The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-11


Made by the Concern to Which
the Local Society Has Hitherto
Been Loyal.
The Ramsey County Bible society at us
annual meeting held In the parlors OF the
House of Hope church yesterday declued
to secede FROM the authority of the Amer
lean Bible society. In the future publ
cations purchased by the local society for
distribution will be of some other text
than that of the American Bible society.
The reason assigned for the change is
that the society is compelled to pay from
% to 80 per cent more for the American
companys publication than for Bibles
printed by any of the other standard pub
fishing houses.
The Ramsey county society was organ
lied in st. Paul sixteen years ago as an
auxiliary Of the American Bible society.
1t has always been self-sustaining and
has never asked for any assistance from
the mother society.
The meeting yesterday was presided
over by Rev. NJ. D. Edwards, pastor of
the Dayton Avenue Presbyterian church,
who brought the matter to the attention
of the society. He stated that If all
things were equal he was by all means
favorable to continuing allegiance to the
mother society, but under the conditions
he did not think it proper for the organ
ization to pay more for the privilege of
buying of the American society when
Jl:1- Low
figures from other sources.
Rev E. R. Irmscher stated that the
text OF ether publications was just as
reliable as the American societys books.
In fact he had been compelled to abandon
the sale of Bibles among the Swedish
people owing to the large number of III
accuracies which appeared in the trans
lation. The other publishing houses were
mere careful about the text. He stated
that aside from the and scent
Testaments the other editions were
all very high. He had been
compelled to buy from other
sources for some time past. H. Knox
Taylor moved that Mr.. Irmscher have the
authority of the society to purchase
Bibles from other concerns.
a committee on nomination was APP
pointed and reported The names of the
following who were elected officers Of
the association for the ensuing year:
President, Rev. F. B. Cowgirl; vice presl-
dent, Rev. George E. Soper; treasurer, c.
H. Slocum; secretary, Fl. Knox Taylor;
agent, Rev. E. r. Irmscher; executive COM
n1ttee, Gregory Bolt, Andrew Peterson,
Judge Fl. r. Brill and George Il. Hill
man; city mission committee, Rev. G.. II.
Gamble, Rev. j. w. Weber, Rev VIM
q D
Rev. w. Oehler, Rev. A. B. Meldrum, S.
H. Dyer and 7, D. Simonton.
Rev. NJ D. Edwards declined to serve
another term, and Mr.. Cowgirl was Sc
lected in his stead There were several
changes in the personnel of the city mis-
sion committee.
Treasurer c. H. SIocum reported the
total receipts for the year as $38111 The
disbursements were $307.42
Rev. E. R. Irmscher, in his report, rec
commended that his salary be reduced
from 500 to $500. The somewhat novel
proposition was supplemented with a re-
quest that the difference be credited on
the salary of his daughter, who is, soon
to complete her studies and will in the
future assist Mr.. Irmscher in his work.
Mr. Irmscher reported that he had been
assisted during the year by four people
in different churches at various times,
and the results had more than justified
the interest and material assistance
which had been given the work. The city
mission work, having more particularly
in mind the Sunday afternoon religious
services at the county jail, and the hospital
work, too, had been very fruitful and a
source of satisfaction to those engaged
in its furtherapce. In his house to house
visitations he had found many homes that
without RIFLES In all S11Ph in
stances Bibles had been furnished, and
when the people were unable or unwill-
ing to pay the book was left without
charge
The circulation of the mission papers
had been productive of excellent results
The publications are distributed in board
ing houses, hotels, factories and from
house to house, in many cases the only
literature that finds its way to
the home. Twenty thousand copies of
books and pamphlets had been distrib-
uted among the sick in hospitals and I'M
fortunates in jails. All the expense of
this work had been betrayed through the
publication of a siXteen-page paper. Mr..
Irmscher reported that 900 visits from
house to house had. been made during
the year. In concluding his report Mr..
Irmscher gave the following report of
the funds passing through his hands: Re-
ceived by cash subscriptions, $6545O; re-
ceived in clothing, provisions and re-
duced railroad fares for destitute persons,
1926. 70; received from mission papers,
$685.; total, $1,56520. Disbursements, sal
airy and sundries, $723 %; mission papers,
tracts, ETC., 1855; paid for clothing, provi-
sions and reduced railroad fares, 81, 633 95