Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1865-12-20
BIBLE SOCIETY.

1
the fiftieth year of it's operations. having
been organized on the I'd Wednesday Of
May, 1876. Just as the year opens upon
US, God in his Providence has summoned
US to several new endeavors of great i'm
rortance and magnitude, thus browning
and honoring our humble labors in the
past. ltl
We seem to be thus called upon to eel.
citrate our Jubilee Year by undertaking
the following enterprises a &
/. The re.supply Of the South, where
vast proportion Of the people are now
without Bibles and anxious to receive them
aud where measures are inaugurated for
circulating at least one million of copies.
2. The supply of such Freedmen as are
able to read. multitudcs of whom are rap
idly learning for the purpose of perusipg
the Inspired Word before they die. 10
meet the wants of the aged among them,
an edition of the Gospel of John, in large
print is just proposed.
Having labored the past year as army
agent of the Bible Society among the SOL
diers, citizens and freedmen of Virginia
aud North Carolina, the subscriber can
testify to the interesting character and vast
importance of these efforts. s
3. The circulation of the Spanish Script
ures in Mexico and South America, where
agents are at work and where hundreds of
thousands of copies will be gladly receiv-
ed and read by the people.
4, The printing of the new version Of
the Arabic Scriptures. the first edition OF
which. together with the preparation of
the electrotype plates, will cost the society
this year from 70 to $4,000 dollars. The
Arabic is the spoken language Of 1885,,
100000 of people IT, after the plates
are finished, we can print 100000 copies
annually for 100 years we should just put
our Bible in each family Provided the
race remains numerically the same, in 600
years VIC could furnish Bible to each in
dividual
While called to these unusual efforts,
the ordinary work cannot safely be neg
lected. The Bible has been wisely pro.
nounced the Charter of Liberty to the
world, and our recent national experience
teaches US, in every possible way to de
velop and strengthen the elements of free
government. To do it we must keep the
Bible in the hand of the masses
1t is thought important that every com
munity should be canvassed and supplied
once in five years. 1t is much more than
thatsince this work has been done through
out this State. At its annual meeting the
Vt Bible Society voted to re-canvass the
State. Two agents are already in the
field for this purpose, and others will be
employed as soon as suitable men can be
found.
Sister States are responding nobly to
the voice of Providence calling us to enlarg-
ed iberality. Massachusetts Bible Socc-
ty has appropriated $4,000 for the Arabic
Scriptures Illinois is endeavoring to
make her special Jubilee Offering S5o,-
600. And others are making similar
efforts.
We trust Vermont will not be behind
her sister States in this sublime effort. A
large increase of funds seems indispen-
sable to the discharge of our obligations.
The agent can visit comparatively few
of the churches. May we not rely upon
pastors of every name, to bring the cause
faithfully before their people? And will
not every lover of the Bible, however hum
BILE his means, contribute his mite, and
those of larger stewardship give as God
hath prospered I? We do not ask you to
turn aside other benevolent objects which
the Bible has developed, but do not forget
this time honored and Heaven -honored in
stitution in this mort interesting crisis
of its history.
VIM H. GILBERT,
Agent Am. and Vt Bible Soc's.
Brattleboro, Dec. II, 1865.