Selling Scriptures in Central Africa
WRITING from Toro to the C. M. S. Intelligencer, Mrs. A. B. Fisher gives a charming account of selling the Scriptures in the heart of Central Africa: “Each Monday the teachers come in from the gardens for their supplies. A very busy scene may be witnessed on that morning on our barazza; sometimes it is more like a native bazaar than a European’s courtyard, for the people in the gardens do not all possess cowrie shells with which to purchase their books, so the teachers bring in chickens, eggs, grass mats, and, in many cases, boys and women come in to dig and cultivate for books. It sounds strange to be asked for ‘three chicken Matthews.’ This means that in exchange for the three cackling chickens they want three penny Gospels.” Mrs. Fisher adds that from July to November at this one C. M. S. station, there were sold 2,134 Reading Sheets, 675 Gospels, 25 New Testaments, and 32 Bibles, besides hymn-books, prayer-books, etc. All these copies of the Scriptures are supplied by the Bible Society.