Morning journal and courier., 1886-12-24
CONNECTICUT BIBLE SOCIETY.

! Meeting of The Finance Committee. At quarterly meeting of the finance com | mittee of the Connecticut Bible society, held | in Hartford, December g, 1886, it appeared \ that the society has five men now enlisted as visitors, lab ring in the towns of Greenwich ! Griswo1d, Hebron, Washington and Sher ! man. In each town valuable results have been attained, especially in Griswold where ! after he had labored three weeke, the 1oca paper said: Meetings at the Center and ! surrounding districts have for the past week ] been largely attended and deep interest has been shown. More than forty have taken g decided stand for Christ" Since that many I others have done the same, and the work seems to be reaching all sections of the town. In each of the other towns, except the last undertaken, some have been led to enter upon Christian life.
 But while these things are so, and while testimony of the great and permanent value of work done in the past is accommodating, the committee are confronted with the question whether they shall be obliged to dismiss these men for lack of funds. There is g debt of several hundred dollars for Bibles. We have a small fund, as shown in our annual report, but no more than necessary to keep our credit good. If used for current e1- penses, it. will last but a short time, and it will be absolutely necessary to dismiss our visitors unless the churches show larger hb- erality towards the society.
 Some churches recently addressed by the secretary have responded gladly and iberally to his appeals and have expressed surprise that he had delayed so long to set the work before them The answer to this is that 8 very large share of the secretarys time is re- quired to select, train, and introduce and supervise the visitors, and he gets comPara- lively little time to make appeals for money, either in the pulpits or to individuals. The visitors also are wholly engaged in Bible dis tribution and evangelistic labor and do not solicit funds as formerly. It was found 8 hindrance to the most important feature of their work It will be great saving of ma chinery and cost if the pastors and churches will aid us without personal appeals.
 These facts should be considered by those churches which have undivided funds to be distributed at the close of the year.
 The committee feel that they cannot meet charity without laying some of the facts be- fore the churches, and asking them to come at once and literally to the aid of this enter prise The churches of Connecticut cannot afford to let this institution languish. Very many of them have been strengthened by it's labors, and there are none Of them but what might profit by it's aid it reaching with Christian influences those who absent them selves from the worship of the sanctuary.
 We respectfully ask every church in the State, of every denomination, however fee ble, and every Sunday school, however small, to make New Years offering to this society to lift it out of it's present embarrass- ment. We also ask the churches carefully to consider whether there is any benevolent object more worthy to have place in their regular annual contributions than this which alone breaches the gospel through all those neglected neighborhoods and corners of towns which are not reached by other agencies.
 In behalf of the committee,
 WILLIAM H. GILBERT Secretary