THE BIBLE SOCIETY.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18420, 29 June 1925, Page 14

THE BIBLE SOCIETY.

ANNIVERSARY MEETING. (*BOH OUB OWS COBSESPONDENT.) LONDON, May 22. An annual event of considerable interest is the meeting of the Bible Society, held at the Queen's Hall. The 121st anniversary has just been celebrated, -with Lord Daryngton iu the chair. Speakers included Sir "W. Joynson Hicks, Dr. Kit son, Dr. Zwemer (well known in the- Moslem world), the Rev. Dr. Barber (recently back from China), and the Rev. A. T. Thompson (newly-appointed Secretary for the Society in Australia and New Zealand).

Sir W. Joynson Hicks expressed the opinion that it was not much use having the Bible unless it was read. "It is not much use to have a beautifully bound Bible, as I have sometimes seen one, covered with dust in the spare room of a country house. It is not much use having a Bible somewhere or another on a shelf in your own home. It must be read, it must be studied, it must be lived."

Mr Thompson passed from grave to gay as •he recounted some of his experiences in carrying on the Society's work. He supposed he was the most licensed man in the world, for thougli he was a Presbyterian, he held the license of the Archbishop of New Zealand and five other bishops to preach for the Society. He regarded it as the njost catholic institution in the world. At his farewell meeting iu "Wellington the Bishop found it difficult to classify him, but he thought denominationally that he must be a kind of Anglo-Catholic Presbyterian. Mr Thompson spoke of his native landNew Zealand —in enthusiastic terms, and said that nothing would have taken him away from it but for the vision given by Dr. Ritson, and. the conviction ever-gr.owing and ever-deep-ening as to the part that Australia and New Zealand could play, and must play as two Christin nations down in that hemisphere, with all the problems l that were awakening there. A hundred years ago the first Maori convert received Christian baptism, and on this 100 th anniversary the Biblo Society had provided a new edition ,of the Maori Bible. They were very proud of that Maori Bible —it was the best edition that so far had appeared. New Zealand people would stand behind the Society, and there would be no debit side with regard to its efforts on their be-half. Many gifts had come in already, some from aged Maoris, but one, the descendant of a missionary there, had given Mr Thompson his personal guarantee for £IOOO. He said "I cou|d not dream of the old Biblo Society being a penny in debt over this new version of the Scriptures." (Loud applause.)