Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1856-11-20

F1RE.-The light seen to the westward on
Saturday evening proved to be barn on the
farm of D. Dull, occupied by Abraham Grass
mire, in Bratton township, which, with sew
eral COWS, q quantity of corn, oats, hay, fod-
der and straw was totally consumed. There
was no insurance on the property. 1t is not
known how the fire originated.
MIFFLIN COUNTY BIBLE SOCIETY.
The agent employed to canvass this county
has made the following report, which will no
doubt be highly gratifying to the ladies en-
barked in this noble cause:
LEwIsTowN, July 10Th, 1856.
Your Agent, upon closing his labors in
your service, begs leave to present for your
consideration the following report
In so far as the results Of my Iabors can
be summed up in statistical form. thew are
as follows:
Whsle number Of families visited, I744
Number destitute, I39
Refused, 8
Whole number Of copies sold, Col
4" given, lOl
Aggregate Of sales, 1929 02
Cost Of copies given, 80 SO
Donations received, l03 81
The amount Of sales would have been much
greater but for the fact that an agent for a
publishing house in Philadelp phia has recently
passed over a considerable part Of the county,
selling and taking subscriptions for Bibles to
be delivered during the season. The amount
of destitutiOn was also somewhat diminished
by the same cause.
The labors Of your agent have been quite
barren Of incident. The following facts are,
however, deemed worthy of place in this
report, especially as they show that the labors
Of the Society have not been altogether uu-
productive Of good:
In several cases the only Bible in the pos
session Of families upon whom | called, were
| those presented by the agent who canvassed
| the county eight years since, and in every
case which came within my observation, the
books showed evident signs Of frequent use.
In one instance the only copy Of the Scrip
lures IN the possession Of the family vas one
given to the husband when on his way to
Mexico as a volunteer. l learned from his
own statement that he had passed many pleas
ant hours in its perusal in that far off land
lie further stated that although many did not
keep the books given them yet others priced
them and passed much of their leisure time
in reading Ged's Holy Word, an employment
to which they were probably bat little accus-
toned while surrounded by the comforts Of
home.
In another case | found it necessary to cali
upon family in the morning to whom had
given Bible the previous evening. The
weather being unfayorable the husband was
unable to 20 to his accustomed employment.
! and on entering | found him reading his Bi
bic while his wife and daughter sat Iisteninc
with all the interest which new truths never
! fail to excite.
y few destitute persons have received the
Bible with a churlish Indifference, but in the
great majority Of cases it was received with
| a hearty thankfulness which showed that the
gift was highly appreciated and would be
properly used. In many instances it has af-
/ forded me great pleasure to be the almoner Of
your bounty, and | have not unfrequentlv
wished that those members of your Society
who have given much Of their time and means
to advance its interests, could have been pres
ent to share the pleasures which their benefi-
cence excited and thus realize, perhaps more
fully than ever before, that it is indeed 'more
| blessed to give than to receive
The thanks of your Society and nv own
are due to the Ministers and Members of the
various Churches in the county for their hos
pitality and liberality in sustaining the cause.
Our labors in your service are now closed.
and it only remains to implore the blessing
of God upon the seed thus sown. feeling as
surcd that, although in some departments of
Christian labor the seed time Is more imme-
diately followed by the harvest in none is er.
fort more surely crowned with success
TIOS. c. SAUNDERS. Agent.