The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1938-01-06
MARYLAND BIBLE SOCIETY
By REV. EDGAR CoRDELL POWERS.
Executive Secretary
Two Ways of Selling The Bible

Two Ways of Selling The Bible
Perhaps no article dealing with the
sale of the Holy Scriptures has arous-
ed a greater storm of protest than the
one published in the January issue of
The Readers Digest, entitled: High
Pressure in the Bible Belt" The
reason for the almost universal revul-
sion of feeling occasioned by this ar
ticle may be found in the shock which
all right thinking people experienced
in being brought face to face with
the Grass materialism of certain dis
tributors of the Bible, and the undis-
guised profit motive behind their eff
forts to capitalize on the fact that the
Bible is still the worlds best seller.
Whether such methods are gener-
ally practiced by commercial publish
ers is not now the question. Nor is
there anything unjust or immoral in
selling the Scriptures at prices which
will not only defray the cost of publ
cation, but also afford a fair percent
age of profit for the dealer who must
live while distributing the Word of
God. However, to reduce the whole
business of Bible distribution to a
plane where trickery and chicanery
are employed to hornswoggle earnest
and supplemented people into making
purchases beyond their means, either
as to quantity or quality, is nothing
short of profanity and wickedness.
The great Bible Societies do not OPP
crate for purposes of profit and fix
their prices at the lowest figure COM
mensurate with the necessary expense
involved in publication and distribu-
ton. The colporteus employed for mis-
sionary visitation in homes of city or
countryside make their approach with
but one great purpose, namely, to sup
ply Bibles, Testaments or Portions to
Bibleless homes, and to individuals
who do not possess them. The colpor-
teur rarely if ever makes his expenses
in such work, but must Of necessity
be supported as all other missionaries
are, either directly by the Society or
by funds supplied by some consecrated
individual or group of individuals, who
desire to see the Scriptures spread
among the people and read by them.
For instance, in 1885, colporteur
of the American Bible Society trav-
eled 13,400 miles, chilly in one county,
and sold-in some instances donating
|-1,742 Bibles, /, 984 Testaments and
17,484 Gospels and other portions. But
this colporteur was an entirely differ
ent type of agent from those described
in the Digest article. He is typical OF
hundreds of men who, representing
the American Bible Society and its
auxiliary societies scattered over the
country, are not interested in dot
ted line" but are missionaries eager to
bear witness to what the Bible has
done for them and for others and con-
cerned that no man shall miss the
chance to find guidance and hope in
the Supreme Book of mankind. The
American Bible Society's Scriptures
are for the most part well made, read
able, but inexpensive books. They con-
tain no explanatory notes. They are
sold at cost and often below. Thous-
ands of them are given away to those
who suffer from disasters such as
fires, floods and earthquakes. The BIZ
Bile Society colporteur's task is mis-
sionary task, not a commercial one.
The American Bible Society was or
ganized under the conviction that the
Bible, unlike any other Book, was
Book that should become the posses
sion of every person and that there
fore no purpose of profit should at
tend it's distribution. Its representa-
tives labor with a single purpose, that
of spreading the knowledge Of saliva
ton to the ends of the earth.