The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-19
BIBLES In GREAT DEMAND.
ENORMOUS SALES THAT ISCREAsB
YEAR ny YEAR.

DlspNard nr Wore Than Two Miiion Copies
last E~ear-BIKEer tales In Hard Tltncs.
Tho Bible business In this country is good in
more ways than one. Political leaders may
change, hard times come and go, but tho sales
of Bibles keep on increasing from year 10 year.
Indeed, dealers say that the harder the times
tho better are their sales, asmu MS people
turn to tho Bible more In hard times than in the
days Of prosperity.
No book in tho world circulntcs half so many
new comics, finds half 20 many purchasers az
tho Bible. There was a time in this country
when Webster's bluc.back spcllcr found more
purchasers, but that was because the people
were poor and the spelling books were cheap,
while the Bible was an expensive luxury. To
day a f~irst-class Bible is to be had for n trihinR
sum, and by those unable to pay even that, for
the asking. The volume of the business is inn
mcnso. and most of the output is made In this
country. Last year the American Bible Soci.
city sold and gave away In this country l,4l2..
las Tcstamcnts and Bibles, and lOl, S5l were
sent to foreign lands. The output OF tho Inter.
national Bible Agency last year was in excess
OF half a million copies, and in addition there
arc four or Ave other LARGE concerns in this city
engaged in the sale of finc Bibles.
This great demand for Bibles throughout the
States and Territories is unIuestionably due
to the American Bible Society, which is q ma
tional organization. The first Bible Society in
the United States was instituted In Philadol.
phia In 1908. just four years after the organizae
tion of The British and Foreign Bible Society
in London. by the way. the latter had a most
interesting beginning. Mary Jones. a Welsh
girl, had for six years been saving every cent Of
money she could lay her hands on. with her
heart set upon buying n Bible. 1t was twenty.
five miles from her countryshome TO Bala, the
residence of the Rev. Thomas Charles, to whom
she had been directed. She walked the entire
distance to and fro and procured the longed-foR
volume, but not without difficulty, for whom
she first applied to Mr.. Charles he told her that
the few copies lie had were reserved for persons
who had made application for them. The girl
burst into tears. She sobbed SO hard that after
due consideration the preacher said:
NJ dear child, difficult us 1t is to spare you
one, it's impossible, yes, simply impossible. to
refuse you" and SO the little girl got her book,
which for the siNty.six years Of her remaining
life was her most treasured possession. 1t was
published in 1899, and is now in the library Of
the society which grew out of her cagerness
for n Bible. On the fly leaf is written in o
childish hand, "SIary Jones His tho True
Owner Of this Bible. Bought in the year 1901.
Aged 49,"
When this incident occurred Mr.. Charles re-
marked to a friend VINO was present: From this
date l can never rest until l find out some means
that cries out for the word Of God and he did
not rest. He went to London and brought tho
matter before the Religious Tract. Society in
might be formed Tor this purpose; and II tor
the British and Foreign Bible Society was
America was not slow to follow the example.
formed. These local societies were necessarily
feeble, and there was n general demand for a
central organization. Thirty.tive united in
four became auxiliary during the first year OF
its existence; The society's SO object has
Of the Bible without note or comment .I.-
When an official Of this society was asked
made and how distributed, he answered.:
Look at thee figures and see for yourself
total sales Of Bibles and Testaments amounted
and In twenty Years had considerably more than
doubled; Last year the Total sales reached
1 1hols of ;hc ~ esar S ESo g 1 i.45S. ! fs!1iHs off from
Dealers say ih "a your sales have fallen On
ments or notes. suggested the reporter.
81 have nothing to say about that: The fig.
during cighty.one years of existence amount to
SSSSo,IIl 9;SdG copies; We We m NAM our %n, own .wa
greatest pains are taken to secure tho most
durable material and the most thorough work.
for the distribui ltS Of the Scriptures in this
country Is upon the a9xiliaries. Of which more
pairing 1ocent Statistics with those Of an early
period of the society's history, it will be found
stat she de pf 7 OF Of the fa@ seriptn ln shG Is G maeS
smaller than it was when the society was insti-
tuted, Notwithstanding the immense increase
d: w. Binkcrd, manager of the International
Bible agency. thinks that the fashion changes
in Bibles as well rs everything else, and that
this Is one reason why the business is SO good.
-, The volume Of The Bible business done in
!, mense. 1t would be impossible to estimate ID
because so many private concerns are engaged
m Tho fpra 0n1 gnIp n RI1InR nnH 4 Ia
no easier to get at their figures than it would be
to get at the trade secrets Of men engaged, in
, agency is one of the largest in the world. When
It was started in 1892 all goods were imported
: manufacture Bibles right here in New York.
/ and since that time most Of our output he's com
, port largo quantities of Bibles. ..
Q great eAs dea matter bsits of 5 Bibj.s we m ssa m mora sbsaSl z
4 than we can import them. For instance, a far
Q sup9erior, Bible can be made right in this city
? imported and laid down at a cost Of $l.75.
Our output this year for Bibles Of all kinds
!, They he "a arc c fnSsSS n Trst " BY Sooks sIliHifs.
! who compose the chief il o IrGs ,i The I next In most 9s.
4 i HiSiiaiisai press. PSS'' publish Bibies in a nine sizes
of type. These are made in text, reference,
: and teachers forms in "A great variety Of bind:
n i IN sod making king a ait iNGiaN TsI IN The he 6 0SG aHndsrSI
a ."Thero are many things that lead to large
+ sales of our Bibles. and doubtless just as many
lead to the thriving business done by other con.
. Germs. Large type and small books form one of
u our main points, and another factor leading to
: large sales Il the illustration OF all helps In
s Teachers Bibles. In all Teachers Bibles pro-
vious to the appearance OF this one, the teach
: ers' matter was prepared exclusively by schol:
{ our Teachers Bibles scholars on this side as well
I were called to our aid"
Els there any other book that circulates half
8 30 many copiesi r. asked the reporter.
No. no. no" exclaimed Mr.. Binkerd EN-.
o phatically. "ln a year when a book at
tains a phenomenal popularity the circulation
of the Bible probably exceeds the circulation
5 thin mat tbs eo ssle ' OF B Sf ewG IS Son ,fmSs, Af e n :
o growth. The sale will be larger next year than
+ this, and so it viii go as the years pass. No
matter what the times are, whether they are
v bad or good, the Bible business grows better
and better. In fact, people, are more religious
Y In hard times. Most people believe that tho
] individual in a certain way is representative
s of the race, and ] think a chap ! used to know