The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-05-13
BIBLE SOCIETY MEETING TODAY
Third of Billion Copies of Scriptures Distributed
 in I27 Years


 American Bible society, which is holding its l27th annual meeting to- day reports that in these years it has published and distributed over third of a billion copies of the Scriptures in over POO languages and in more than fifty countries.
 The society's presses were going constantly during l042 turning out TeStaments for the Army and Navy, similar to those being sup piled by the Bible society for the lifeboats and rafts of the Merchant Marine, at the rate of Il 900 day, with many requests from chaplains still unified.
 When the news was flashed to the world that Eddie Rickenbacker and his comrades, lost in the treacher- ous Pacific for those anxious twen- ty-one days, had been rescued and the amazing story of their daily use of Sergeant Bartek's little Testa- ment became known, the American Bible Society joined in the general thanksgiving and then did some- thing more. It realized that most of such experiences arc likely to oc- cur among tho Merchant Marine, because of the constant hazards to which they are exposed, so that the Society offered its services, which were accepted, and, as a result there is now included fin the equipment Of every one of the 10000 lifeboats and rafts on the hundreds of vessels operated under the War Shipping Administration. a copy of the New Testament, including also the Ten Commandments, some of the great Psalms, some old hymns and some prayers. The little book is enclosed in a stout waterproof envelope made of oiled paper and lined with lead foil and sealed with hot Iron,
 The Bible Society manufactured in this country alone last year more than 8,200, 900 .books--which is the largest number ever manufactured in the United States in the Society's long history; and also exceeds the distribution made by the Society all over the world last year,
 The tremendous needs at home did not blind the Bible Society to the even greater needs abroad. Hun dreds of thousands Of Bibles, Testa- ments, and Gospel portions were distributed in twenty different lan- guages to prisoners of war languish- ing in enemy territory.
 It was difficult to get shipments through to Latin America during i942, due to lack of transportation, but the Society's report shows that the circulation in our sister repub- lies to the south was one Of the greatest in all the years since 1864 when the work began there; and that the agents shelves were empty for the most part, long before the year was out, so eager arc our Latin nelghbors to own and possess the Bible.
 To the Society'S work In China hostilities brought severe limitations but the Bible Society was able last year. and still is able to help the Chinese themselves to publish their own Bibles. At the end of the year preparations were being made for printing whole Bibles in West Chi- ma. In addition, advance supplies to the extent of 10000 copies were being prepared in India for the day when the Burma Road should re- open. The Bible HoHse in Chung king, in spite of bombings all about 1t, still stands and dispenses Scrip lures to all who come.
 The blind were not forgotten by the Society. Last year, 1t is report cd, the Bible Society surpassed any other of the l08 years 1t has been serving the blind, in the number of bulky embossed books, in Braille and other systems, and in talking book records for those who do not read with their fingers.
 Although the making of new translations, particularly in the Philippines, and other parts of the Far East, was interrupted at least as far as contact with the New York office of the Society was concerned. in other languages considerable pro- gress was made toward getting the Scriptures into new hands in Qua temala, Bolivia, Peru, Curacao, and in Africa.