The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-04-24 00:00:00

JUBILEE OF THE BIBLE SOCIETY.

The fiftieth anniversary of the Dorchester Amenable's
of the British and Foreign Bible Society was oelebrata
on Tuesday last. A juvenile meeting was held in the
Townhall at mid-day. In the afternoon • tea meeting
rook place In the (brolly:hoer, &Waded by nearly
:100 ; and at half-past erten in the evening a
public meeting wire held in the large hall, when there
woe • crowded essembly—many were standing, and
Poen were accommodated with nate in the adjoining
Council chamber. The Rev. R. W. Pears presided,
aupported by the Rev. Philip Heat, (the deputation),
the 1t.,. Carr J. Glyn, the Bev. F. Motile, the Rev. J.
Burt, the Rev. C. J. Bird, the li. Lodlow, the Re.. .7.
G. Davis, the Rev. R. Grant, the Rev. R. Merriman,
Mr. J. G. Wood, the Mayor of Derobeethr,_ Mr. M.
Diminish, Yr. G. Canoe. Mr. Saunders, ka. 1116 Rev.
H. Monis was prevented liftman( by an engagement
eta of town and the Rev. J. Fox was absent through
indispositioO. The smothers were the Chairman' the
Rev. ('.3. Glyn, Mr. .7. 0. Wood, and the Rev.
Philip Kent. All were brief, hearty, and enennrsging,
and the collection at the elms amounted to IS 3s. 7d.
Instead of an ordinary report of the riyinm of the
several speakers, we will endeavour with the slight
materials at our disposal to present • brief history of
the Dorchester Assorristlon, which the fact of this
being a jubilee meeting seems to demand, and add •
few facta respecting the noble Partial Bible Society.
The origin of the Bible Society is a striking example of
the great results which sometimes low from
bumble beginning.. In the year 1804, • few
eernea devout men met in the sionnting-home of Mr.
Hartimetle, • London montane, with • view to the
formation of a plan for circulating the scriptures more
freely in this country. A society was suggested by no.
of them for distributing cease of the Blatt and Teta.
ment in Wales, when Mr. Joseph Home (the first
Secretary of the Bible Society), acid "Why not lave •
Bibie Society for the world r The great enterprise was
thus began, and from that time to the present it has
sped on in its Imeefistest wear and achieved moth
AOlOl4OO/ snows that one stands unsaid contem-
Pletiall
le the lather part of the year 1814, a mensmat was
oommesseed foe estabishing • Meech of the Bible
Socerty at Dershester, and on the 7th of November •
meeting was soevened for that purpose by the Meyer
(Olsorge Stiohland, Req.), at the request of "several of
the inhabitants of Dor4setar and its vanity." Roles
were framed in the spirit of the prirteieleil phi* the
tweet society, which were adopted, and a hem* was
established here under the "patronage" of the Dona
Auxiliary Society. The lira oilcan of the suociatios
were :—Robert Williams, Esq., M.P. president ; the
Roy. Henry John Richmond the Mayor, vas-
ty ; Robert Putnam, Esq., treasurer; Mr. J
RZlrdeini4 Ptsi, sosretary ; and, sea committee, 'Moe.
Sugar, Beg., Mr. Joerph Browning, Christopher
Cooper, Req., M.D. Mr. Mews Veber, jun., Mr.
John Maya*, Mr. Ben:arnin Jefferioe, the Rev Middleton
Onalow. the Rev. John Palmer, the Rev. D. H.
Urquhart, Mr. Rotten White, Mr. Edward Beneath,
and Morgan Yeatinan, Esq., with every a anti
demoting minister residing within the hoteolegir."

On Jan-nary 17 and DI, 1818, W Morton Pitt, Esq.,
It P., with several members of the committee, west
through Dorchester to obtain eateetiptions and to
ascertein whnt families sod individuals were in want of
Bible. and Testaments, that they might be sapplied with
them at redatied priest or gratis, as the eireumetasees
warranted, with tbe fo lowing results :—Dosatiwns,
11 19, ; annual subramtpßoos, £lO lb. 6d.; 30
weekly solweription. of Id. earth, 104 weakly penny
subscrlptioss for a Bible or Tertament, and they mem,
tained that 41 persona stood in Deed of gratuitous
supply. On the 214 and 23rd of the row month,
Fordiugtoe was visited. The tommittee obtained
donations and amnia' subscriptions to the amount of
fia.; four weekly subeeriptiose of id. each, 101 t
seek', pennies torn Bible Of Testssimit, and they fosad
that 16 perron, needed a copy gratis. At Um beginning
of lb. rear 1416, the bounds of the samootatle• were
defined to embrace the following plea," uthelhasap.
ton, Bradford Peters-11, Broadmityne, Burlestese. Came
ant Farringdoa, ebarmtiater, Fast and West Comptes,
I torcbester. Fordington, Pramptoo, Herri
Kingston Russell and Bridebesd, West KZsrle'
os,
Martinstown, llonektoa, PiddLehinton, Pisidletown,
West Stafford, Stamford, Stratton, Tineletos, Toiler
Fratrnm, Toiler Poroornm, Tolpuddle, Whitcomb*,
Winter home Illeepletos, Winterbores Abbas, and
Woodsford.

For the fint three years the committee met monthly,
awl were fully occupied in the omanisation of the
no.. ral dintriata within the range of their operation.,
and in considering applications for eopies of the Scrip-
tore. grafi., or at reduced prime. Al the fourth
winivenary. the Ladies' Association was founded, with
Mrs. N'illiams,
.of Bridebead.. as patroness ;
_Mrs.

Aubrey, of Loiarbredy, merit Kr:. Menai Yeah
treamorer ; Miss , Mile IL Banning, and
Nom Pndelle, secretaries, and • ecownittee of eleven. In
t' founding of this iwoortent work, wool' Irladly mist,
• ee rendered by Ur. C. Stokes Dudley, a gentleman
. connected with the ilthie Society, and who,
indeed, first originated the plan of ettliethat the good
offices of ladies in this department of Christian sereies.
In the following year it was resolved at the sanivenary
meeting, " that the prosperous este at the Society's
affairs *fiords much satisfaction, and that this
meeting acknowledges with pleasure wed natitade
the esertioos of the ladies' Association. The

m.etiags ol the oommitte•
.now beams cvai9ierly.

and the Society appoint-6 to have gone as witboit
much chance far a considerable period. Liter as
existence of 15 years, the committee 'wet less
frequectly. and interest in the Amoristice esesmed to
Ilag. la 1833, the county society stigplied that its
connexios with the Dorchester Amemistiem was Moon-
venient, sad war society then resolved to form Itself
an irdepeodent brands. The same year the saw
. . .

mimes of thiLedies Association in their report expremed
great Caeca t, as the oubeaipticsa increased
but a trifle. This. with the indepeodent establishment
of the branch, evidently led to renewed life, for in
1n34 we learn that several Ladies' Associatioos
were formed in the neighbourhood, arid it
urs reported the same year that since the
formation of the Dorchester A uzilisry, sod the
Ladies' Assaciatioo, nearly £1,300 had been paid
to the went society, sod they had circulated 3,277
copies of the Scriptures. Ten branch associstions have
Dime been astabliahed in the neighbourhood, quarterly
meetings of the Aasociation were eneaniseced in 1843
sod oectiased to the present time, sod the Dorchester
Association flourishes. Lest year £152 14s. fid. was
sent to the parent society, 09 13a. 74. wee paid
for Bibles and restimulate, end the total
income of the association was £335 15e. sd.
The income of the Bible Society for the last yew was
1'118750 Its. fkl., and expediter,. 0.50,538 Oa 94.
During the year 2,133,880 cerise of the Seriptierss were
issued, sad the total eradiation of the society nee
amounts to owl/ 44,000,000, in about 170 different
languages and dialects. The socistrzieneintelas its
course with uniumeired eocrgy, eels from time to
time the basis of its WWII, sad diffusing far and oeer its
benign 621101100 N while the beauty, sympathy. end
generous support it has hitherto evoked, and by
chich its vcdsly.ramilled operations have been one-
tamed, afford cameleer* evades« that it pressets
one of those great Christian agencies by which
England, true to her responsibility, is to disseeshiste
the knowledge of God's truth amongst the nations and
l.ngdoseo of the earth.