The Portland daily press., 1876-05-22

The annual meeting of the Bible Society Of
Maine was held at the Second Parish church
last evening. The meeting, though not largely
attended, was very interesting one Rev. w.
B. Hayden presided, and after the opening ex-
ereises Mr.. S. w. Larrabee read the annual re-
port, from which we CLEAN some very ia
teresting facts and figures.
The Society was incorporated III 1910 and this
is the 66th anniversary. The act of lncorpora-
ton included such names as Samuel Deane,
Rev. Elijah Kellogg, Samuel Freeman, Rev.
Edward Payson and many other similar names.
The report of the trustees show that a good
amount of work has been done. The wolk has
been nearly all devoted to Cumberland county.
Two men have been employed outside of Port
land. Mr.. Joseph Moulton has been employed
53 days and has canvassed the towns of Free
port, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Pownal,
New Gloucester, Gray, Raymond and Casco.
He visited 225S families in those towns; so
families were without the Bible and % were
supplied without cost; Al books were donated;
sold 2S2. He collected $14066. This agent
has cost the society $177.40.
Mr.. E. B. Stetson was employed as agent in
July last. In nine towns he visited 1882 FAM
lilies and CO. ected $25262. He found It's fam
lilies without the Bible, 126 were supplied, 919
books were sold and 125 books donated. The
services of this agent cost the society $200.28.
In II towns in the county $3.50 families were
visited 1901 books were sold, 207 families were
found without the Bible and 154 were supplied
166 books were donated, $3931S has been re-
ceived in contributions and the whole cost of
the agents has been $457.5S.
Mr.. Stetson commenced work 10 Portland
last March. Up to the present time he has
visited 2511 families in wards !, 2 and g. He
has found 34S families without the Bible, 55
of whom were Protestants. He has supplied
SO families, donated 20 Bibles, sod 121, and
collected $111.62, and obtained "a names to the
membership of the society.
The Treasurel's account shows the receipts
of the year to be 81, 538 so and the expendi-
lures have been $1,092.3S. The Librarians re-
port shows that the sale and donations of Bibles
have amounted to $9S61S. He has received
from the American Bible Society books amount.
ing to 81 9SS SO. He now has Bibles amount-
ing to 81, 5O7.S5 and $6O0.47 in cash. The re-
port closed with few words appropriate to the
iooO INV. L. d. 1l!picy, AoI MCr tiuoleo aHu au
earnest worker in the society.
AT the close of the reading of the report,
Rev. Mr.. Gilbert, District Secretary of the
American Bible Society, addressed the meeting
at some length. He said that at present there
is much need of working among the Catholic
population and getting them interested in read
ing the Bible. He related several instances,
one of them in this city, where Catholics had
been led to attend the Protestant church
through the labors of the society's agents He
said that the use of the International Lesson
Papers in the Sunday schools had brought
about an unusual study of the Bible all over
the country. His remarks were closely listened
to and at the close large contribution was
taken up. Rev. Dr. Carruthers followed in
few remarks upon the need of careful study
of the Bible. He illustrated his remarks by
rather amusing anecdote of lawyer who
charged clergyman with using improper lam
guage in the pulpit, when it afterwards ap-
peared that that the language objected to was
passage of scripture.
Rev. DIR. Hill closed the meeting with appro
PIRATE zen arks upon the value of the Bible.