Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-21
BIBLE WORK.
Annual Report of the Work of the Ameri.
can Bible Society In the West ana South.

AOA
Annual Report of the Work of the Ameri-
can Bible Society in the West ana South.
At the request of the committee on
agencies, the secretary having charge of
colportage has prepared the following re-
port, showing the results of this depart
msnt of the society's work for Que year,
from Nov. l, 1882, to Oct, 81, 1888:
Results of the First Year of Colportaee
Work in the Fourth General Re-Supply
of the United States and Territories.
When the fourth general re-supply of
the United States and Territories was IN
dertaken by the board of managers of the
American Bible society, it was resolved to
make the work as thorough as possible.
To this end measures were adopted to sup
plement the work of auxiliarles by a
thorough system of colportage.
Where the local societies could not do
the work, colporteurs we're to be sent at
the expense of the parent society, and the
work pushed as rapidly as possible. 1t was
reasonably expected that the auxiliaries in
the New England states, New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Della
ware, Ohio, Kentucky aud Illinois, would
for the most part attend to the canvass Of
their respective fields, SO that colportage
conducted by the ~soeisty has chiefly been
confined to the following states and terri
tories: Alabama, Arkansas, California,
Colorado, Dakota, Florida, Georgia, Idaho.
Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi,
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
New Mexico, North and South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and
Wyoming.
One county in New Jersey (where the
auxiliary had disbanded some years ago),
three COUNTIES in the state of New York,
and the large county of Aroostook in
Maine, have been canvassed, and colpor-
tours Of this society are now at work in
two counties of New York, and one in
Maine. Some counties in Illinois, Ken
tacky and Ohio had also to be cared for
by tho parent society. With these exoep-
tions the work now presented has been
carried on in the more distant parts of
the country, where the churches generally
are feeble and supported in part by the
Home Missionary societies of the denomi-
nations which they represent; while q con-
siderable proportion Of the work has been
In advance Of church work among the
frontier settlers, the isolated ranohnen.
and In the camps of miners beyond the
pale OF civilization.
In the prosecution of this work over
500 different men have been. employed for
q longer OF shorter period. They have
rendered 1864 days of service, have trav-
eiIed S56,364 miles, visited 65O,940 fami-
lies, and found $3.50 families which had
no bible in their homes, and supplied &c.
546 Of these families, besides 1856 ind1-
viduals. They have put in circulation
349,O10 copies of the scriptures. OF these
277,5S5, Of the value of $105,71O.8O, were
sold, and 71.425, Of the value of S17,688.O9
were donated.
The colporteurs' wages and travelling
expenses in the prosecution of this work
amounted to $87,61O.50. which makes an
average of $L.S7 for every day of service
rendered, thirteen cents for every family
visited by them, and about twenty-five
cents for every copy of scripture distrib-
utsd by sale or gift.
To the wages and travelling expenses of
the eolporteurs must be added i$6,453 for
freight apon books sent to them, making a
total of 1874, 053.5 so for the distribution, by
sale and gift,i of 349,010 copies of scrip
lures, of the value of $123, 1893 SO.
Adding the cost OF books
to the cost of distribu-
ton, we have a total
expenditure Of off,. $2I7, 452 4S
The cslporteurs, how
ever, received from
sales S105, ITO "a
4 total Of. .......... $115, 432 81
Making the net expendi-
ture, including the cost
Of the books donated. -. 102,OJ9 Sc
These are general results, which show
the aggregate of the work. More par
ticularly it may be stated that the terri
tories of Utah, Montana and Idaho, with
the exception of four counties, have been
thoroughly %canvassed. The canvass of
Colorado has been almost completed, and
work has been commenced in Wyoming
territory. In Nebraska, fifteen counties
have been thoroughly canvasssd, and
twenty-one counties partly. In Kansas,
sixteen counties have already been sup
piled, and the work is now progressing in
twenty-eight counties. In Kentucky; the
work has been finished in nineteen coun-
ties, and in Tennessee the same number;
while in the latter more or less work has
been done in twenty-seven, and in the
former in twelve other counties. In
Texas, twenty-six counties have been
wholly canvassed, and the work is ap-
preaching completion in thir.y-three other
counties, some of them the largest in the
state.
But, without further detail, it may be
sufficient to state that there are upward of
1900 organized counties in all, which must
be supplied through the colporteurs of
this society. Of these, 333 counties have
been canvassed during the year, and 425
partly canvassed; making a total of 75S,
or more than one-third Of the whole. Very
rapidly will the work De completed in those
where it has been begun, and be COM
menced in still other counties; 30 that we
may reasonably hope to accomplish this
entire work within three years, at an addi-
tional cost not exceeding $250,O0O.
1t should, however; be borne in mind
that this is the cost Of only one depart
ment of the society's work. Considerable
grants of books have been made 20 aux
~illieries which nave assumed the RESPONSE
bility of the work in their own fields. The
Oregon Bible society, the Washington
territory Bible society, the Virginia Bible
society and the Southwestern Bible society