Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-03-17

extending more and more widely the
sway of their dominant power.
Voltaire is reported to have said
that he was tired of hearing that IL
Galilean fishermen had established
Christianity and that he was going to
show that one Frenchman was enough
to break it down. "He succeeded in
breaking down the French nation but
he did not break down the Kingdom
of God" The very house in Geneva
in which his infidel books were writ
ten, has been used in recent years as
depository of Bibles. Tom Paine pre-
dicted that in 100 years from his time
the Bible would cease to be read. The
hundred years have passed, and We
put over against his prediction the
fact that more Bibles have been pub
lished and circulated since his death
than had ever been in the world from
the creation down to his day. If all
the Bibles that have been made and
distributed since Paine's prediction
were loaded in wagons, 1000 to the
wagon, and started in a procession
across the continent-if $50 feet were
allowed to each wagon the last
one left the city of New York, the
front one would be 1900 miles out in
the Pacific Ocean. In other words, it
would require 170, 900 wagons to trans-
port these Bibles, making a procession
nearly 5000 miles long. 1t is stated
on good authority that in foreign mis-
sion fields alone, more Bibles have
been distributed during the past centu-
ry, than were in the world from Moses
to Martin Luther. All of which goes
to show that Mr.. Paine was a poor
prophet.
Other great changes have taken
place during this same period. Up to
the war of the American Revolution,
the cheapest Bible on the market cost
So. Now the whole Bible, printed in
good type and on good paper, and
fairly we'll bound, can be bought for
25 cents, and the New Testament for
a nickel. The Bible has become one
of the cheapest books in the world. 1t
was 10 years after Tom Paine wrote
his sage of Reason" that the British
and Foreign Bible society was organ
lied, which was in 1904. A few years
subsequently, several state societies
were organized in this country, and
these were merged, as auxiliaries, into
the American Bible society in 1916.
In the 96 years of its existence, the
British and Foreign society has pub.
lished and circulated 160,000,000 cop
les of the Scriptures and parts thereof.
The American society has printed apd
distributed $4,000, 900. Other Bible
societies have added to these numbers
about $4,000, 900, making a grand ag-
gregate of work done by all societies
275, 100000. Then, in addition to all
this there has been scores of millions of
Bibles printed and circulated through
the regular channels of trade by pri-
vate enterprises. Dr.. James Dennis
estimates that the whole number of
Bibles scattered throughout the world
during the century that is now closing,
amounts to $4,000, 900. These facts.
may be taken as further evidesce that,
Tom Paine was poor prophet.
It. may be well to call special atten-
ton to the scale on which the two great
societies carry on their work. The
annual issues from the press of the
American Bible society, is nearly u
100000. The issues of the British
and Foreign society is more than dou-
BILE this number. The two together
send out annually about 4,500,00O.
This means about $4,000 for every
working day Of the week-600 every
hour, 10 every minute, day and night.
Thus there is issuing from these two
sources perennial stream of the Wa
ter of Life, and this stream is becom-
ing broader and deeper and swifter all
the while. When we wake and when
we sleep the stream flows on, carrying
life and verdure further and further into
the arid deserts of our sin-smitten
earth. Silence every preacher, close
every church-only leave these two
mighty agencies untouched-and the
words of Christ would never pass
away. They travel as far as the seas
and oceans spread. They would board
every vessel of commerce, throng ev-
cry avenue of trade, penetrate jungles
and cross deserts, find their way into
the mansions of the rich and the cab
ins of the poor, and wherever there
was an ear to hear or a heart to feet,
they would find a home and kindle
a hope.
Another phase of the work of these
two great societies is worthy of notice.
1t is that of Bible translation. When
Tom Paine made his remarkable pre-
dction, the Bible had been printed in
only AZ different languages and dia-
lects. With the opening of this CEN
tury there was rapid expansion of
missionary work. The soldiers of the
cross have been pushing their con-
quests into every land and adding new
peoples to the overwhelming domain
of their King. With every fresh con-
quest came a fresh demand for the
translation of the Scriptures. These
societies have tried to meet these de-
mands, and as a result, the words of
Christ may now be read in 32o differ