The New York herald., 1922-05-14
BACK TO THE BIBLE
DRIVE A SUCCESS
Daily Verses in Newspapers
Cost ST for Every Million Of
100000 Readers.
SEE PRESS AS BEST PULPIT
Backers of Idea Aim at Goal of
11O,00O,0O0 Readers in
Five Years.

CINCINNATI, O., May 13.-At an ex-
pense of one dollar for every million
readers. the Back to the Bible Bureau
is getting one verse of Scripture daily
printed in about one thousand American
newspapers and mag Zines. Its total
daily Scripture readers are estimated at
100000 now. two years after the
bureaus inauguration. A goal of no.
100000 Bible verse readers daily is an
nounced. with a five year program to
make it effective.
The bureaus idea Is that daily read
ing of one Bible verse makes for good
citizenship, and that the best pulpit
through which to reach all persons is
the daily press. The organization is
non-sectarian, it's daily verses going
to publications of all faiths, free of
charge, and not only to newspapers but
to trade journals. and to society and
labor publications.
How the idea started and its rapid
growth. is described by George W. Hart
zell. a Dayton, Ohio. manufacturer. an
advisory member of the bureau, who
says:
THE bureau was inaugurated two
years ago by Addison Y. Reid, of Gin
cinnati, who is now its secretary. He
had been conducting a. propaganda for
prohibition, sending daily contributions
to a number of newspapers. and paying
for their publication. With the adop-
tion of the prohibition amendment. Mr.
Reid stopped that work. but decided to
try a campaign Of Biblical verse.
"At first he paid for the publication
Of daily Bible verses just the same as
he had paid for the propaganda. The
verses went to only a few newspapers.
After about six months paid publica-
tions. other newspapers, becoming in
terested, and discovering that Mr.. Reid
was furnishing the Scriptural quota
tions, asked him to supply them also.
offering to publish them without charge
Thereupon Mr.. Reid stopped paying and
the present bureau was inaugurated"
Mr. Hartzel said that in these two
years the bureau has expended $4,000.
all of it for printing and postage. as
there are no other expenses, all the work
being voluntarily done by group OF
Cincinnati residents. The response to
the bureaus letters offering the Scrip
lures has been uniform from all sections
of the country, Mr.. Hartzell stated. The
daily papers now publishing include
forty-six In Canada and publications in
Hawaii. the Philippines and Corea.
Many papers have been putting the
daily verse at the head Of the editorial
column. but not all.
"A large Ohio daily said Mr.. Hart
zell. "is running the verse completely
across it's daily comic page. When
asked the editor why he chose that
position he replied:
"'Why, don't you want it in the most
conspicuous place.
This editor added. laughing: Per
haps the readers of the comics need
balancing more than any one else
THE editor of a Bellineh7rl. Wash,
paper made a personal Investigation to
discover whether subscribers really read
these daily verses. He rep:rted that he
found that thousands actually read
them.
"The verses are selected by Mr.. Reid.
who before having them mailed submits
them to a committee of ministers and
church officials for approval"
Mr.. Hartzell said that tho bureau Is
now engaged in raising a fund of
5000, 900. the amount it is estimated the
work of extending the publication to
110.000.000 daily circulation will cost
In the next five years