The sun., 1900-09-16
aiding. subservieut to the interests Of re

hgion."
After the Revolution American Bible
societies sprang up and multiplied until
there were thirty-hve represented at the
meetlng for the organization OF the present
American Bible Society. This society has
printed and circulated nearly seventy
millions OF Bibles during the period OF Its
existence and 1t has been favorite object
OF pious benevolence IL seems, however.
according to statement by one OF Its
Secretaries in the HerdId. that such con-
tributions have greatly fallen on OF recent
years. Meanwhile the price Of Bibles
has been amazingly reduced" 30 that
a private publisher says that now there
is no money In Bibles Cheap as they are.
however. the demand for them has dimin-
ished. Over four hundred thousand more
Bibles and Testaments were sent out by
the American Bible Society FIVE years ago
than are sent out now, and Its receipts In
money have fallen of nearly one-hah
Under such circumstances the association.
very naturally. Is considering methods OF
retrenchment, and one Of the most impor-
tant and most necessary OF these Is the
sale of It's property at Ninth street 30
expensive a plant b wasteful and un-
justiAable in such an institution. A site
for its mandatory that would equally
well serve its purposes could be bought AT
a 1.-THE OF the value OF the present Bible
House. Some income is derived from
renting part OF the building, but II Is not
enough to make II a profitable investment
OF the money OF the pious. Moreover.
the structure Is old and according TO the
standard OF these days Is a rattletrap liable
to burn up. As big piece OF landed
property. not frequently obtainable now
in crowded New York. ii ought to fetch
a large price; though, unquestionably,
1t Is not In a situation where such property
can be called gilt-edged." The more
valuable 1t Is, however, the more repre-
hensible Is the policy Of occupying 1t by a
society dependent on religious contribu-
tons. Such institutions have no more
right to go into real estate speculations
than into stock gambling. The Tract
Society had no moral right TO borrow a
million dollars TO speculate in building
I'm Nassau street and the Presbyterian
Mission Boards TO put up their enormously
costly structure In lower Fifth avenue.
They have no need Of them for their own
uses The Bible Society could manufacture
Its Bibles a hundred miles away from New
York as well AZ on an expensive site In
town
But there Is something else OF far graver
significance in this decline Of the business
OF the Bible Society. 1t is the lessened
reading OF the Bible indicated. No one
who inquiries among the younger men OF
this time 10 not struck by discovering how
little is their familiarity with the Bible.
Our current literature Is not penetrated
with its spirit and shaped by the language
of the King James Version, as was the
English literature Of the past. Biblical
quotations which used TO be on every tongue
are rarely heard now. In how many fami-
lies now is the Bible read as part OF daily
devotional exercises. though formerly 1t
was used thus in every Protestant house.
hold Of religious tone?
This present neglect OF the Bible. how
ever. cannot be called surprising II Is
a natural consequence OF the discreht
thrown on the Scriptures even by clergy
men and teachers OF theology. The Bible
Is no longer distinguished by them as the
infallible Word OF Cop. but Is apologized
for as mere literature disfgured by
human errors. the guile Of priestcraft. and
the ignorance and creduity OF semi-bar-
barous compilers. 1t Is no longer held up
to men as the one Book absolutely separated
from all human literary productions. but Is
discussed as simply one Of the sacred books
Of the religious and superstitious OF the
world
It's no wonder, then, that the business
Of the American Bible Society Is falling
away. How could it be otherwise2