The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-05-10
MAINE BIBLE SOCIETY.
Annual Meeting Held at Chestnut Street
Church.

the president of the Society, presided and
on the platform were seated the Rev. J.
G.. Perkins, DR.. Asa Dalton, Revs. W. S.
Ayres and Gowen Wilson.
The service opened with the singing of
the hymn Praise the Lord Ye Heavens
Adore Him, after which Rev. Asa Dal-
ton read the Scriptures and was followed
in prayer by Rev. J. G. Perkins.
The hymn No. 293 was then sung, after
which Rev. DR.. Dunn spoke of the
progress made during the past year, and
then in the absence of Rev. DIR. j. l..
Jenkins, who was to have read the report
of the trustees DIR. Dunn read it.
Rev. DR. Jenkins of State Street church
compiled the report of the society for the
past year, and it was read at the meeting.
DR.. Jenkins begins by paying high
compliment to the devotion of Rev. G. c..
Wilson, the superintendent and of his
great value to the society. Mr.. Wilson has
visited and addressed ninety congrega-
lions on the society work. He reports
cordial welcome and is astonished at the
contributions he received considering the
hard times Mr.. Wilson has also con-
Quoted with fidelity the large CORE
spondence of the association. Under his
direction the same long tried workers
have been employed who are especially
adapted to their trying and delicate work.
They have visited IS, 900 families of which
number $500 attended no church. There
are 20, 600 and more non-attendants at
church, and that in Maine! The workers
found 500 homes without q Bible, and
one thousand children in these Bibleless
homes. There were 1850 copies of the
Bible, whole or in part, sold during the
year, valued at 81, 37516. The 120 copies
given away were valued at s37o.02. 1t is
gratifying to know that the treasurer re-
ports some 5000 beyond expenses. Annual
ly report of the trustees is made. All
should read it. The society seeks to give
the Bible to every resident in Maine, no
matter what nationality if he can read it,,
to put one in every home. The society
visits with special interest the homes of
those in remote districts far from good or
bad influences, likely to be affected by in
tellectual, moral and religious stagna-
ton. The society sends the Bible into
these homes at the hands of a sympathetic,
intelligent human being. No possible
opinion of the Bible can be held that does
not allow it to be the Book; the most
helpful and so the most valuable of books.
There is more power in it than in the
dead bones of a prophet. A benificent
force, working out righteousness and all
the virtues that beautify and sweeten hui
man life finds storage in it. Therefore it
makes good families, good communities,
good nations. Such solid effects it adorns
with numberless graces. Since the Book
is this and since the methods of the So
ciety are reasonable and human the socie-
ty must receive approval and sympathy
| from all who wish well to our state.
Rev. Mr.. Ayres of the First Baptist
church delivered the address from this
text: 'The word that I speak with you
they are spirit and they are life.' John
| 6, So.
Gods word is the expression of His
nature, His mind and His purpose toward
us. He speaks that the divine nature may
be incarnate in human nature. By His
word He is endeavoring so to impart
Himself as to transform humanity. His
words are for all ages alike until all shall
be conformed to His image. The peculiar
| word of every age is only another witness
/ to the special need which that age has of
the truth it revealed. That which makes
us distinctive is special call to hear the
distinctive message which Gods word has
| for us. If we have come to see our need
| more clearly than in former days we
ought also to have clearer vision of
| Gods provision.
I. We need new Interpretation of life
| which this word can give us. 2 Ours is
money getting age. The passion to get
on in the world is developed to white
heat. There are those who see in this
greed of all classes the shoal on which we
are to be wrecked. They do not take into
account the life giving power of this word
working in humanity. But the intensity
of commercial life, is certainly an indica-
ton of how much we need the truth to
discover nobler life to us. This book
| will make men feel that it is better to be
holy than to be prosperous. Matthew
| thought he was made to collect money at
| the seat of custom. When Jesus spoke to
him he found he was made to write the
sermon on the Mount. We are new men
| when it discovers us, and we learn that
a "man's life consistent not in the
abundance of the things that he posses
seth"
IL. We need this life giving word be-
cause this is day of great issues. Great
wrongs cry for redress on every side. The
more earnestly we seek light the more
thoroughly are we perplexed. The
pessimist tells us there were never sc
many terrible pests staring us in the face
as today--which is true, perhaps-becaust
these problems were never before studied
so thoroughly. The alarmist cites the
increase of murder in our Countrywide
corruption of politics in our cities. His
| n ,,,a1- Of +orrib1n tbinrc ic ctortlipr