Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-11-15

and workshop OF the American Dloie DO
ciety. Plain in architectural design and
unobtrusive in outward appearance, it
serves a potent and far-reaching purpose
From its store-rooms over 1000, 900 copies
of the Scriptures, printed in 164 languages
/ and dialects, are annually distributed
throughout the world. The society was
organized in May, 1916. by a convention
of delegates from different parts OF the
country. Its business is conducted by a
/ Board of Managers. consisting OF 80 lay
men of various Christian denominations.
I The publishing business is under the
charge OF Caleb T. Rowe. A. L. Taylor,
! the treasurer, found time recently TO say
/ to Tribune reporter:
| ours is a manufacturing, commercial
and benevolent business. We never sell
above cost price. more frequently below.
and not seldom give the Bibles out and
out. The channels of distribution in this
country are through the trade, through
about :, 900 auxiliary societies. and through
| the agency of colporteurs who are en-
ployed to carry books into sparsely settled
| sections To some extent we also use
other benevolent bodies as agents. The
distribution in foreign countries is done
mainly by the agencies at Constantinople,
Yokohama. Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro.
Montevldeo, Mexico, st. Petersburg and
| Tabeez, Persia The number of volumes
| issued from our house last year was l.
| 375 ,051 the number made in other coun-
tries, 45l, 164. During the 68 years that
the society has been at work. 1892. OBJ
Bibles and Testaments have been scatter
ed among the people of the earth. includ-
ing over $4,000 copies tor the blind"
And your general expenses-how are
they met ?" suggested the reporter.
s'The deficit is covered by contributions.
legacies, and the rent from the building.
Our total annual income from all sources
is upward OF 100000. Last year we
employed 400 colporteurs in America,
and gave work to 200 persons in this
building. Our fortnightly pay roll now
ranges from $4,000 to $l2 ,000."
The reporter was then shown through
60 horse power engine, which runs the
machinery. The ample paper stock on
the top was next seen, when the guide
led the way to the press room, on the sto-
~ below. where the foreman said: 1--WE
have twenty-five stop cylinder presses,
their tull capacity being 100 reams, or
5000 books day"
About half the presses were printing
from electretype forms, which would
make the adjoining printing Office we'll
nigh a superfluity were it not for the
composition required upon The Society
Record, semi-monthly publication The
book forms run from an imperial quarto,
set in Great Primer type, and costing 1927,
to plebian 32mo, printed in exasperating
Diamond, and sold for cents. The in
termedate varieties are designed to meet
any taste. As two copper skeletons"
are invariably taken from the set page by
the electrotyper, the most frequently used
forms do not have to be reset for at least
fifteen years. while those of the odd Ian
guages last for an almost indefinite peri
cd. The composition in Arabic, Chinese.
and other different languages. is mostly
done in the countries where spoken. AT
ter they are printed the sheets 90 to
the drying room, where they are hung in
quires upon cross poles, and left there for
twenty four hours. They are then piled
into stacks seven or eight feet high, and
are not disturbed for a week. When dry
they are put into hydraulic presses pre-
paratory to folding. In addition to this
natural means there is a steam process
which does the drying of the ink more
rapidly.
As the paper comes from the hydraulic
presses it is smooth and Welding. and is
sent to the folding department of the bind
cry. in the fourth story. The sheet may
contain from four to 32 pages. barring the
odd and impossible numbers 1t is called
''single" when il folds perfectly, and
s,Innhlafi ,xbnn hos 70 ho
sheets are counted by girls who also do
the hand and machine folding. the best
folding being still done BY hand. The
Bible society has Il machine folders. and
a smart girl will fold 10000 sheets in
day, or five times her former number
The gathering" which consists in
placing the folded sheets together accord
ing to their signatures. comes next The
operators. also girls, walk around the in
terror of an elongated horseshoe bench.
making one trip to gather all the sections
for a testament or small Bible. The en-
bryo books ut this stage are "spongy,"
and have to endure a period of slow hy-
draulic pressure TO render them hardy for
their early trials, In cases where quick
work is required they are put in the
"smasher' another ponderous machine,
for the same purpose. Then they have
their backs sawed crosswise by machinery
the grooves receiving the cords or strings
to which the leaves are sewed. In sewing
books machine has been recently per-
fected that does the work of five or six
girls. 1t resembles an ordinary sewing
machine and is an ingenious contrivance.
alt ia a good thing for everybody except
the girls" said the foreman of this de-
partment, pointing at the deserted rows
of hand sewing benches. Still here as
elsewhere the finest work is done by
hand. silk being used for the most expen-
sive Volumes I'VE used to employ 100
girls at sewing alone" explained Henry
A. Smith, the superintendent, land peo-
pie often ask me why we introduce so
much labor-saving machinery in an insti-
tuition like this. My reply is that when a
man gives his money to the society he de-
sires TO have as many Bibles made with it
/ as possible. As their is no profit. we can
not be blamed for adopting the most eco
nomical methods. When this building
was put up in 1858, it was thought that
eventually every room in it would be used
for making Bibles; but machinery has not
merely forestalled that possibility-it has
done more and made apartments unneces-
! sary that were formerly in use. Such are
now rented, and yield US an additional ir-
/ come -