The record-union., 1893-03-11

W.
and Dialects.
a good deal was said about the Bible
recently in connection with the Presby-
terlan heresy trials, and some things were
uttered which devout Christian would
hardly consider complimentary to the
holy book. Professor Briggs said it con-
tHIned errors, and there were other
charges made by one man and another in
the discussion.
But neither Professor Briggs nor any OF
his opponents stopped in the fight to
point out the striking fact that, whatever
be It's errors, despite all the assaults that
have been made upon it, despite the
prejudices of many nations against it and
the hostility to it in widely separated
quarters, and Notwithstanding the So
called decline of religion and the tendency
OF the times toward infidelity and agnos-
tlcism, the Bible is now and is likely to
remain, if not for all time, at least for a
long period to come, the book of books
OF the whole earth in point OF circulation.
1t Is the one book which far surpasses
every other in the extent of its distribu-
ton, and those who print it were never
more active or aggressive than they are
to-day IN giving it circulation. They are
pushing TRANSACTIONS of the Scriptures ont
10 the furthest regions of the globe, carry
ing the book down almost within sight
ol the south pole, spreading it through
Inc interior OF Africa. putting it in dialect
alter dialect OF overcrowded Asia. The
Bible presses here and in foreign lands
are running night and day, and mission
aries and colporteurs are delivering the
old book personally to nearly every one
on earth.
Tons of Bibles followed Stanley through
the darkest regions of equatorial Africa;
thousands of copies are even now travel
ing on pack and sledge through the frozen
polar regions to people who never heard
Oh any book before.
Millions OF, copies are given away an
nually, and the zeal OF Christians knows
no limits in spreading the Gospel 10 every
land.
Since 1904 the Bible societies alone. here
and abroad, have distribute over 23O,-
OOO,OOO copies of the book.
The American Bible Society, which is
next TO the largest distributor of Bibles
IN the world, during the seventy-siX Y
years OF Its existence has issued over 3D.
5O0,OOO copies of all or a portion of the
Blole. The exact number is 81, ,53I sos
The headquarters of the society and its
presses are in the Bible House. in this
city.
Last year the society printed 400 900
blDies, SO, 705 TeStaments, III, 400 por-
lions OF the Bible and 6S2 Bibles for the
bIlnd, making total of 9l3,6 ,6S7 volumes
Of these volumes, 72.622 copies were sent
TO foreign lands. There were printed
abroad Tor the society 1923 Bibles, 3S, lS0
,tesiaments and 24g,9l9 portions OF the
bible. The foreign presses of the
american Bible Society are at Beirut
Constantinople, Bangkok, Bremen
Shanghai, Foo-Chow and yokohama.
The work of the foreign presses of the
society at the different places was as fol-
lows:
AT Beirut, 5000 Bibles, 5,Ool Testa-
ments and 1900 portions in Arabic.
AT Constantinople, 5000 Bibles in Bull
Earlan, 5,OOO portions in Koordish, 4 900
iestamentS in ancient Armenian. som
Iestaments and 5000 portions in modern
Armenian, 5000 Testaments and $500
portions in Turkish.
At Bangkok, $500 portions in Siamese.
ana 2.OUO copies of the Gospel of Matthew
IN the Laos language.
At Bremen, 5000 Bibles and TO- 500
TeStaments in German.
At the China agency, 1S9, 1893 volumes.
partly IN Shanghai and partly in Foo
Chow, including 400 Mandarin Bibles.
5,lsO Testaments and $4,000 portions in
Mandarin, q $50 portions in Soo-Chow
colloquial, and ,34S Bibles and 900 Test
aments in Foo-Chow colloquial.
Enoch l.. Fancher is President of the
American Bible Society. There are aux
iiiary societies in almost every State and
Territory in the Union. The society il
unsectarlan and sells all its publications
at cost. 1t receives from subscriptions
and spends annually about $500. 600 in
printing the Scriptures, and through
colporteurs and in every way in its
power it energetically circulates the
Bible all over the earth.
The British and Foreign Bible Society
since 1904 has printed and distributed
III ,Soo,5 ,5ol volumes of the Scriptures: the
National Bible Society of Scotland has
distributed 12,7l0,320 copies; the Hiber-
nian Bible Society, 4,96S, $50 copies: the
Prusslan Bible Society, 6,059, sol COPIES:
and hundred other Bible societies have
for generations been swelling the total
annual output.
The American Bible Society has printed
the Bible in the following tonpnes
English, Welsh, French, French Rasone
(Pyrenees), Spanish, Catalan Eastern
SPAIN, Portuguese, Norwegian lin Ger
man type, Swedish lin German type).
Finnish (in German type). Dutch Ger
man, Polish. hungarian, bohemian lin
Roman typel, Italian, Bulgarian, Esthon-
ian (Russial, Esthonian (Dorpsatj. Ar
menian (ancient, Armenian (modernl.
Mayan (Yucatan), Arabic, Syriac (an-
cient), Syriac (moderu), Arabic (Mesopo-
tamia), Ebon (Marshall Islands,. Ku-
saien (Strong's Island), Gilbert island
Ponape (Astension Island), Matlock. Ha-
waiian, Zulu, Benga West Africa. Grebo
(West Africa, Mpongwe West Africa
Dikele West Africa, Mohawk, Choctaw
Cherokee, Seneca, Dakota Oiibwav,
Muskokee, Delaware and Nez Perces.
The British and Foreign Bible Society
has printed the Bible in 2O9 languages
and dialects other than those mentioned
i'll the above list, including two dozen
native African dialects, and Including
every nation in Europe, Asia, Africa and
Australasia.
The foreign society is printing a new
version of the Gospel of Matthew in
Koordish, in the Armenian letter. and
the other three Gospels are being trans.
lated.
Another important work which the for.
eign society now mas under way is the
publication at Constantinople of the AR.
menian translation of the Bible.
New TRANSACTIONS are being printed
abroad in various Chinese and Siamese
dialects, and the Board of Revisers
which was appointed at the missionary