The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1904. THE BIBLE SOCIETY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 55, 9 March 1904, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1904. THE BIBLE SOCIETY.

The centenary cuU-liratkins of the British anil Foreign H'lile Society are of remarkable interest throughout the world. In London, so the table iiil'onns us, the Archhishop of Canterbury preached to iinniense congregations, the service being attended by Queen Alexandra and the I'rince and Princess of Wales. Ureal meetings have been held in Australia and elsewhere, while in our own colony the important event was eurnestly referred to in most of the churches. The effort is now being made to raise 250,000 guineas to enable the Society to meet the constant demands being made upon it, and we have little doubt that the world's offering to the centenary fund will fully equal the sum asked for. A short sketch of the history of this great Society cannot (nil to be of interest, and the following vivid summary of the time of its birth by the Rev. T. 11. Dnrlow is well worth quoting :—"ln those days of confusion and disaster the old secular order in Europe seemed ready to vanish away.' In 1801 Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor of the I'Ycnch, with kings for his vassals, and brought the Tope to Paris for his coronation. The same year Francis IT. assumed the title of hereditary Emperor of Austria, as a prelude to abdicating, two years later, his position as head of the Holy ltoman Empire. . . At home, on British soil, profound changes Koif accomplishing themselves and new ideas and movements hail already begun to germinate. Jt was lit years since John Weslev hail preached his last sermon. ' Within tlw previous decade Gibbon and Burke and Hums and Cowper bad all passed off the slage. Wordsworth and Coleridge had already published the first edition of the 'Lyrical Hallads:' Chalmers bad just been ordained. Byron and Shelley and Keats and Carlyle were still schoolboys ; Pnsey and Xewman and Macuulcv had not left the nursery. Ten years were still to elapse before George Stephenson completed bis first locumotive and Walter Scott published bis iirst romance. The men who founded the llible Society in the midst of these mingled death-throes and birth-throes understood little enough of the strange new movements stirring round about them. As little could they forecast the issue of the desperate struggle in which their country was engaged. Hut they brooded over the evils and miseries of mankind, believing profoundly that for these ills there was no prescription except the (lospel of incarnate and atoning love. By a splendid act of faith they formed a Society which had for its sole object to give that Gospel to every 'human creature in his own mother tongue." That was a time (says Canon lienham in a recent article in the Treasury) when the Evangelical revival was beginning to show its strength. William Carey, the famous missionary, hud landed at Calcutta on Nov. 11, 1798, the day alter the Goddess of lteason had been enthroned at Nutre-Dnme. The Chnreh Missionary Society was not live years old. At a meeting of the Heligious Tract Society, also in its fifth year, one of members, u Welsh minister, laid spoken of the famine of liibles in bis native land, and the result of nil this was u meeting at the London Tavern on March 7, 1801, at which tlie Bible Society was founded. Granville Sharp presided, ami William Wilberforce was there, with his brilliant eloquence, and Zachary Mucauley (the historian's father) with his generous enthusiasm. lleilby Porteus, Bishop of London, was one or the lirst patrons, and at his suggestion Lord Teignmouth, who had been Governor-General of India, became first president. Henry Thornton was tlie first treasurer, and the lirst year's expenditure was £O9l. These founders huildcd better than they knew, for in the year 1901 the expenditure exceeded £237.000. The issues from the Bible House in queen Victoria-street that vear were Hi:,,. .597 Bibles, 1,;105,17b New Testaments, and 2,760,581] portions of Scripture, Gospels, or Psalters. The year before it was rather more, but the subsequent troubles in China reduced the circulation by a-quarter of a million copies. As to tlie translations of the Scriptures into all manner of the far-off languages of the earth. Canon Bciihum says :—"The very sight of the copies in ihcir strange characters is a sight worth going to see. One simply bows one's head and thanks God. Mv geographical knowledge, let me franklv confess it. is absolutelv nil concerning more than hall Ihe places contained in the report, between pages 220 and 2iS2, for which translations have bed! made. How many readers can interpret 'Aiieityum.' Api,' -Badagu,' 'Hugi,' •Ciiinynnjn.' Tlnunm •>' 1 lake all these from one page without a turnover, among a croud more, which I think I could liml on the map. with some li.-si In I ion. Then there are copies for the hliml j„ English, Welsh, French, Arabic Spnn•ish. It simply fascinates one to turn the pages sjnyjy over The ]tj|,| t . Society lias the warmest, support of Eastern Christendom, ],„ sl y ,.. ir the Russian Church circulated 592ooii copies oi the Scriptures in niiii'e than 00 different tongues. There are many signs that we are wenrv of

controversy, and would lain unite in the warfare against, sin, in tin: love and peace of Jl-siis Christ. And so I judge of a yet more serious contro\ersy, that of the aufhorily and comfort of llii! Scriptures. ' There »;>ve|- was a lime wh..-n Hie Bihle <-n* mole honoured, „„„■, eagerly .sought into, -iluiii ,ic|w, and i,s I Hay .so. X think of men who 'in Uieir 'lay Were called unbelievers. Whatever we may think" of the writings of fnicli men as Hanvin, Huxley, T;. n(iiiuds. eager j' o |. knowledge, searching the Scriptures cmilimuifly." The conlroversy will K -,, on, rash' speculations an;' crude theories will be indulged in, as w,.-i; us uucharitalile feelings and expressions. Hut. there will lie H 8 earnest searching „j' hearts among fnitlifu] men (if all •sides. Only let as still lie calm and full of prayer, full of trust. The questions of criticism which have been opened have raised clouds, and will raise more, and meanwhile those who have tasted the sweetness of the Word of God will still trust in Hjm. We cannot as yet solve the difiipultJps which have arisen, and more will yet arise, liut the Angel

the darkness. And if we strive manfully to master the truth which God li.\ His Spirit is always more and more revealing to our innermost souls, the Angel will bless us abundanily when the day breaketh." Truly I lie Society has prospered exceedingly. Hilling its 100 years of work £1 1.000.000 have been spent in the circulation'of 180 million copies of Ihe Bible in 1170 different. languages, and tlie preseiil-dav life and vigour of Ihe Society are proved hv the fact that last year the expenditure was a quarter of a million, incurred in the circulation of six million copies of The Book.