The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-05-15
For the Free Trader.
Eleventh Animal Statement


cial difficulties such as our State has never
before experienced. The value Of Asricu!-
tural products, upon which most Of those
who sustain the Bible Cause depend, has
been diminished nearly or quite one half -
And yet so firmly is this cause established
in the affections Of the people, and SO well
does our long tried system Of operating con-
tinue to work, that we are enabled to report
n year of general prosperity, with only
slight falling off in receipts.
We now have an Auxiliary Bible Society
in every county in the State. S:S Of these
counties have two each, making lUG in ALL
About 100 Branch Societies have been add
ed to our list during the past year, making
the entire number nearly 1000, and the
whole number Of Societies including the
Auriliaries, about 100. For several years
past Branch Societies have been organized
in the State, at the rate of 100 or 200 per
annum, and in many places where eleven
years ago there was nothing TO relieve the
monotony of the uninhabited prairie, there
are now tioursi,ng Bible societies. by the
annual co operation Of the County Agents
with IN. friends of the Bible within the
bounds Of these Societies nearly all of them
have been kept in operation. Each OF the
Auxiliaries and Branches has n stock OF
Bibles and TeStamcnts for sale or gratuitous
distribution SO that there are 100 Depos-
itdries in the State.
About $500 Local Agents are connected
with the Societies or about five to each So
cie,y on an average. They constitute no.
be army of fuow laboIers, and the Cause
is greatly indebted TO them for their gratui-
tous services.
One new wheel has been added 70 our ma
chinery the past year, which is imparting
increased power to The whole. ! refer to
the plan of holding semi-annuai meetings
Of the various Branch and County Societies,
thus bringing the cause oitener to the re-
membrance OF the people and increasing the
efficiency OF the Local Agents.
The amount OF funds raised in the State
the past year from donations and sales OF
books is about So 600 Of this amount
there has been RENTED to the American
Bible society nearly SO ,OJo-not far from
S2i 900 of 1t in payment for books, and
about $ll ,0U0 as donations to aid IN supply
ing other places.
The remainder has been expended by the
Auxilaries and Branches in carrying for
ward operations at home This includes not
only the amount paid 10 County Agents ;or
services in fo' ming and fostering Societies,
raising funds, circulating books, &c, but al
so the amount paid for feishr, (~ome ST.
500 or 81 900 postage, book ses, blank
books, Signs and other necessary expense.
The average expense TO each Society for
home operations in addition 10 the cost Of
TO ks circulated is less than SO. only pr
ton Of which Is for agency. And only part
of this portion Is justly charScatie I" ac-
count OF raising funds. We have no mere
colectiI ag-nts-much OF the time OF those
being engroSsed with other duties, and
their services would bc necessary even II
they made no CO lections. Alter adding to
the expenditures of the Auxiiiarivs and
Branches the small amount expended by
the Parent Society IN the State for agency.
il is believed that the aggregate vii be much
less in proport- on to the results than - cN-
n.nd.d by Railroad, Mercantile and other
companies in conducting secular business.
Still the expenditure for agency Is larger
than il need TO be If the proper IN tarcst
were felt IN the Bible Cause, and We hope
that Pastors and Local Agents viii enable
Us bv their pcsonal eifJIts for the Cause TO
reduc. the eNpend. uc. We now have one
County Agent, to about every five counties,
but shall be glad TO reduce the number and
enlarge the fields Of those who remain when
ever vii answer to do So.
Bic books and Records purchased Of
tl,tsA merican Bible Society during the year
amount to ahon, s2l ;og0; 50 THAT our remit.
purchases, and leave our indebtedness less
than a, the beginning Of the year. The az
cregate indie bicdncSS To the A s. s of 90 OF
the Auxi'iarics is SlI.343 SO, while the az
cregatc credit balances OF the IS others in
addition to the ona'ion> which have bcei,
made i IS, 100 AZ, leaving a deficiency of
S6.l47 -.
Our remi:tances 70 the Parent Society
the past year have been abou, s. 900 less
than the year before but more than in any
one previous to that. The falling off is no
more than the deficiency in the rcinittances
from the Chic;igO Bible Society alonc-the
amount forwarded from the remainder ofthe
State being fully equal To last year. IL sho'd
he stated however ~ lnsticc To Chicago that
s 900 of its remiltanccs year before last
was a legacy, and that another cause of the
deficiency was postponmcnt OF the collect
ions in some of the larger city churches I'M
Ill too late 10 include the results in the pres.
ent report.
Quite 4 number of persons have consitu-
ted themselves or friends life member OF the
Parent Society since the commencement of
the year by the payment of SO each, and
others have subscribed this amount t. he
paid hereafter.
The :. Chidrcn's z Die Fund" has contin-
ned to receive attcntion-onc Sabbath
School having con r buted over Si5 TO it, and
others smaller sums.
The number of books circulated by the
various Bible Societies in the State the past
year. in Y or eight different languages, is
about &C, 900, and although they have circu-
lated about this number Annually for sever.
al years past there is still restitution, and
will be need OF repeated and aahual efforts
for the home supply so long as our popula-
tiun increases at the present rapid rates.
The number Of" Bible Society Records"
sent to the State monthly is about 1000, or
nearly one fourth of the whole number is
sued. Abcu, 5000 Of these are fnrn shed
TO the Local Agents, at cost to the auxilia-
rics OF S625 per annum, and most of the
others are issued to Pastors Life Members,
Officers of Auxiluries and others gratutu-
ouSly, though 2 few are paying Subscriber
to it.
The number Of Pastors IN the State who
cooperate with us is abon, 1000, and we
arc very much indebted to them for the re-
suits OF the past year.
The services of Mr.. j. A. Mack, assistant
agent of the Parent Society in the northern
part of the State. and of Rev James Taylor,
who sustains a similar relation in the central
counties, have been continued during the
year, and have been highly acceptable. In
the southe n counties we have had such
agent since the res gnation ofRev. f. Hollis
ter, and the Cause there has suffered in con-
srquenct. Recently however, Rev. Joseph
Mosscr has been commissioned to take his
place, and We anticipate from his well known
efficiency encouraging results.
Such is birds eye view Of the results of
the efforts Of the friends of the Bible Cause
with the Blessing Of God, in Illinois during
the past year, and Of the pr, sent condition
e. IL E. -