The Portland daily press., 1900-12-28
POPULARITY OF THE BIBLE
Statistics show ThstIt IL Increasing
More Than 1000, 600 Copies Issued by
the British and Foreign Society tn a
Year.

Statistics Issued recently show vast
increase in the circulation Of the Bible,
writes the London correspondent of the
New York sun. 1t has besn stated that
the opposite is the case In the United
States, where publishers and booksellers
are cited as having said there Is nc
money in the scriptures. A talk with
Mr. Henry Provide OF the Oxford Univer-
sity Press corrects this statement very
materially. He says 1t Is true that the
business of some American publishers
has teen largely reduced, out this Ia not
tie result of any falling oil in the popu-
larity OF the Bible In America. The ex.
plsnation given Is that new and more
economical machinery has been intro.
duoed by other publishers OF the Bible
Never was there, he says, such demand
for Bibles as at present; three times as
many Oxford Bibles have pesn sold as
In any previous yea. The British and
Foreign Bible Society, which prints the
scriptures In four hundred languages.
representing the speech or seven-tenths of
the world, Issued In the twelve months
ending with last March 5.0l7,000 copies
OF the Bible-a bulk absolutely withou
precedent and considerably more than
half million in access OF the corre-
spending period previously. or that
huge mass, over thirty PER cent, or
i,62l, 600 comics. are in EnEliRh.
In themselves those figures are
suiiiciently significant, but even more
striking Is the record privately complied,
and not yet published, of the growth
during the last decade. In lSS9-90 the
out was 534, $50. Each year showed a
constant, STEADY rise up to last year,
when 1t was 61S, 2l5. len years ago the
New Testamants were 6S9, 6l3, and last
year 6l4, 7l9. the Intervening figures hav-
ing somewhat huotuated with q general
tendency to increase. OF portions OF the
scriptures, snoh as the Psalms or the
Gospels, 20, COO were issued In lSS9-90,
and last year they numbered 467, 4S2, not
g little OF that great increase being due
to the fact that 1875, 900 copies were dis
trihuted to the troops as they left these
shores for South Africa, The penny new
English Testament Ia sold at less than
cost price. Since 10 was first brought out
in 1894 over seven million copies have
been issued at loss OF $i25, 900, as 1t can
not possibly be produced at its selling
price. At tine Oxford and Cambridge
University Presses, which, together with
the Queens Printars, alone have the
right OF printing the Bible In England,
the finest typography, the choicest paper
and most artistic OF bindings are re-
a uisitioned for the sacred volume, and
there is not the slightest dimin1tion TO
De observed in the demand for sumptu.
GUS copies.
MIR. Provide says that the total annual
output OF Oxford Bibles for some years
past has been upward OF a million copies,
and even before there was an Amer loan
branch Of the Oxford University Press
the weekly shipment OF Bibles TO the
United States often exceeded tive tons in
weight The Americans take the keenest
interest in Bibles ana Biblical mAtters,
as was shown very clearly at the time OF
the publication Of the revised Testaments.
Not only the authorized Bible holds Its
own, but the revised version Is slowly
but steadily increasing in popularity.