BIBLE SALES

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 407, 16 July 1928, Page 14

BIBLE SALES

ARE THEY ON THE DECLINE? ARNOLD BENNETT’S BELIEF In the current number of “The World To-day” Mr. Arnold Bennett has written a leader note which makes a startling claim. It runs as follows: But it is indeed strange that the most remarkable religious portent of modern times should be completely ignored in all public discussions of religion. The sale of Bibles is steadily and very seriously declining. So far I have seen not a single reference to this tremendous fact in the Press, which nevertheless reports church proceedings with considerable fullness. The Bible has been for centuries the most popular as well as the greatest book in English literature. Its popularity has never fallen before. On the contrary it has risen. I am informed by the highest authorities that the circulation of the Bible is now definitely on the wane, and to an extent extremely disconcerting both spiritually and economically. . . . Nobody . . . can fail to be gravely impressed by the unprecedented phenomenon. As a symptom of profound modification of attitude toward theology and morals, it has unequalled significance. In an interview with the London “Observer” the Rev. E. W. Smith, of the British and Foreign Bible Society, said: “I do not believe that Mr.. Bennett’s statement will stand the test of figures. We are not the only publishers of the Bible in England, but we publish more Bibles than all the other publishers put together. We should, therefore, expect to notice immediately any such decline in circulation. I prefer to let the figures speak.” Figures and Oracles With a representative of the “Observer,” Mr. Smith examined carefully the' statistics published by the society since 1900. But figures, as oracles, often speak more obscurely than she of Delphos; in this case they also offered conundrums, but they were, for the most part, optimistic. At the first glance, they seem to record nothing but progress. In 1599. 1,521,586 Bibles in English and Welsh were circulated by the society; this was an exceptional figure, inasmuch in this year 126,000 copies were sent to our troops fighting in South Africa. In 1927 the figure had risen to 2,213,467—an increase of 70 per cent. Looking through the intervening years, one finds that the number of English and Welsh Bibles circulated each year showed a decline between 1900 and 1908. In 1902 the figure was 1,400,000; by 1904 it had increased by 3,000; but in 1906 it fell by nearly 200,000, and again in 1907 by another 111.000. In 190 S, the figure begins to mount again, and in 1912 it had reached 1,250,000; but the number of Bibles circulated In the years immediately preceding the war was considerably smaller than in 1900. The war years are exceptional, because once again Bibles were sent to the troops in great numbers. In 191? the figure was 1,620,000. Then there was a steady increase till 1926 when the annual report (published 1927) of the society, says: “Since the close of the war till last year there has been a steady increase, but this year we have to report a drop of 62,000’” They still showed, however, an increase as compared with 1918 of nearly 62,000. A Conundrum It must be understood, of course tliat these figures give the circulation .

of Bibles not only in Great Britain and Ireland, but in all English-speaking countries except America. Since 1900, the circulation of the Bible in i colonies has been increasing by leaps and bounds, as, indeed, was to be expected. Unfortunately, it is only during the last two years that the society has published the separate figures for Great Britain and Ireland and the Colonies.