Mr. HILL seconded the motion, which was carried.
- . _ . .

-
Tbe Bev. H. CHANCILLOR then read the financial
statement. The balance in hand last year was 13s. Oid ;
tailegibOn at Saliahury £6 3.. 6cl. ; collection sk Wilton
El 17s. 6d. • subscriptions, £32 13a. &L. • donations,
£7 Gd. ; out; for bibles, testaments, £42 10e. 7d.; free
donation from the Salisbury Ladies' Association £5 As.;
ditto from Wilton £3 13s. 4d.; collection from South
Newton, 153. bd. ; from Amesbury Ell 2s. 5d., and with
revere' sums eollected in boxes made • total of
£lO9 6,: 74. The auditor side of the account
was as follow. •.—Paid the Parent Society for supply of
books, E 37 9a. ; free contributions to the Parent
fictiety, EGO; incidental expenaes, £lO 9s. 61., leaving
a balance in hand of El 7s. id. The amount of the
Association showed • balance in hand last year
olk. 2/d. • amount reeeived for bibles and teatamente
during thee year, £3 Pa. a subscriptions, £9 lese. 5d.,
snaking altogether £l3 9a. Id. The creditor side was,
paid auxiliary for books. £2 14a. 44.; free donation to
ditto, E. 6 As.; ditto in aid of the Bible Society, £5 Is.,
leaving • balanee of As. 344. The deposit account was
as follows :—lmied by the Ladies' Association, 13 bibles
arid testanienta : tented by the Auxiliary, 460 bibles,
361 testament., and 6 psalters. FlOlll the commence-
ment at the Auxiliary there had been issued 12,966
bibles, 10,349 testaments, and 240 peahen, making •
total of 23,555 copies' end the value of the stock now
(ahead was £24 k 7d.

WALIIIII thanked them for baring elected
hint as their secretary. He had taken • great interest
In the 'Gaiety, and be only regretted that all denomins-
Rena of Christians did not support it better. He
thought it was one of the chief societies in existence,
and deserving of great assistance. He made several
quotations from the Parent Society's report, in which
It. objects were clearly stated. and caned upon thoee
to support it by every means in their power.
The Rev. H. Coon., in a very able speech, dwelt at
keel upon the objects of the society, and answered the
Arguments that were sometimes brought against it.
They, be mid, were frequently asked what the society
hid done. He would refer them to the number of the
holy scriptures that had been put Into circulation by
that society, end that only. Every year he looked upon
the society's report with groat anxiety, fearing that ite
numbers were diminished. He looked at this report
for the first time that afternoon, and he found that the
number issued during the past year by this society was
upwards of two millions, being 90,000 bilges and testa-
menta more than it had issued during the preceding
year. When tha Bible Society cone into exist-
ence in 1801, an investigation took place as far 141
It could be made throughout the four quarters
of the world in order to ascertain how many copies
of the bible there were in the world. It was ascertained
that there could not be more then four millions in the
whole world 00 years ago. The aggregate distributed
during those 60 years was 40,000, indirectly; and
directly by means of other societies, such as the present,
30,0E10,000, making • total directly and indirectly of
more than 70,000,000 copies of the Word of God. They
had eighteen times as many copies during,,the last six
yam in circulation as were in existence sixty years ago
Is the whole world. Through the means of the society
the bible had been translated into 181 different Imiguages,
151 of which had been published solely through the
agency of this society. They had now nearly 200 bible
women surged in London, and be was glad to find that
the auxiliary had one bible woman engaged in Salisbury.
The rev. gentleman then referred to the attack made
upon the bible by Bishop Colenso, and dwelt at some
length upon the style in which It was written. It was
the most conceited work he had ever reed, and he
was quits sure that the bible would not he injured by such
work. 40 bishops had endeavoured, in • Christian
temper, to show that be was in the wrong; but he told
them they knew nothinf, and he knew all. The bible,
however, had stood similar attacks before, and it would
do so triumphantly now. He then urged upon the
meeting to rapport the society. He did so for two
reasons, although he could give many, vie., that the
times demanded it, and from the fact that no man who
had given support to it had regretted it.
Rev. T. Sluerma addressed the meeting, and ex.
premed his high estimate of the value of the society.
The Rev. R. (Malian, the deputation, in the course
of an excellent speech, dwelt upon the assistance the
moiety resisted to missiesary operations. He showed
that the Society for the of the Gospel, and
the Church Missionary SoSety, obtained many transla-
tions of the Bible they circulated from this society.
Of the twenty-two immune' which the latter
society circulated, nineteen of them were obtained
from the British and Foreign Bilge Society. He stated
that the society never had such -a-year of efficient and
effective labour as last year. They had heard that they
had eireulated more than in any preview year. The
exhibition in Loudon was felt by the members of the
society to be a glorious opportunity for eirculatinif the
Word of Got The society distributed 1,555 copies in
the hotel' and lodging-houses in London. They
employed a man who could speak several languages to
go Into the Exhibition, and distribute the bible amount
the foreigners. That man distributed upwards of 9,000
copies. They established • clonal near the Exhibition
and in that shop they sold more ban 11,600 copies of OW
holy meripturee. They also engaged • man—a converted
Jew, who knew several languages—to sell the
bible Is the Crystal Palace, and he disposed
el e great number. In 1651 the copies of the bible
distributed on aceountof the Exhibition wage little more
than 2,000, but last year the circulation amounted to
upwards of 170,000. The rev, gentleman concluded by
narrating many interesting anecdotes of the operations
of the society.
The Rev. H. J. cLurciwaz proposed a vote of
thanks to the Rev. Mark Cooper, which was warmly
received.