BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1934, 6 May 1880, Page 3

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Canterbury Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Society wag held last Wednesday in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Lichfield street. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, there was a very good attendance of persons interested. The chair was taken by the Most Rev. the Primate, and on the platform were the Bight Revs, the Bishops of Waiapu and Melanesia. The proceedings commenced by the assembly singing the 100th Psalm, given out by the Rev. J. Aldred, after which the Bishop of Melanesia road the 19th Psalm and offered up prayer. The Primate having apologised for the absence of the Right Rev. the Bishop of Nelson and the Dean of Christchurch, the former being taken away by a previous engagement and the latter having undertaken the evening duty of the Rev. Mr Lingard, who had been seized by illness, made a prefatory address, in which he expatiated on the value of the Holy Scripture, and the duty which devolved on Christians in disseminating it amongst the heathen. In the course of his remarks he said that he had heard that fragmentary portions of Holy Writ had found their way into the islands of New Zealand even before the Natives had received any verbal instructions, and he should be glad to hear a confirmation of this fact, it it were so, by some present, who could speak from their experience. He would now call on the Rev. J. Aldred to read the local report as follows :

The committee of the Canterbury Auxiliary, in presenting this their eighteenth annual report, desire to express their thankfulness to Almighty God for that measure of prosperity with which it has pleased Him to favor its operations during the year. Our annual meeting takes place earlier this year than for several years past, for the following reason. It having become known to your committee that the General Synod of the Church of England would be in session in Christchurch in the month of April, it appeared to the committee most desirable, in the interests of the society, to hold the meeting during the session, with the view of seeing on the platform old and well-known advocates of the society’s claims from other parts of the colony. _ On account of the earlier holding of the meeting, the treasurer is not in a position this evening to present his balance sheet. 3 ho collectors have not had time to wait upon all the subscribers in their districts, but from what has been done already by them, your committee have ground to hope that the income of the auxiliary this year will equal, and probably exceed, that of last year. By the first mail after the mooting of last year the sum of £ 100 was remitted to the parent society, £3OO as t roe contribution, and £IOO on purchase account. There are in connection with our auxiliary three branch societies —Lyttelton, Timaru, and

Rangiora—and eleven depots. The Xiraarn returns have just come to-hand. and are very encouraging. The sum of >£GS 10s, including .£l4 15s on account of sales, has been remitted by Mr E. C. Dove, the treasurer, an amount far exceeding the receipts from Timam of any previous year. The returns from the other branches are not as yet to-band but we have no reason to four that the receipts for the present year will .compare unfavorably with those of last year. The sales at some of the depots show a falling off, as compared with those of former years. This is accounted for in that the demand for Bibles in those localities bas been met. The sales for the past eleven months have amounted, in round numbers, to 1100 volumes, showing an increase of seventy, six over those of the preceding year. In making a brief reference, as we have been accustomed to do at our annual meeting, to the Parent Society’s latest report, there is not anything unusual to note. The income of the society suffered slightly through the general depression which for the last year or two has prevailed in ihe United Kingdom, a state of things which was felt in a similar way by almost every kindred institution. This noble society continues in the vigorous pro; cent ion of its great work. In no previous age has there even been so much of God’s word in circulation, or so many readers of it as there are to day. At the last annual meeting, in Exeter Hall, the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol oirr-cted special attention to the important work of Bible translation, and supplied the following information, that while portions of the Scriptures had been translated into about a hundred and eighty-seven languages, he believed the exact number cf translations of the whole Bible in all the languages in the world was fifty-seven.” This number, in the course of the year, had been increased by one. Two of these fifty-eight tran-lators of the entire Scriptures are well known in New Zealand Archdeacon Maunsell (who but for his leaving Christchurch yesterday would have been one of our speakers this evening) is the trans'ator of the Bible into the Maori language. The other is the Rev. J. Inglis, of the Free Church of Scotland, who after having laboured for some years in New Zealand, removed to the New Hebrides’ Mission, and has within the last few months completed the translation of the Bible into one of the Melanesian languages. We ‘‘glorify God” in them. The good which will result, by the divine blessing, from the labours of these translators the great day can a 1 ore reveal. We once more ask of you, on behalf of the Society, the continuance of your pecuniary help and your fervent prayers. The Bight Rev. the Bishop of Melanesia in moving the adoption of the report, expressed his gratification that the status of the auxiliary was so worthy of the position of the parent society. He also referred to the labors of the Rev. Mr Inglis, and paid a tribute to the great task he had accomplished in translating the scriptures into a savage tongue in a previously almost unvisited island. Ho proceeded to point out the advantages of a knowledge of the Bible from a purely missionary point of view as a civiliser. It was a history in which we saw God working out His purposes. It was a literature in which a great national patriotism was depicted, and from whence law and order were evolved. These were the lessons which were put within the reach of the savage mind. The mind of a savage was easily captivated and enthralled by the narration of interesting stories, and where could stories of a more fascinating nature bo found. He had found the value of the Bible from a purely utilitarian point of view in his experience with his boys in his Norfolk Island school. The speaker, before concluding, remarked upon the inconvenience which was caused to the missionary from not knowing the precise language into which the copies of the Scriptures were translated. This information might be conveyed on the title pages of editions of the Bible which had been translated into special languages. He would now move —“That the report now read be adopted, and printed under the direction of the committee.”

The Bev. Mr Pym seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously. The Eight Bov. the Bishop of Waiapu moved the second resolution as follows: “ That this meeting expresses its thankfulness to Almighty God for the labors and success of the parent society and of all other kindred societies, and also for that measure of prosperity it hath pleased Him to vouchsafe to this auxiliary.” He said he was indebted to the society for the spiritual weapons the missionary so energetically needed, and dealt on the generosity of the society in furnishing the Scriptures. The society had been the means of furnishing a bond of union amongst Protestant communities, and in this connection he would refer to the services of Dr. Duff in Calcutta. Eecognising the necessity of stimulating devotional exercises and removing misconceptions from the minds of the heathen, Dr. Duff had conceived the idea of a monthly missionary conference in Calcutta, which had been so successful, that they had been inaugurated in all parts of India with the happiest results. After instancing the power of God’s word in the case of a Mahomedan woman, drawn from his Indian experiences, the speaker proceeded to show that the work done in New Zealand through the agency of the Society was no less great, and cited a remarkable instance where the study of God’s word had led to the grandest conceptions of His truth in the mind of a simple Maori woman. The resolution was seconded by the Bev. D. McKee, who referred to the fertility which had attended the planting of the Canterbury branch of the Parent Society. After enumerating the various foreign branches, he alluded to the American one, which bade fair to rival the operations of the British and Foreign Bible Society. They were all engaged in the same noble rivalry, and he wished them all good speed. The Bev. J. T. Evans, the local agent of the society, moved—“ That the cordial thanks of this meeting be presented to the collectors for their very efficient services; also to the treasurer, secretary, and committee, and that the following gentlemen bo the officers and committee for the ensuing year : —Treasurer, Mr E. W. Black ; secretary, Bev. J. Aldred ; committee, Messrs John Inglia and G. Booth, J. P. Jameson, O. E. Blakiston, W. D. Carruthers, J. Cameron, J. H. Twontyman, J. H Parker, W. B. Bray, W. H. Hargreaves, J. T Brown, T. Pillow, the ministers of all denominations who subscribed to the society’s fund, and the officers of the branch societies.” Speaking as the local agent of the society, ho referred with gratification to the services of the collectors, especially the ladies, whose services could not be sufficiently appreciated. During the past year Canterbury had sent £3OO to the fund of the parent society, while the total amount contributed by the Australasian colonies was £4860, in addition to which a further sum of £IBOO had been paid for Bibles which had been previously ordered, but had not been paid for. At present Canterbury was the third on the list in point of prosperity, but he trusted, with the aid of good workers and good collectors, it would soon rank the first. Bev. H. Williams seconded the motion, which was put and carried unanimously. A collection was then made in aid of the the fund, which amounted to £8 10s. Mr B. H. Webb, in moving the last resolution as follows “That the thanks of this meeting bo presented to the Most Bev. the Primate for presiding on this occasion” — stated that Lyttelton had contributed last year £2O to the society. He pointed out that as the Primate in his capacity of chairman, could not put the resolution, perhaps the Bight Bev. the Bishop of Waiapu would do so. The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. The Primate having returned thanks, concluded the proceedings by pronouncing the benediction.