The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1861-07-17
History of the Bible Society in
New Jersey and in Hunterdon
County.

British and Foreign Bible Society in
1904. The oldest in this country is
the Philadelphia Bible Society, of
which Bishop White was long Pres
ident and was formed in 1903. The
first in our State was the New Jersey
Bible Society. organized at Princeton
in Dec, 1909, when an address on the
novel object of the Association was
issued to the " Publick," and signed
by Elias Boudinot. Among the ear
" Officers of the Society were (vener-
able names, E Boudinot and Joshua
M. Wallace of Burlington Samuel
Bayard and Rev /. V. Brown, of
Princeton; Rev DR.. JOS. Clark,
Chief Justice Kirkpatrick and John
Neil, on, of sew Brunswick /; Rev.
Peter Studdiford of Readington Rev.
DR.. j Woodruff of Of Freehold; and
Others
These men all belonged to a former
generation. Dir. Brown for long
time the last survivor, deceased few
months since. Much interest was
manifested in the Society. 1t had a
long career of usefulness Its collec-
tions and distributions were, however,
mostly confined to the central part of
the State-the former averaging from
four to FIVE hundred dollars, and the
latter few hundred volumes annu :
ally. 1t is a singular fact, in con-
trast with Our present ability to care
for our own people and at the same
time extend our benefactions to
other lands, that in 1911 the Brit
ish Bible Society made donation of
9100 to the New Jersey Bible Soeie-
ty to aid in furnishing the population
of the State with the sacred volume.
The Nassau Hall Bible Society, of
which DR. VIM A. Mcdowell was the
first PRECEDENT, and VIM Pennington
the first Secretary, was organized 10
February, 1913, and did a good work
in aiding to supply the Army and Ma
w of the United States Git was a time
Of war; witch the Scriptures. About
this time, societies which have since
been regularly sustained were formed
in six of the counties Of the State.
Our National Bible Society was insti
tuted soon after in 1917.
Tn 1927, the Nassau Hall Bible So
ciety, after an earnest discussion which
lasted several days, resolved that with
the help of other Associations in the
State, the Bible should be carried to
every dwelling Of the people within a
year from that time. The project
was o bold and novel one. Sixty
young gentlemen from Princeton and
New Brunswick volunteered their SER
vices as distributors. The pledge was
redeemed, and it was ascertained that
there were seven thousand families in
the State without Bible. The ex-
ample nobly set in this State was soon
followed in Others. Like many other
such things, the State Bible Society,
and that of Nassau Hall, gradually
failed in interest, and became among
the things that were. Other similar
Associations were formed with varied
success. Of late years there has come
to be Bible Society in every county,
each Auxiliary to the Parent Society
in New York, each collecting revenues
in its own field, keeping supplies of
Bibles at convenient points, and ma
ring Contributions at suit table intervals
This mode of organization is found to
be most effective and satisfactory. The
entire receipts from the State, during
the year ending lst of April last, were
SIT, 974,52, being an increase on any
previous years. The Bibles put in
circulation in the State at the same
time werel3, 1852, making l01, 927 vol
unies during the last nine years This
good cause has a high position among
the people of our State,
The Hunterdon County Bible So
ciety is well sustained. The last an
nual meeting which was very largely
attended, was held at Blomsbarg. It
was an occasion Of much interest. It
is mark Of prosperity that these An
niversaries bring together increasing
numbers of the friends of the cause.
The receipts from this Comfy during
the year above mentioned were $lOO3,
81. A depository of Bibles and Tes-
taments is kept at Emery's Store
where these volumes in different lam
guages and styles can be had at the
same price as in New York, and graf
uitously for the poor
The next Annual Meeting is to be
held at Frenchtown. The officers Of
the Society are S. D. Stryker Pres
ident Rev j. Kirkpatrick Treasurer,
w. p Emery Secretary.
SINGULAR CASE OF SAVING LIFE. -
At the foot of Jay street, New York,
on Tuesday forenoon, the captain Of a
canal barge was lying on the deck of