King's Business - 1922-11

THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S

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ever else this may be, it is not Bible propaganda. There is another kind of colporteur. He also cultivates salesmanship but the mere transaction of a sale is, in itself, quite secondary. It is his chief, concern to win the confidence of his prospective buyer, to listen patiently and sympathetically to the story of un­ realized dreams and shattered hopes; to encourage the acknowledgment that a life without God is unsatisfactory and incomplete and then, with the as­ surance of unshaken faith in God and His Word, open the Book and show that it contains the way of life. That is has marked out the .safe path in which he may direct his steps and that here at last is a panacea for all the ills of the soul. The Sad Armenian One of our colporteurs working in a large' city tells of the saddest man he ever met. Even the meeting of this man was an achievement, for the stranger shunned the colporteur at first. It required tact. Day after day, as the stranger came from his work the colporteur greeted him with a friendly word and smile. Then came the con­ versation. The stranger was a refugee from Armenia. There he had witnessed the slaughter of his .entire family and by a miracle escaped a similar fate. After the story was told the colpor teur placed in the stranger’s hand an Armenian Testament. How eagerly it was read. What changing expressions transformed the sadness of that face. At last he had found the message of God for his soul. Here was comfort and hope. Of course, he bought the book— he needed it for himself. He had friends who also needed it, so he bought more. Some he sent to Armenia and some he gave to countrymen in this land. This foreigner, alone in a strange country, misunderstood by his fellow- workmen and under suspicion of the

through the blood oi Jesus. I am fully trusting Him for strength for soul and body. He never fails me when' I keep in His will, and my determination is to be more out-and-out for Him each day. ;-n-Mrs. Lenie E. Brittain. BIBLE PROPAGANDA Rev. Arthur F. Ragatz, D. D. and very important information,” about some one or a dozen of the thousand topics burning their way into the public consciousness — but how much Bible propaganda do we en­ counter? True, all the fifty-seven varieties of new thought, new creeds, new social pro­ grams and new interpretations of old prophecies, are being featured in bold captions printed in red ink, and are being vociferated by self-termed and self-appointed evangelists and reform­ ers, but how much Bible propaganda do we hear? I have observed this closely in the nine Western States in which I have charge of the American Bible Society interests. I am convinced that here may be found a great open field for splendid work in carrying on a care­ fully planned campaign of propaganda which aims pot at the preaching of some particular creed or doctrine, but at the placing of the printed word in every home. Two Kinds of Colporteurs For this work we have colporteurs. But all colporteurs are not alike. There are some who have the instinct of the salesman. They sell Bibles as the book agent sells his “ Only Authentic History of the World War.” They have it reduced to a mathematical science. By the law of average every seven per­ sons canvassed produce one sale. What­ HIS is a day of propaganda. Where can we go to escape the attack? Every mail brings some “ New, entirely different

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