The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1856-05-03

Minnesota Bible Society.
The fifth annual meeting of this Society
was held at the First Presbyterian Church,
in St. Paul, on Sunday, April 81, when the
following reports were presented by Execu-
tive Committee and Treasurer:
The Executive Committee of the Mime
sofa Bible Society beg leave to present their
congratulations to the members and friends
of said Society, in view of the success which
has attended its operations during the past
year.
In no previous year. have SO many new
auxilaries been organized, and never before
have the receipts and issues of the Society
been so large.
These results are mainly owing, under a
kind Providence, to the efficiency OF Rev.
Geo. Bent, who spent a portion of last sum
mer in our Territory as an Agent OF the
American Bible Society. Mr.. Bent visited
all of the Societies which had been previous
ly formed, and assisted in organizing several
new ones-some of them in places where
the red man had just left, and the pale-face
had just located.
The whole number of County Societies
in the Territory is now sixteen-all, with
one exception, auxiliary to the Minnesota
Bible Society.
There have been deposited with these So
ceties during the year for circulation in their
respective Counties, books to the value of
$2S350 in addition to these there has been
given away by the Depository and Agents,
books to the value of $l83; and sold by the
same to the amount of $l79.97 making the
total issues in value of $646.47.
Could we trace the influence of each of
these volumes which have passed through
your Depository down to the end of time,
none of us would regret our contributions
to this object Among the gifts have been
some hundreds of Bibles 10 various Hotels in
the Territory for the use of travellers.
1t is not too much to hope that many a
Christian from afar, as he enters his room
for the night, and sees upon his table Bible,
will appreciate the kindness of your Society
in anticipating his spiritual wants. Nor is
it too much to hope that some meh who are
not accustomed to read the Scriptures at
home, will, when far away, in their rooms
alone, with no book but the Bible before
1 them, peruse its sacred pages and resolve to
conform their lives to its holy teachings.
The receipts of the Society, as will be
seen by the Treasurer's Report, amount,
after deducting what was on hand at the
commencement of the year, to $S5392, ex-
cecding the receipts of the year before by
about 5000. Over $500 worth of books
have been purchased and paid for and $500
appropriated by the Committee to aid in
supplying other places.
1t is matter of just pride to our citizens,
that so young Territory is already making
its influence felt in the diffusion of the Scrip
lures abroad
But while we rejoice in view of what has
been done, it becomes us to remember that
our work is not accomplished, and that it is
constantly accommodating en- our hands. The
tide of emigration will undoubtedly bring
with it many Bbleless families, and many
more will be formed on the spot who will
remain destitute unless supplied by the hand
of benevolence. Over 100 destitute families
were supplied by the Agent last season, and
hundreds more may now be found in the
same condition.
10 provide for present and prospective
wants, the Committee have resolved to orde,
a large additional quantity of books to the
main Depository at this point, and to estab-
lish branch Depository at Winona for &C
commodation ofthe Southern part of the Ter
ritory. To meet this outlay and other ex-
penses, they rely upon the lberality of the
friends of the Bible. When wealth is pouring
in upon us SO profusely, we hope that that
liberality will not be appealed to in vain, and
that the Minnesota Bible Society will con-
tinue to be an honor to the Territory and a
blessing to the world.
| st. Paul. April &c, 1856.