OF THE SANSOM STREET female bible ASSOCIATION, PHILADELPHIA, Was held on Wednesday evening, October 29, 1834, at the Sansom The exercises were commenced by singing a hymn expressive of the preciousness of the Bible. The nineteenth Psalm was read and prayer offered by REV. R. W. CUSHMAN. The Report of the Board of Managers was read by Mr. A. S. Langley. The meeting was then addressed by Rev. R. W. Cushman, in his usual felicitous and instructive manner. Rev. J. C. HARRISON followed, in a neat, appropriate address. The services were closed by a benediction, pronounced by Rev. J. C. Harrison. A gratifying interest was manifested by the assembly in the Report, and the exercises of the evening. OF THE SANSOM STREET FEMALE BIBLE ASSOCIATION, PHILA. PRESENTED OCTOBER 29, 1834. THE Managers of the Sansom Street Female Bible Association in presenting their First Annual Report, have occasion to congratulate the Society upon the very encouraging results which have attended their labors, during this early and brief period of its existence; and for gratitude to the God of the Bible, that he has permitted them to be instrumental in promoting its circulation. The Association, a Report of whose proceedings is now offered, was organized December 4, 1833, and twenty-six names were attached to a Constitution then adopted. A Board of Managers was chosen at an adjourned meeting, held December 17. The Managers, having elected their officers, adopted by-laws, and made efforts to increase the list of subscribers, commenced holding regular monthly meetings the last Wednesday in January. These have since been sustained, with the exception of one month when a public meeting addressed by Mrs. Wade superseded that of your Board, and two others when most of the Managers were ill or absent from the city. At an early period of their operations, one of the Managers proposed a plan of labor hitherto untried in our city, and in some of its features, so far as they have information, entirely new. A system of weekly collections has, for some years, been in successful progress in England, by which cities and towns are divided into sections, and Committees of Female Bible Associations visit weekly their different districts, taking from persons of every description, whatever they choose to subscribe, either toward aiding the circulation of the Bible among the destitute, or in payment for Bibles and Testaments for themselves. In this way, persons whose circumstances would render it inconvenient for them to pay the whole price of a Bible at once, can easily furnish themselves with one by making repeated small payments; and the effort thus made undoubtedly increases their interest in the book when obtained, as well as furnishes evidence that some desire existed to possess it, and affords ground for hope that it will be read. It was not thought advisable that a local Society like this, which could cover only a small extent of ground, should attempt to carry this system into effect in the streets and alleys of the city, however advantageous it might be if generally adopted, and the whole city visited by weekly committees-but the plan suggested to your Board was, that the attempt should be made in the Market, where among its attendants exists a great variety of character and circumstances. The measure was, after considerable discussion, adopted; and a few of the Managers consented to enter upon the work. To make the object known in the proposed field of labor, it was thought necessary to circulate a brief address which should state the plan in a simple manner, and invite the co-operation of such as were disposed to encourage it; and the originator of the proposition was directed to prepare such an address. This was done-the Circular was adopted by the Board, and distributed through the Market-houses in Market street, and partially among the wagons in the same street. The following is a copy of the address: To our Friends occupying the Philadelphia Market. This little Address is placed in your hands for the purpose of explaining a plan which has been adopted by a few persons desirous of being useful to others, in which we ask your aid. We are in possession of a treasure which many people know nothing of; they have never heard of it, or they have not learnt its value, and take no pains to obtain it for themselves. This treasure is the BIBLE-the book which came from GOD. In this precious book is contained all that we can know of God and of the world to come, while we continue in the present life. It informs us that after death comes the judgment; and that sinners like us cannot be accepted in the last great day, and made happy hereafter in the presence of God, unless we, in this life, believe on the Son of God, who died for our sins. As we have no knowledge of these important things, and no directions how to obtain eternal happiness in heaven, except from the Bible, we would part with all we have, before we would part with that. And we cannot but be anxious that all may possess the same treasure. If we have a great good which many others have not, would it not be selfish in us to keep it to ourselves, when they might enjoy the same, without taking it from us? We therefore give money for the purpose of printing this blessed book and sending it to those who have never seen it. And now we turn to you with anxious and affectionate interest. We con sider you our friends. We depend upon you for supplying us with our necessary food. For our accommodation, you expose yourselves to cold and heat, wind and storm; and we wish to convince you that we are grateful, by recommending to you the bread of life-the word of God. No doubt most of you possess the Bible, and many of you love it too. But are there not some who have not the holy book in their houses? Perhaps it is because they do not wish to have it; perhaps they think their circumstances are such that they cannot afford to pay for it. We presume some of your number will cheerfully give something for printing Bibles and sending them to distant nations, where the gospel is unknown. Others may be glad of an opportunity to buy a Bible at a low price, and when not convenient to pay for it at once, make the payment in small sums weekly. And others who do not feel able to pay for one at all, may be willing to receive it from those who will wiliingly bestow it without price. It is our desire that the Bible may be more known, and more read, and more loved. And for this object we freely bestow our money, our time, and our labor, asking a recompense from no one. We will therefore pass through the market on a stated day every week, and give each of you an opportunity to aid in this good work, as you shall think best. In a book prepared for the purpose, we will set down the sum you may be disposed to subscribe, and the object for which you would have it used. If you give a weekly mite for sending the Bible where it is not known, the money will be faithfully used for that purpose. If you subscribe any sum to be paid at once, or weekly, for a Bible for yourselves or your children, or any person to whom you may like to present one, we will deliver one to you at the lowest cost price, of any description you may choose. And we will distribute Bibles without cost, to such as are willing to receive, and have not the means of paying for them. The smallest sum will be gladly received; and we shall consider our time well spent, in collecting even a penny a week from persons who are willing to spend that for the Bible, and do not find it convenient to pay more. In behalf of the Committee of a Bible Association appointed to visit in the Market. One thousand copies of this address were printed and immediately used; and an additional thousand were struck off, with alterations in some sentences which applied exclusively to persons occupying the Market, for the use of such Managers as might pursue the weekly collections elsewhere. The efforts of the Managers in the Market commenced the first of March. Not more than six or eight persons have, at any one period, been employed in this field; and, owing to the illness or absence from the city of some of those most devoted to the service, an average of not more than four or five have been actually engaged. Still, with this limited number of laborers, and within the period of eight months only, one hundred and fifteen Bibles and nineteen Testaments have been sold; and twelve Bibles, including one at one-half price, and four Testaments given out gratuitously-with few exceptions in the Market. The amount of money collected by the weekly Committee is $193,49, of which $29,06 is from donors to aid the gratuitous circulation of the Scriptures, and the remainder is for Bibles and Testaments sold. ness. Your Managers have been almost uniformly received with kindScarcely an instance of rudeness has occurred in this department of their labor; and they have at times held conversations with individuals whose subscriptions they received, which it is hoped may have left some good impression. It is believed that almost this entire number of Bibles has been put in circulation, which, without an agency like that they have exerted, would not have been called for, and under circumstances more favorable to the recipients, than if they had been gratuitously presented. Let the prayers of this whole Association be mingled with those of their Managers, that the Spirit of God may accompany his holy word distributed through their instrumentality, and render it the means of salvation to many souls. In three instances, one of the heads of a family to whom a Bible had been furnished in the Market, on their own subscription, have died since receiving it; and two of these, who had not previously been acquainted with the religion of the Bible, the Collectors were informed, died in hope of salvation; but, through ignorance of their sickness on the part of the Collectors, or uncontrollable circumstances, they were not visited. In one of these cases the wife of the sick man commenced her subscription, and requested that she might have a Bible in advance, because she wished her declining husband to have the benefit of it. Another desired to obtain a Bible,-her husband having, in a fit of intoxication, disposed of the only one in the family. That husband is now dead, and his wife entertains the hope that he was prepared to die. In another instance, a woman who had not completed the payment of hers, when her decease took place, in her dying hour requested her family to pay the Collector the amount due, and receive the Bible. Some have subscribed for Bibles because they had only a very large one, inconvenient for use; others because the only one they possessed was so worn, or its print so small, that they could not read it with eyes failing from age; and |