The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-08-04
The Press and Banner.
nv Hugh Wilson and H. T. Wardlaw.
Wednesday August 4, 1880.
The Bible Society.

The Bible Society.
Our readers, we know, will thank us
for giving them 80 full a report Of the do
ings of the last annual meeting OF the
Abbeville District Bible Society. The
sermon by the Rev. Mr.. Stafford will
we'll repay a perusal. The various RE
ports which are published will give in
teresting information-that Of the Libra
rian as to the progress of the work OF
distributing Bibles to our destitute. and
from that of the Treasurer may be drawn
the inference that this old and respected
institution is nearly dead. The receipts
seem to be growing less and less every
year, and if something isn't done to re-
vive the public interest in it, it may not
be long before the Society will close bus
mess. The Report of last year exhibited
very small cash receipts, and the receipts
at this meeting are even still moro dis
couraging.
1t was pleasing to note however, that a
number of those present, IN their re-
marks, evinced q commendable anxiety
as to the prosperity Of the Society in the
future, and they seemed to think the use
fulness of the Society depended largely
on the formation of Auxiliary Societies.
We hold exactly tho opposite opinion.
We believe the Auxiliary Societies have
had the effect of killing out the District
Society. Ever since tho organization OF
these Societies tho attendance at the an
nual meetings of the District Society has
been gradually decreasing, until at the
last meeting We had present only fifteen
old members and one new member.
There were positively not enough mem
bers who had paid their annual dues,
to fill the offices, and gentlemen, so
far as we are informed, were elected to
fill the Offices who are not now members
of the Society, some Of whom at least,
have not in years contributed a cent to
the Treasury. Under the present regu-
lation the names Of all annual members
who do not pay at the annual meeting
are promptly dropped from the roll, un-
less, perchance, the member happens to
be an officer, in which event he need not
pay at all, as Mt the annual election Of
officers, SOME member in order to expe-
dite business, generally moves to r~e-elect
the old officers. The motion is always
seconded and the gentlemen are elected
to high Offices in an organization OF
which they are not members, and TO
whose existence they contribute moth
ing. Such a course is wrong. We
think some officer of the Society should
keep an account with the members, and
if they do not pay, the bill for their delin-
quencies should be sent to them. We
know that the Society loses manya mem-
Der and many a dollar, too, by tho pres
ent plan of dropping the names of those
who may net pay and attend the an nua
meetings. When a man joins the So
ciety his name should be continued on
the rolls until the Society should vote his
release, and at each meeting the AIM of
those who pay should be read out as they
were at the last meeting, and if the Treas
urer should receive additional fees for
membership between now and the next
meeting, a note of their names and the
amount so paid should be made and read.
We know by a proper course that there
are a hundred good men, representing
evory section of the County, who would
cheerfully become and remain members
under a different system. Some of the
best men in the town of Abbeville, and
some of the most effective workers in the
cause, too, are temporarily absent from
town, at the present time. Under
the existing system, they have for
feited their membership, unless they
should hunt up the Treasurer and pay
thcir fees to him. Let us have a differ
ent system-call tho roll at the annual
meetings, and present bills to d~elinquents,
and we are no judge of small matters if
the Society doesn't resume something OF
its former usefulness.
In this connection, we may be allowed
to remark on a discussion which arose as
to the propriety of asking the different
preachers to deliver a sermon and make
q collection on n Sunday in the year for
the benefit Of tho District Bible Society.
Some objected to this or the ground that
where the local clubs existed the men,
bers would be called on twice to contrib
ute for the same object. We think
it right and proper to make not only
one call, but that it would be we'll to
make two, three or even more calls dur
ing the year-if the money should be
needed. In taking up o collection in
church everybody gives a little, whether
no is a member of the church or of the
Society. The little mitc is freely con-
tributed for the benefit of the cause.
These little free-will offerings are not
given grudgingly, but freely. "The Lord
loveth a cheerful giver."