Daily Kennebec journal., 1922-04-29
Back to the Bible
Backed By Million
In Newspaper Verses


pense of one dollar for every million
readers, the Back to the Bible Bureau
of Cincinnati is getting one verse of
scripture daily printed in about 1000
American newspapers and magazines
It's total daily scripture readers are
estimated at 100000 now. two years
| after the bureaus Inauguration.
A goal of 110,000,000 Bible verse
readers daily is announced, with "A five
year program to make it effective.
The Bureaus idea is that daily read
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.
Hartzell, a Dayton. Ohio, manufac-
turer, an advisory member ot ~ Bu-
reau. The chairman is ! lcs n.
Gamble of the Proctor and Gamble
Company.
The Bureau was inaugurated two
years ago by Addison Y. Reid of Gin
cinnati, who is now it's secretary. He
had been conducting propaganda for
prohibition, sending daily contribu-
tions to a nu..lber of newspapers, and
paying for their publication. With
the adoption of the r"ohibition amend
ment, 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 pal for the propaganda. The
verses went to only few newspapers
After nNout six months paid puhIiCa-
tions, other newspapers becoming in
terested, and discovering that Mr..
Reid was f. .ishing the scriptural
quotations, asked him to supply them
also, offering to make publication
without Charge. Thereupon Mr.. Reid
stopped paying for insertion of TIE
verses and the present Bureau VI in
augurated.
Mr.. Hartzell said that in these two
years the Bureau has expended slO,-
00o 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 re-
sponse to the Bureaus letters Offering
the scriptures has been uniform from
all sections of the country, Mr.. Hart
zell stated. The daily papers now
publishing include 46 in Canada and
publications in Hawaii, the Philippines
and Korea.
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. lis running the verse completely
across its daily comic page. When
asked tie editor why he chose that DO
sition. he replied:
why. don't you want Il in the
most conspicuous place?
This editor added. laughing. Per
haps the readers of the comics need
balancing moro than anyone else
THE editor of a Bellingham Wash
ington, paper made a personal investi-
cation to discover whether subscribers
really read these daily verses. He re-
ported that he. found that thousands
actually read them.
'"The verses are selected by Mr..
Reid. who before having them mailed,
submits them to committee OF min
isters and church officials for ap-
prevail
Mr. Hartzell said that the Bureau is
now engaged in raising a fund OF
s2Sp.0oo, the amount it is estimated
the work Of extending the publication
TO a 11o,ooo,00o daily circulation will
cost in the next five years.