The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-08-04

about two dollars in even the poorest type
and binding. Now 1t Is the cheapest book II
to give away copies Of the Bible generally
Now the Book is carried by the hundred thou
sand To the very doors of the poor in many
lands and given away W,tnoH YIN Gv m0ney Syy ahe the
American Bible Society redoubled its efforts
bcstowing the benefit of its labors with equa
| zeal upon either side in that conflict. Atleas,
100000 volumes were given away TO soldiers
during this period, and it is said that at one
time an average Of nine teStaments per min
ute for every hour of daily working time were
produced at the Bible House. In other con.
ilicts Of arms before and since, Its object oi
circulating the Bible has been consistently
and zealouSly pursued. Ia 1904 the Bible ex
| listed in some fifty languages, ancient anC
modern. Since that time nearly three hun
drcd versions have been made, for Which cred
It is largely due to Bible Societies.
1t is scarcely possible to speak of this work
without associating 1t with the missionary
cause The two go hand In hard and are mu
tually dependent on each other. Without the
Bible the cause of missions could not exist
while the Bible Societies would find thell
progress exceedingly slow, even at home, brl
missionaries. The Bible cause is essentially
q 'missionary Cause, and the Bible itself Il
missionary. There are numerous instances
recorded where this silent preacher has found
and with none to voice the Gospel 1t reveals
nor press its claims to recognition as the
Word Gf the living God, has sent It's simple
truths straight to the heart Of the earnest
seeker after truth and led to the conversion
of hundreds of souls 10 the worship of God
and to the Christian religion.
| OF our English Bible one has said. 1T lives
on the ear like music that can never be lot.
gotten. Its fclicities often seem to be almost
| things rather than words. 1t Is part Of tho
national mind, and the anchor of national
seriousness. The memory. of the dead passes
into it. The power Of all The grlefs and trials
of man are hid beneath its words. 1t is the
representatives Of his best moments, and oil
| that there has been about him OF SOFT ana
gentle and pure and penitent and good.
speaks to him forever out OF his Protestant
bible 1t Is tho mirror of our human ma,
ture in which we may behold the heart ol
man syayed and torn by the evil passions
that ours by, inheritance, throbbing with the
impuls es and aspirations .and longing of the
soul that fuin would stand ever pure before
the eyes Of its Maker, the battle ground OF
good and evil through all the ages. The
heart quake with fenr or ache with keen re-
morse or melt with the tenderness Of chris
tain charity all that is good In our nature
may be called forth to attive life by single
small children aged respectfully ten, seven
and four were compelled to 90 from Eastcen
Prussia to the United States to regain their
parents who had found Il home in the world
by the banks Of the Missouri There was no
| older person TO accompany them and they
must therefore make the journey alone.
female relative In Berlin gave 10 each OF them
a small volume in which she wrote ON the
first page the name, age, birthplace and dcS-
tination of the bearer; and below in German
and French and English she wrote single
sentence taken from that book. She told the
children If at any time they were In need OF
asslstancc Just to stand still and open their
little books and hold them up before them.
The young travellers started from their Ger
man home reached the seaport, embarked
on board the steamer, crossed the great Attain
tic, landed in America, Travelled by rail over a
thousand miles Westward into the heart OF
Missouri and safely reached their home In
showed their lttlo passports to all with
whom they came in contact, and every
where they received every kindness and pro-
lection and tcndcrcst euro. All hearts warm
ed with love and every hand strcthed forth TO
help the little ones thus cast upon the kind
ness OF passing strangers. That book was u
copy of the New Tcstimcnt, that line which
proved for them the open passport to the hl-
'fnasmuch as yc have done 1t unto one of the
least OF these. yc have done 1t unto NO." III.
L. Hastings.]
ness. environcd by q wall OF Ignorance lost In
the labyrinth Of superstition and error which
the evil one knows so well how TO weave on I
Of the waywardness and fears and depravity
of the heart Of man, the Bible Is great light
and n guide to free him from his thralldom
and bring him TO q knowledge of the way, the
truth and the life. For civilized society 1t Is
treasure house whence may be drawn object
lessons in all the virtues that make up the
Christian life, and warnings and terrible eX-
amplcs of all the vices that draw in their
train the decay Of civilization, the severance
of the social tie, the destruction OF the family,
the death of patriotism, the overthrow OF
government and the night Of human despair.
Given q civilization built upon the principles
6y and 4hoss
germ Is in the bosom of the family; whose
bulwark Is the purity Of the home; whose
ethics Is the observance of the Sabbath the
sacrednesS and binding power o: the marriage
tic, aud freedom and temperance and fair
dealing, and adherancc to that rule Of right
conduct which the whole world has named
The Golden "a civilization whose temples are
served by holy mon ordained of God To a life
Of virtue and purity and tender, Watchful,
compassionate regard for the we'll being OF all
their fellow men, whose sacrifices are meek
and quiet spirit and an n3cn confession OF
that Saviour whose life :hrills tn; ough the
heart Of the centuries like the divine strains
of heavenly music "a civilization whose pol.
ity recognizes the universal brotherhood OF
man and constralns the hospitable entertain
ment OF strangers, whose politics is submis-
sion to the established authority and loyalty
to the government that secures to us our life
and liberty and all the sweet enjoyment OF
individual rights, whose economy Is public
and private enterprise and the promotion OF
industry and trugality; civilization which
recognizes in liberal education, In rcfinement
Of ina nncrs and the gyacefulncss Of art, In q
broad and deep culture, in the richness and
growth of literature an1 the meditatons OF
deep philosophy, agents and influences for
good 10 the spirit OF man thai shall Dul!u up
the soul and bring it nearer to the God-like
state;-a civilization which lays broad and
deep its foundations in dom stic virtue and
gives the place Of honor TO parental and hiial
worship of that all powerful, all wise, ever
present, suprenely just, and good and loving
Being whom alone the Intelligent mind Of
man Is willing to call God; given such civil
t1r, l,t,o Il hot Ct,fa in
can best realize the end OF his creation, a state
of society ever pure and enduring preparatory
to tina coming OF that kingdom and that day
to which the good IN all ages look forward
with anticipatiOns OF holy JOY.
DO we need TO give reasons and argument,
Mr.. Preside0., to persuade men to lend their
aid and their sympathy 10 the cause Of propa-
eating that Bible Oil whose prccepts such q
civilization is builded? Tho best and greatest
minds Of our country and Of Christendom
have esteemed it not the less duty, indeed,
but one of the highest privileges vouchsaicd
to man to be permitted to engage In this work
SO pure from every suspicion Of srltishness or
hope nf material gain. To the American c.lt-
zen, who loves his country and desires to see
our institutions pcrpetuatcd, and the bless
ngs Of free, enlightened, God fearing civiii-
Zation secured to generations yet unborn, q
study of late Developments In our history
does indeed suggest peculiar inducements to
redoublcd efforts In speeding forward this
cause. 1T is q fact that compels serious
thought, that in tho past thirty years ten mil
lions of foreigners have sought homes In the
United States; add to these their immediate
offspring numbering not less than five mil
lions more Fifteen ''millions of persons, for
cign in character, ideas and sympathies thus
incorporated inuo our national lifc;' add TO
these the six or seven millions of negroes who
have In the same period been received as fac
tors in the political life of our country. Over
one-thir ird Of the entire population OF our
country at the present time to be assmlnted
in one generation and made like unto our
selves In opinion, in character, in sympathies,
in ideas of government, of society, Of morals,
OF religion, Of law, of God. In this field the
work Of the American BiblC Society has been