The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-11-27

volumes received by the Society during
the past year S41 ,662 were manufactur.
ed in this building, while but 1Sl ,224
were printed abroad and only 33,S93
purchased there. This makes the whole
Eumber 1,056,779.
The binding, in which work some 200
girls and so men are employed, is done
on the third and fourth floors, while the
printing department. employing 90
hands, including eleetrotypers and proof
readers, is on the Eth and sixth floors.
WORK OF TsE SOCIETY.
One of the many very good things
which the Society does, is the placing of
the Bible within easy reach of all 'orts
of travellers, by furnishing copies at half
price to railroad managers and proprie.
tors of steamboats, and hotels. In the
latter part of 1873, it commenced to
manufacture copies of the Scriptures in
raisel letters for the use Of the blind.
In 1866, as fitting celebration of the
fiftieth year of its existence, a third
general supply of the country was be-
gun. At the close Of the first five
years, 2,900,l19 families had been vis-
tied; of these, 2S3,1SG were without
tho Bible, and %, ,8S7 of such were sup.
piled with it, This work was done di.
rectly by the Society itself.
1t might, perhaps, be interesting to
know something of the receipts from
various sources. In 1866 S37, 1895
were received, while in 1870, the re
ceipts for that year alone amounted to
S747 ,O5S.G9, being larger than the
amount for any previous year AT the
close of the fiscal year, March 3lst,
1871, S14, ,090, ,4076S, made up the re-
ceipts to that date since the organization
of the Society. OF this amount, over
S1,700,000 were received from legacies
being the bequests of about 2,4OO diff
ferent persons.
The traDslations of the Indian
tongues, besides many foreign languages,
were made entirely at the expense of
the Society. The present depository is
capable of holding 100000 bound vol
umes of the Scriptures, and twenty
times that number can be printed annu'
ally, if necessary. The Society EN-.
ploys nearly 400 hands at the Bible
House.
Besides all the European languages,
the Scriptures are published in the fol-
lowing: Hebrew, Chinese, japanese,
Arabic, Septuagint, Syriac, Armenian,
Cherokee, Choctaw, Dakota, Hawaiian,
Benga and others. They are, of course,
extensively circulated throughout the
countries in which these languages are
spoken. Thousands of dollars worth of
Scriptures are given away every year.
Many of these are given to discharged
convicts. The Arabic Scriptures were,
at first, electrotyped in this city, but
this work is now done in Beirut. The
Society publishes large and compre-
heusive annual report. Thousands of
Bibles are given to immigrants every
year, either upon their arrival at Castle
Garden, or shortly afterwards. During
the war the Society furnished gratuit-
ously nearly 100000 volumes to the
soldiers in our army, and by April 1st,
1870, the whole number distributed in
that way was about 100000. About
an equal number has been granted di-
rectly by the society, in this city, to our
naval forces and seamen generally. In
seven years, from 1863 20 1870, some
10000 copies of the Scriptures were
given to the freedmen, The Society's
work Is, of course, chiefly among the
poorer classes, only one-twenteth of the
volumes printed being for the use of the
wealthy. At the suggestion Of John
Tappan, of Massachusetts, and upon the
strength of a gift of $1,000 from him.
the Society, in the fall of 1856, sent a
handsomely bound volume of their I'm.
perial quarto English Bible, enclosed in
a rosewood case, to all the chief magis
trates of the world. This gift was ac
companied by courteous Christian
letter, which, in many cases, was polite
ly answered. In October, 1878, wher
} the Evangelical Alliance met in New
York, the members were all invited tC
the Bible House, and there each on,
was presented with handsome copy o
: the English Bible, suitably inscribed
, In the first year of the Society's exis
, tence, but 6,410 volumes were issued
! This number almost equals that of tn,
first sixteen years, from 1S16to 1882
The total number issued up to date i
!, just about 30,000,000.
OFFICERS.
The officers number in all seventy
} four, there being one President, thirty
, one Vice. Presidents, three Secretaries
{ one Treasurer. Assistant Treasurer, AM
: a General Agent, besides thirty.si,
members of the Board of Managers
' The presidents of the Society have al
) ways been able and distinguished publi
men. The present holder of that ofic
. is William ii. Allen, LII d., Presiden
of Girard College, Philadelphia. Oh
Q the list of names of the seven previou
e officers will be found such names as Hon