, 1881-10-16
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY.

an OFFICIAL lsE4l'I1 IL Adv EltoG NlsA14
ClSMS ON ITS ACCOUNTS.
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New YoEE
Oct II. 1Ssl.-Iu the Editor Of the Spring
- field Republican,: The communication
signed Accountant and New York,
and the editorial comments thereon, III you
issues Of the It'll and It'll insts.. about " Bibl
Society Accounts prompt llle to say:
~ Accountant who declares that TIL
it balance Of income from Il fund held for /:
specific purpose, and yet to be expended fol
the object for which the fund was created, i:
all asset instead of liability, and should ap
pear Oil the debit side of balance sheet in
stead Of OIL the credit side, shows, for mar
who claims to be and is indorsed by you as
al expert, all amazing ignorance OF funda-
mental principle oil bookkeeping.
When he estimates the cost of book dis
u1DuGon at 20 per cent OIL the value, By a
- calculation based on items which are not in
lie report. and which are wholly naslnaTy.
slch :1s-if the Bible House property, ma
chlnery, and manufacturing appliances be
put III 1T Accountants" valuation; and i
uust funds be reckOned as assets Instead or
liabilities, as he claims they should be; and
y, per cent OF. that imaginary agEfegate oe
ADDED 10 inc0me-and uien j the Bible als-
Itlhutlon in the United States amounted 10
only SGl. 433 which, like lis other figures arc
wholly imaginary-lle reveals all an1inus OF
hostility rather than The deliberate Judgment
OF an expert.
accountant - says that the plain meaning
o1 The statement ''that the strictly benevolent
Work Of the society involved all expenditure
ol S34422 5S5.N is that this sum WAS expended
4cahout rcturus.'' This is nowhere stated III
tae report, but just the reverse IS distinctly
ssnteu- LII the financial statement he may
~4Iu Items Of Important returns n from ~ @ ule
1ofelgn field, and returns of S53;63s*4t from
coiporteurs, and Sl3, II ~. 30 from other sources
Y me United Sta1es; and although he states
ihat Sas2e4 sSG is the whole amount that can
1la'e beeh applied during the year to stflcl'y
benevolent and missionary work. and winch
y Sll1, 100 less than the amount said TO nave
9een SO applied," I reply that, in point OF
1act there did 20 out in books and money.
precisely Us stated, S:;42, 5S5 81 and the rec
osds aud vouchers for every item are mere 10
prove it. i
Now, If Accountant - is not prepared to
dispute statement Of facts, how does .le ae
suppose We were able to give away Sli1,.to
tnofe aMe tilaM he claims we had to give? ue
FLOWS degree Of credit for s. management
"fitctl must disclaiul. :.
:! ne says, with great gravity, - the secnrl-
~ ues therein entered {pages 15S to 1871 amount
O. tar to. S1la,2s9,'' aud - the report, fMf-
FISHES no means for accounting for the dlt-
81 taeaeflce of Sl0,029''; and, further on, con-
aafescendinsly af - gives the society the. benent
~ ,,i thIs ditference"- reply that his state
enslt Is lot true, as tile amount OF secuflnes
sa!ea s;19 a. on those pages is Sl:s2 :s and not
*As 80, and there is no such difference rs he
e1@st:s W.: 10 be accounted for.
*a!sleo by "Accountlut," who makes gu
sii'AsSls VI tile balance-shect winch. tast
r''S r.eadS shown, Must be utterly repudlateu'
euu e"1 comment with severity on the rla1lage,
aeat 1or lot publishing the facts you Wou1o