The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-18
SALES OF AMERICAN BIBLES INCREASE IN MEXICO DESPITE WAR Woman Directs Work and Remained at Post Dur
 ing Revolution
EFFECTS OF CURRENT
 EVENTS ON MISSIONS
Selection of A. B. C. Mediators VIII Tend to Remove Prejudice Against Americans-Plan Campaign
 to Lift Debt

New York, May 1S.-(Special Mrs. Y. s. Hamilton is in charge of the Amer lean Bible society agency in Mexico' ana has not only remained at her post but fin snite of war increased Bible sales last wear She stayed in the City of Mex leo until American marines landed at Vera Cruz, and with others she was forced to flee. Her correspondents, usual- ly depended on to help sales, were scat tered and discouraged, and only about 2o out of 90 faithful colporters were able to keep at work. Railroad transporta- tion was interrupted and books could not be sent into many districts. Horses, If good animals and worth stealing, usually were stolen. no matter which army held the field and so there was little save foot travel.
 Yet no fewer than gil towns were visit ed. 2. .36s volumes circulated-mor Bibles, more Testaments, more Scripture portions, increases all along. Nor were these all of the difficulties. Money of all kinds was scarce. Most Mexicans Of grade who buy Bibles not only live as they earn, but live before they earn, and often Nomses to pay at payday find debtors rather more hard up at payday than at other times Yet of the more than 2a.oDo volumes only Ss50 were donated.
 Reporting to the society for herself and her colporters, Mrs. Hamilton finds con ditions in Mexico as whole rather worse than a year ago. Armies, bandits, floods, persecution-these rarely scare away Bi- ble colporters nor da they in Mexico last year. Crossing a river in d dory with bag of Bibles and two companions. one of the latter deliberately upset the boat in order to drown the colporter and prevent Bible distribution The colporter was the only one of the three who could swim. He saved himself, and then gen eronsly saved the others. All that suf- fered were the Bibles from water. In one town in Lower California, where conditions and difficulties were exception al, the extraordinary end came in the shape of an invitation to speak in the town hall and everybody came out to listen
 For sometime Bible work in all north ern Mexico tas been interrupted alto sether. Curiously, when Mexican soldiers buy Bibles at all they invest in largese numbers in the Book of Proverbs. Mrs. Hamilton has one blind colporier, a girl named Guadalupe Rosillo, who goes on her sgftess journey into stores and StIectS, SOl1ellHltS llip ltHclutillS, StinHS last year no fewer than 511 Bibles and Testaments. There is in little known Yucatan. so the agent reports. colporter named Liborio Blanco. who was formerly | railroad station agent, but who now teaches school. conducts church services although layman, and further to help out expenses. kee/ a shoe shop, not cob bling himself but hiring others to do so. This man has big vision, national and even world plan for Bible distrbu- tion
 His brother Francisco even more com manding in appearance, and speaking both Maya and Spanish, superintends d Sunday school in Campeche. Kan NJ Hamilton is of the opinion that among the families in 1ucatan, campeche and Vahasco, better educated than in many other parts of Mexico, are to be found many Christian citizens upon Mexico can lest rely when builders are needed for a new and stable republic,