Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-05-11
Distribution
Of Bible Is.
At New High

New York, May ia distribu-
ton Of 7,370,906 volumes of Scrip
lures in 1889, representing an in
crease Of five percent over the cir
culation Of 1888, was reported by the
American Bible Society at It's l24th
Iannual meeting just ended at Bible
House, its headquarters in New York
City. The Scriptures were circulated
in more than forty countries and in
upwards Of 200 languages. This total,
according to the Bible Society, by no
means represents the increased de-
nlaHd for the Bible. Only the society'S
bUu,, ,ary limitations kept it from
being much greater.
In America, in all but one of the
ISociety'S ten district offices the cir
culation topped that Of the preceding
year.
In Latin America the society was
able to meet only one-half to two
thirds of the call for Scriptures. The
rapid advance of the evangelistic
movement and the growth and eff
ficienCy of national schools which,
year by year, are decreasing litter
acy are undoubtedly two contribut-
ing factors in the urge for the Bible.
In many of these nations there is a
rapidly expanding development OF
Bible training schools.
Over on the other size of the world,
China, facing a devastating emcrgen-
cy created by the present invasion OF
her country, reports the sale OF twice
as many whole Bibles and twice as
many New Testaments as in 1887,
and decided increase in the dlstri-
button of portions of the Bible. The
orders for Bibles and TeStaments
poured into the Shanghai Bible House
in such volume that the presses and
binderieS were unable to keep up
with the demand. At the end of OCto-
Der there were untitled orders for
$4,000 books.
1t is now los years since the Amer
lean Bible Society began its service
to the blind. Scriptures in the various
embossed systems are supplied and
no application for volumes goes I'M
filled. All are furnished to the blind
at mere fraction Of their cost. The
society also supplies the new "Talk-
ing book records" that contain parts
of the Old and all of the New Tesla
ments.
It is estimated that nine-tenths Of
the 2,OOO,000,0O0 people in the world
might now, if they turned to the
Bible, hear it read in a language they
understand. There were four addi-
tional new translations for which the
society was responsible last year, two
for the Philippine Islands, and two
for Bible-hungry China. One of these,
the HWa LiSu New Testament, used
in Yunnan Province, carries a Yves
tern flavor, for the dialect is printed
in Roman characters, the WoSds are
set from left to right, and the book
is read from the front.
The American Bible Society is
now carrying the added responsible
ity of providing many scriptures for
the foreign work done by its sister
organization in London, the British
and Foreign Bible Society, crippled
in its activities by the outbreak of
war in Europe.
Anticipating these and the already
unmet demands in the societys own
fields, particularly in Latin America,
the Board of Managers of the Bible
Sociey adopted during 1889 a for
ward movement program, which, as
one of its aims, calls for an annual
increase of $4,000 from living donors
during each of the next four years,
so that by the close of 1914 the total
giving from churches, individuals
and auxiliary Bible societies will
have risen from S235,OOO to S435, 900.