The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-04-26
LoCAL Matters.
axnuAI MrrTiro OF rHE BIBLI

AKruAL NETTING or THE BIBLE H0CiE-
ry. --AppaEss OF On. Two, dc.--The snnual
mea,ipg Of The BioIe Society g vlralnla We hela
large and Intelligent sudlence a.embled On the &C.
csslon The meeting was called to ordor BY Rev.
p Courtney, President of the Society. Prayer
was offered by Rev. Mr.. kepisr Mr. w. Taylor
was appointed Secretary OF the meeting.
Rev Mr. Davis read IN abstract Of the annual re .
port From this Il appeared that The Society had
been Ia exlstence az years. and that sustained du
ring the past year, u loss OF two vaIuable mana
son. To their memory feeling tributes were paid.
The year had alss witnessed the decaase of two
excellent distributing agents, MesEs. E. w. Had.
nall and D. C. Pharr.
Mr.. b. B Minor had been elected Correspond
ing Secretary, 10 the place of the lamented Mr..
Rev Mr.. Lyon had commenced bis labors as gen
erat agent In Eastern Virginia on the hrst Of Octo
her. and Rev. + o. Dunning, a. agent Ia Western
Wire had continued his Iabors through the year
The reports OF both these gentlemen would show
that they had performed their duty with commend
able zeal and fidelity. pa. :
Twentv.one distributing agents had been at
work ia the course of the year. They had visited
64lO families and found Cos destitute OF the Bible
By sale and gift they had disposed OF 2ooO Bibles
and Testaments.
From the report of the Treasurer. brief ab.
s,ract of which was read by him, (Mr. II. WatD
1t appeared that there had been paid out, in the
course of the year. for salaries of agents. SC, and
Tor Bibles and Testaments S9, $40 %. The returns
and donations made to the Society through the gen.
eral agents. amounted to o. 424 on and the sales at
the Depository, and balance on hand at the begin
ming of the year, made up the rest OF the amount
that had been disbursed.
After these items of business had been gone
through. the President introduced to the audience
the Rev. DR.. Tying of New York.
DR.. Tying then rose and addressed the meeting In
q manner that held their profound attention Tor
considerably more than an hour He adverted 10
the beginning of bis address to the fact that the Biz
BILE Society Of Virginia older, by three years,
than the parent Society, the American Bible Socie.
ty. of which 1t was now an auxiliary, and from
which he came a. a delegate. Virginia and PENN
sylvania had led the way In the work Of Bible dis.
tribution. DR.. Tying did not, however, intend On
this occasion to confne himself to the local limits
of the Bible Society of Virginia. but wished to re-
mind his brethren here that beyond their own
| broad rivers and majestic mountains there was a
world to be saved. He asserted In the face OF all
the hiersrchies upon EARTH the right of every man
| to read the Bible. God had given 1t to him-giyen
him capacity to read it, and promised to enable him
to understand 1t. The object of the Bible Society
was to give to every man, woman and child, the
Bible without motto or comment. God made the
Bible; man made the notes. The Bible was meant
for guilty, erriug, distressed man and not for any
particular class. II was message OF love to every
one from the Father, and he had the same right to
1t that he had to the letter directed to him by a
FRIEND whose seal twas bis alone privilege tobreak
| and to all the advantage Of whose contents he
was entitled. Three centuries prior to the present
had Witnessed the distribution of only three mil
| lion copies of the Bible 10 thirty versions But
| since the commencement of the present century
more than fifty million aud one hundred and fifty
versions had been distributed, l. g. about thirty
| million In England, and twenty In America. DIR.
Tying mentioned the painful fact that for want OF
funds, ten of the sixteen presses at the immense
Bible house in New York are idle, one hundred and
| eighty of their three hundred accomplished hands
have been discharged, and 100000 volumes are in
consequence of the dissolution of 30 many auxilia.
ries lying on hand.
| During the past year $4,000 less than formerly
have been contributed to the Treasury. Thus, while
the world is painting for the word of God, we are
idle He urged his fellow Christians here to awake
TO new life; and further, to stimulate their zeal he
showed them the wants Of Japan, and its willing
lions. was all open and demanding an increase upon
| what had already be- done. SO of Brmah, Hin.
| dostan, Arabia, Persia and Armenia. Ethiopia was
Likewise stretching out her hands for the bread Of
life for her millions with their 40 different tongues
Advancing to Europe and taking its countries up in
detail, the speaker showed by great variety OF
deeply interesting facts intense desire there for
the word Of God, and most remarkable providential
| openings whereby it might be introduced. In the
French army, by the efforts OF one single individual
10000 soldiers had been taught to read, and with
the consent Of the Emperor had been furnished with
Testaments. It was indeed in consequence of an ad.
vertisement OF the Emperor for teachers that this
| individual had come forward. With states and the
assistance OF military order. he had taught 600
men at time In Austria the strictest surveillance
of the police did not prevent those who loved the
Bible from meeting in secret. They would travel
On foot many miles. laying by in the day and walk.
| ing at night, to meet their brethren
| Dr. Tying commented with much feeling upon the
| ingratitude of America-hid in quiet NOOK while
war RACES among the nations of Europa-every land
open alike to her commerce and her BE- nevo ence-
her citizens unmolested everywhere-yet folding her
hands and negecting the golden opportunities hch
she has for bearing to the painting nations the words
ofliberty and life. He appealed to the different de
| nominations-to men of thought and action every
where-to come up to the work, and while the
clouds are dispensing and the promise Of brighter
day beckons onward. to ORGY the call and req D
the reward of benevolence.
His speech. of which we have presented but a
meagre sketch. evidently impressed the minds ard
hearts of his audience.