The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-08-09
For the Free Trader.
bibles for the Army.

fettor Citizens Illinois is called upon to
furnish its thousands of additional troops
ior the war. Our brave men are respond
| ing TO this call with alacrity and soon our
| neighoors and friends will be in the camp
| some OF them on the battle field and
others in the hospital Some will never
return alive, and will have no christian
friend to min!ter consolation in the dying
hour. All will be surrounded by demora-
| lizin2 influences and will need help to
resist them. While we provide for their
bodily comfort we must remember that
they have intellectual and moral wants to
be supplied, and that they need spiritual
as we'll as tempOra. food The object of
this article is to call attention to the i'm
portance of supplying them with the scrip
lures. Great good has already resulted
from furnishing the 100000 men who vol
unteered under previous calls; and many
cheering incidents connected Herewith
have already come to our knowledge
lst We therefore respectfully request
that the relatives of the present volun-
teers will procure bibles or testaments and
place in their pockets or knapsacks be-
fore they leave their homes This is
altogether the best method of supply, as
they will be more highly prIzed and dill
gently read than if received from any
any other source.
= We request that our school district
agents procure testaments from the branch
depositors and place them in the hands
Of anv who may not be supplied by their
friends
Sd. Will officers of township societie.
give attention to this matter and supply
any who have not been furnished BY their
or local agents.
4th. As those from each county will
usually rendezvous at the county seat
before leaving for the camps of instruction
will the officers Of county societies please
call committee meetings and appoint one
ons or more of their number to visit the
companies and furnish such as have not
been supplied by the persons above ap-
pealed TO. The names of those receiving
the books with the names Of societies or
persons presenting them should be writ
ten in them.
9Th Will christian ministers please call
the attention OF their congregations both
to the Importance OF these distributions
and to the need of contributions to pay
for the books thus used, and take collec-
items or subscriptions 10 defIay the ex-
pense
9th. VIII the friends Of the Bible and
Of our soldiers all over the State send in
their individual and extra contributions
to this object without waiting to be called
on. The money may be paia to the treas
urers Of the township and county societies,
or their agents, or remtted to the general
agent at Elgin, Ill, or to Henry Fisher
the treasurer of the Parent Society at
New York, as may be preferred.
Any one can see the need of these con-
tributions. Some $10,0O5 has already
been expended in supplying our army and
navy, and prisoners from the South, with
the Scriptures and the effort will not be
completed until the war ends While we
have this extra work to perform in addi-
tion to supplying destitute families with
Bibles, and children with testaments in
our own and foreign lands, the number of
those who sustain the bible cause is great
ly diminished by the same cause which
has increased the work. Thousands of
the former members and many of the
officers of our Bible Societies are now in
the army, and their r, lation is of course
changed from that Of patrons to benif-
ciaries. Hence those who remain at home
have more to do than before, and should
be willing to make extra eXertions and
great sacrifices in such time as this.
a. LORD,
Gen. Ag't A. D. $. for III.