The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-02-28
From the New York Sun.

/R HE recent cOnSOHudllon OL idTBc (0 Bible publishing houses in New
 York, London and Edinburgh Tn a great corporation Is an interesting and, perhaps, a significant incident at this time of Biblical criticism. It indicates that the business of Bible publication con- tinues on a great scale, as private enter prise; that the public demand for the Scriptures still exceeds the demand for any other book printed on the earth.
 Meantime in New York and London Bible societies, established for the cir culation of the Scriptures as religious obligation and not for pecuniary profit, are issuing millions of Bibles. The Brit ish and Foreign Bible society, founded at London one hundred years ago, has sent out during that period about 175,CO0,OoO copies of the Bible in whole or in part, In se3 languages and dialects; last year It's issues were more than five millions, and nearly one-third of them were in the Eng fish language The American Bible socie- ty at New York, during It's existence or about three-quarters of century mas ,ssued toward 75,OoO, GOO Bibles and parts of the Bible. of the New Testament, more espeeially. In Germany are numerous Bible societies and the aggregate number of Bibles annually distributed by them Is great.
 These societies, inspired only by sense of religious duty, are Issuing the Bible at a price so small that they have made 1t the cheapest book printed. For ex- ample, the American Bible society offers an edition of the whole Bible as low as 15 cents and the New Testament at cents and the British society at 6 pence and one penny, respectively. These low prices, made possible by their policy Of selling the books at cost or below cost, would seem to establish competition which private publishers for profit could not meet; but actually, so great is the demand for more expensive editions that the publication of Bibles as a purely bus mess enterprise is carried on extensively and prohtably; and now, as we have said, 1t has been consolidated into great cor poration, or trust" The American branch of this corporation will be in as- sociation with somewhat similar com pany in Great Britain, at the printing plants of which in London and Edinburg more than three thousand men are em- ployed These houses, American and Eng fish, report a steadily increasing demand for their editions of the Bible, as may we'll be, considering that as each gen eration of Protestants grows up anu churches add to the number of their coin- municants the Scriptures are ooush' anew, if no more than as a religious convention.
 The great increase in our Jewish popu- lation, in New York, more particuiariy' is bringing in a new and very eager body of those who regard the Old Testament reverentiy for these immigrants now con sist almost wholly of strictly or.hoooN Jaws Rut 1t is unquestionable that this generation of Protestant Christians has lost familiarity with the Bible. The speech of these younger people Is not affected bv 1t as was that of their fathers, or, at least. their grandfathers. Reading of the Bible as a daily exercise, once uni versal in pious Protestant families, either for private meditation or at family nraver at morning and frequently at evening also, has passed into dsuse to a very great extent Such familiarity with the scriptures dS IS uSudliy OD- tained merely from perfunctory listening to the reading of Bible lessons in the church services. Some correspondents of ours have complained that the editions of the book obtainable are volumes too bulky for comfortable perusal, but the Bible can be had in numberless forms. including the most convenient for hand ling their excuses for neglecting it can not carry much weight. They can get the Bible in whole or in parts, in the boldest and the handsomest type. in a shape to invite and even to tempt the reader. and at cheap cost, as compared with the price of any other book.
 The combination now made of private Bible publishing houses indicates. how ever, that the. distinction of the Scrip lures above any other book remains in