El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-08-11
SELLING BIBLES IN
MEXICO IS DIFFICULT
Agents of American Bible Societies IN
dergO Many Hardships, But Man
age to Distribute Many Books
New York, Aug. 11.-Most people

age to Distribute Many Books
New York, Aug. 11.-Most people
would imagine Mexico to be, at the mo-
ment, a poor market for bibles Yet
| the American Bible society, supple
| mental agency of the missionary So
1 cieties and pioneer bible work, finds
/ it possible to sell bible there The diff
ficulties of doing so, however, are
many.
One result Of the earthquake occur
| ring in the western part Of the state Of
I Mexico, was the disappearance of water
from wells and streams. At San
! Andres the only substitute for water
was found in the small green pump
! kins in field and gardens Hunger,
thirst and cold caused intense suffer-
ing among the poor people and as If
their cup of misery was not full, ban
dts descended on some Of the hamlets
and carried away whatever they could
find of value. Relief expeditions were
sent out and help brought as soon as
possible, but no one who lived through
that experience wish to repeat it. 4
cOlporteur did what little he could to
relieve the sufferers where he had
passed the night
Another day, when Just at dawn he
I he encountered a band of brigands
who smashed his boxes, scattering his
books over the ground, and took his
extra clothing. However, they left him
such wearing apparel as he had on at
the time.
Senior MedeI, another colporteur, I'M
dertook one trip from Santa LucrecIa
to a neighbOring town, hoping to dis
pose Of some of his books. On the way
he met two men TO whom he offered
bible They informed him that they did
not want his books, but needed his
sarape (the blanket carried by travel
ers, serving as an oyercOat by day and
covering at night) As the men drew
their knives to enforce their demand,
MedeI was obliged to part with his
blanket and the small sum Of money he
carried with him
Another colporteur was told by a
welltodo citizen that the citizen. pre-
sumably a representative one. would
like to burn him Here is his own ac-
count:
In Jalisco a rich merchant told me
to bring him all my books and he
would buy them at ten dollars a kilO
and then burn them in the street I
told him that he did not have enough
money to by a single copy Of Gods
word in order to burn it, and I meant
just what I said.
Down in Chiapas a fellow said he
would like to have a bible I was offer
ing, in order to burn it. I said, To
read this book you would have to pay
only a hundred cents, but to burn it
you couldn't get it for a $780, He re-
piled that he would like to burn It and
me too. told him that If he wanted (
to burn me was at his disposition, but |
the book was not for any such pur- /
pose"
Noises Flores, a young Indian with 1
flashing white teeth and an irresistible !
smile, persuades the most impossible /
people to buy his books and read them /
In one Of his recent letters he relates J
the following Incidents:
In AjuscO, theater of FL Zapitismo,' |
7
ing the town He carried a carbine !
and was covered with cartridges. Of
fering him a bible, he responded that
he was no lawyer, to need that sort of
book Though I was terrified by his
appearance, I talked to him of Christ I
and read various passages of Scripture, |
until, much moved, he bought a bible I
and bade me goodbye with much
In Central America Honduras, Mic
lragua and Costa Riea in particular,
The feeling among the common people I
IS that bible work is only a start to
cad up to political occupation. The
United States is cordially hated. it |
seems, in many of the Central Ameri-
ean states. Sometimes even squads OF
men are formed to chase bible colport-
ours out Of the country Here is the
testimony Of one of the colpOrteurs:
The feeling aginst the Americans,
in Salvador and Honduras,
Tor occupying Central America, is
fierce. The government of Salvador
had to close down one or two Of the
native papers, as they were really
stirring up such feeling that even ad-
Eocated the rising up Of the people Of
and killing off all the for
eigners- Thousands of these people I
believe that the Bible society and the
missions working here are simply pre-
oarnig the way for the American gov
srnment to take possession"
JEWELER Is
CHARGED WITH FORGERY