The constant aim of the American Bible Society, as of its elder sister. the British and Foreign, with which it has ever labored in the closest official friendship, has been to secure the adequate translation of the Holy Scriptures into all the languages of the earth, and to distribute these translations as widely as possible. and espe cially to reach the destitute of all classes and conditions. For this purpose it has often ini tiated and supported new translations or revi sions of existing translations, and its books are by fixed rule sold at cost prices as a maxi mum, and at much less than cost, in many cases, and often giVen away to the very poor. At first its energy was naturally directed to a thorough supplying of the needs of the United States. Four times it has undertaken to can vass the whole country for this purpose. These canvasses were begun in 1829, in 1856, in 1866, and in 1882, and they occupied altogether many years. During the whole period of its existence it has made similar attempts on a less extensive scale. During the fourth resupply. beginning in 1882, -e than 6,300,000 families were visited by its colporteurs, and 473.806 families were supplied with the Scriptures, and in addi tion. nearly 300,000 individuals. in 27 languages, ineluding Welsh. German, Dutch, Norwegian and Danish. Swedish, Italian. Finnish. Hungarian, Bohemian. and Chinese. The immigrant popula tions. the negroes of the South. and other parts of the nation peculiarly needy, it has sought to help.
With the development of the country, during the progress of the century, the foreign work of the Society has Mille into greater relative promi nence, though its work at home has still been maintained. From the very beginning. indeed, it has recognized• the necessities of foreign coun tries. During the last twenty-five years its for eign circulation has steadily increased. rising from 276,892 copies in 1876 to 973.615 copies in the year 1900. it has by large grauts, both of money and hooks, aided missionary labors of the various Christian churches having missions in foreign lands to prosecute Bible translation and distribution, entering fully into the Foreign Mis sion enterprise, and sharing its enthusiasm. It has now twelve regular agencies under its own direction, each under the direction of an or dained minister of the Gospel—the La Plata Agency ( including Argentina, Uruguay. Para guay, Bolivia, ('hile. Peru, and Ecuador) : Bra zil; Venezuela and Colombia; Central America; lexieo; Cuba ; Porto Rico: China Siam and Laos; Japan (including Korea), and the Philip pines. Besides these agencies under its own di rectum, it aids in Bible circulation by means of missionary and other correspondents, in Norway, Sweden. Franee, Germany, Switzerland, Spaiu, Italy, Austria, Africa, Arabia, Persia, India, Hawaii, Micronesia, and other countries. The scope and magnitude of its operations are ex hibited by the following table: It will thus be seen that its total issues during a period of eighty-five years have been nearly 69,000,000 volumes, and its total receipts during the same period have been somewhat over $30, 000,000. During the last twenty-five years its
circulation in foreign lands has reached a total of 13,716,726 copies—at the present time the ma jority of its publications being sent to foreign countries. In 1901 it had 377 persons under its direction in foreign lands, or Bible distributors.
Its circulation at home and abroad, for its last fiscal year, was 1,554,128 Bibles, Testaments, and portions. These figures, however, arc only a par tial index of the extent and variety of its labors. It has aided, during its existence, in the transla tion, printing, or distribution of the Scriptures in more than one hundred different languages. At the present time translations and revisions are proceeding under its patronage in various lan guages in mission lands. notably in China. Siam, South and West Africa, and the Philippine Islands.
In addition to the printing done in the Bible House, in New York. in 1901 it had Scriptures printed for its use at Shanghai and other cities in China, at Yokohama. at Seoul (Korea), at Constantinople, at lfeirut, and at Bangkok. 'Translations have been begun, and in part pub lished, in several of the many languages spoken in the Philippine Islands. In these new terri torial possessions of the United States, as well as in Cuba and Porto Rico, the Society finds a field peculiarly suitable for its labors.
The AMERICAN AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY was organized by the Baptists, who desired that translations of the Bible in foreign lands should conform as nearly as possible to the original Hebrew and Greek. In this they had mainly inn view the rendering of fia>rr1to, by immerse in stead of baptize. In tine circulation of the Eng. fish Scriptures, they were willing that for a time the Authorized ‘''ersion should be used. in 1850 a portion of the denomination, dissatisfied with this course, formed 'The American Bible Union,' whose object. as set forth in its constitu tion, is "to procure and circulate the most faith ful versions in all languages throughout the world." It has done much in foreign lands; and, with the assistance of scholars both in Europe and America, was engaged in revising the Author ized Version. In 18S3 the Bible convention held by the Baptists at Saratoga, N. Y.. decided that the American Baptist Publication Society should henceforth do the work of publication and circu lation for the American and Foreign Bible So ciety and the American Bible Union, which still maintain their legal existence on account of certain legacies and other funds. The most of the money goes for the distribution of the Scrip tures. Tile Bible Union revised the entire New. Testament and portions of the Old—the Penta teuch, Job. Psalms, and portions of other books. The original revision was itself revised, and the Old Testament parts again revised. and those not previously revised are undergoing revision.