The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-11
BIBLE SOCIETY
 CENTENARY

This is the centenary or the organ ization in New York of the American Bible Society, the greatest organization of it's kind in the world with the sole exception of the British and Foreign Bible Society. It was on May II, 1s16, that this charitable Institution was formally launched, it's first object being to supply the Scriptures to the poor and destitute in America, and ! then, according to it's ability, to extend it's influence to other lands. Elias Boudinot. who had been prominent in the revolution and later as a public official, and who was of French Hu- Iguenot stock, was chosen the first pres ident of the society He was a close student of the Bible. and had attempt ed to prove that the American abori- Boudinot and others contributed Hb- orally to the society, and during it's first year the receipts were $37,779.S5, and it circulated $40 copies of the Bt- ble and New Testament.
 The American Bible Society was in spired by the British and Foreign Bi! b1e Society, which was organized in 1894. The first local Bible society in America was formed in 1894 by a few New York Baptists, and had for it's object the purchase and lending of Bibles for month at a. time. In I A was formed on a-more ambitious scale, and for nearly eight years 1t was the only important society in America for the gratuitous distribution of the Scriptures There were small socte- ties in ssachusetts and Connecticut, and in 1S13 the first Bible society in British America was founded in Hali- fax
 The American Bible Society was practically alone in it's field until 1887. when a quarrel between members over the translation of a Greek word led to a division The Baptfsts seced- ed and formed the American and For eign Bible Society. In 1850 a con- troversy broke out in the ranks of the seceders, and another division was af- fected, the seceders forming the American Bible Union.
 Since its organization tkie American Bible Society has distributed consid- erably more than III, ,00Os s000 volumes. The British and Foreign Bible Socie- ty, established twelve years earlier than the American society, has distri- buted more than 260, 100000 volumes. The American Bible society has issued ths Bible parts of the Scriptuves in almost every known language. #thc1ud- ing the tongues of several American Indian tribes More than thPee-quar- ters of the total issues of the society have been distributed in the last half century.
 The society carries on it's work in concert with auxiliary societies all over America. The bulk of the soeiety's is- sues have been in English, French and Spanish.
 Numerous societies and agencies which included the circulation of the Scriptures among their activities were in existence prior to the beginning of the nineteenth century, but nc general society for the exclusive purpose of circulating the Bible without note CT comment was in existence until the British and Foreign Bible Society was formed in 1894. TheInas Charles, a missionary in Wales, was responsible for it's founding. All of the editions of Welsh Bibles had been exhausted and he went to Eendaa ias the hope of influencing wealthy Christians te f. rance a new editien. As a result a meeting was called, and about 366 peo- pie, representing all Protestant denena- inations, attended the canc1aEe. The Bible society was formed, it's object being first te supply Wales, and 90, ,0o6s Welsh Bibles were printed. By 1816 when the American Society was farrn- ed, the British and Foreign Bible So- ciety had some thirty atxiliaries, both at home and abroad, and was well started along the road te greatness.