The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1861-01-16
ottawa County Bible Society.

bringing us TO behold this day and this
anniversary. assembly, For a number Of
years this society has hold no annual
meeting, and it has, consequently, done
comparatively little. We are fully aware
of our own short comings in this matter.
We are not insensible that, as commit
Tee, and as society, yehave failed TODD
much that might have been done in seat
tering the leaves of the Tree Of Life-in
sowing the good seed of the Word Of
God. Yet, something has been, done.
Our Depository has been sustained and
agood supply of Bibles and Testaments
kept on hand and probably no year has
passed in which collections have not been
taken in more or less of tho congrega-
tions of tho'county for this cause. f',9di
During the past year tho. county has
been to o considerable extent explored, a
large number of families visited, and the
destitutions found have been supplied.
In February last Mr.. WILLARD MILLS, a
distributing agent Of the American Bible
Society, visited the county. A meeting
was called and the committee entered
heartily into a plan for the thorough ex-
ploratiou and supply Of the county. Ev-
cry facility in the power of the commit
tee was afforded the agent, who, in the
course of the summer, closed his labors
and reported as follows, viz: .io,.
whole No. of families visited, 1880
00, I" A." /" Bibles sold, 203
{" /" Given away ia
| # !" q"", {" Tcstaments sold, 225
,e .a"rrs 4. g. 4" Given, SO
Total amount Of salesr 10 70 $207 81
@ A.. r,n"; Gifts, 2. ~ .6S AZ
Number Of families found destitute Of
the rBible,,og =: tl' = ra Lsgh l267Y
The agent further says: !gri ioe'anb
al have reported to the parcut society,
in New York, Bibles drawn from your
Depository, to the amount of S276 21."'
And concludes his report as follows: /,
~ can not but express my gratitude
for tho many tokens of kindness and
sympathy manifested by the friends in
your county while engagedin distributing
the Word of God. l canyassed six coun.
ties before coming, among your people
and nowhere have l found a warmer re-
ception than in Ottawa County. May
Heavens choicest blessings rest upor
them, and the many copies of the
blessed Bible scattered there prove tho
means of much good. 4et
Signed, w. Mills, Ag't Am. Bible So
By tho late census the population o
this county is 1922. Taking the usu
al estimate of five persons to a family
there are 2,e44 families. The agent re
ports having visited 1889 families, which
by the above estimate, is little more
than half the whole number. OF these
1889 families he found 267, nearly one
fifth, destitute of the Bible. And on the
: basis of this estimate we conclude thai
thero are yet over 250 families in thi:
county who have no Bible in their houses
/ About one IN ten of the families of this
county yet destitute Of the Word of God
The following is an exhibit of the Fl.
nancial condition of the Depository in
Grand Haven, 10 wit r3a3y|
For balance due the Parent ..
Society, FeBy 90, 1850, s 3s1 81
Invoices of Bibles and Tes- 100
taments since, rf .,.a AL 81
Sundry collections since, Is 90
-g-- Fful Isl - Vrp NO. rs i----
Total, I'd - - -" - s4s sc
rlli - % n,aA ta' On Ih ~
BY Bibles and Testaments a7 '.. 30
delivered at sundry times to Mr.. .'" ~
Mills, .1''a7." i.'f s276 q
Amount paid Rev. 7. G.
Gardiner, Agent ~ 80 + 20 "a
Balance Books and Tesla
ments on hand at Branch De-.
pository, at Holland, = irsh 1913 oo
Balance Bibles and Tesla 81
ments on hand in Depository, y. ~,
at Grand Haven, aaa''E III $50 Sd
Total l--.loov7i1aH $ s4s SC
leaving this balance due the Parent
Society, on the 5tB day Of January, 1861,
in q fine assortment Of Bibles, &C., now
III ' Illo DEPOSITORY ur94 l4uy .n.es.
And now, when we regard the times
in which we live, so full of stirring events,
ihwhich God is opening the world to the
benevolencc of his people, we mourn that
We, ourselves, haye-been so unheedfal Of
the wants Of the perishing and The calls
Of God. How signally-almost strange
I lyTGod is preparing the world for the
introduction of the Gospel. The bull