Specimen of the CASH SECRETARY'S MONTHLY STATEMENT. Cash Secretary's Monthly Statement. SPECIMEN. Charles' LADIES' BIBLE ASSOCIATION. CASH SECRETARY'S Monthly Statement; presented 10th of December, 1819. STATE OF THE ASSOCIATION ON THE 9th of December, 1819. • Where the plan of “ Transfer Tickets” is not adopted, this head should be omitted. Observations on the BIBLE BOOK. The following are the Books, &c. which belong to the BIBLE Secretary's department. NO. XVIII. BIBLE BOOK. 1. As the "Cash Book" is exclusively appropriated to the pecuniary transactions of the Association, so the "BIBLE BOOK" is designed to concentrate all the requisite information, and statements, relative to the receipt and delivery of Bibles and Testaments; for which purpose, alone, it should be used. Like the "Cash Book," it is ruled in different forms, the respective intents of which will be illustrated by the Specimens subjoined. II. It has already been respectfully recommended, that the duties of the Cash and Bible Secretaries should be kept entirely distinct. Considerable inconvenience has arisen from introducing one of the Cash Accounts into the "Bible Book," the object of which is totally different; and as the simplicity of the plan, and its adaptation to the end designed, constitute its only merit, whatever tends to a contrary effect, by giving additional trouble to the Secretaries, should be carefully avoided. For the same reason, as well as to prevent a considerable and unavoidable waste of paper, it is recommended, that neither this Book, nor the "Free Contributors' Book," be cut alphabetically (as is the case in some Associations), but that the names be entered precisely as they stand in the Collectors' Monthly Reports. The FIRST SPECIMEN will more fully illustrate the subject. III. As it is from this Book that the Bible Secretary makes up the Monthly Report of Receipts, Deliveries, Stock in hand, &c., it should be always kept posted. This duty may be easily fulfilled in one hour monthly, after the commencement of an Association, provided attention be paid to the hints now submitted. The Observation v. on No. xvI. is equally applicable here. IV. The FIRST SPECIMEN will explain the purpose to which the greater part of this book is appropriated ;-that of a Register of all the individuals who subscribe for Bibles and Testaments, with every requisite information relative to their supply. The numbers should be continued uninterruptedly: thus the first number on the second page is 27. In order to ascertain the total number of subscribers for Bibles and Testaments since the establishment, it is only necessary to look at the number of the last entry; and by subtracting from such number, the number of those who have declined, and been transferred, and supplied, the precise number of subscribers at any given period is immediately known. v. It will be evident, that the entries in the three first columns, after the numbers, are copied from the Collectors' Monthly Reports; those in the remaining columns are inserted at the time the Bible or Testament is delivered, and are transcribed from the Check or Ticket given by the Collector to the Subscriber, and presented by the latter to the Bible Secretary. These entries should always be made before the Bible or Testament is delivered. The subscribers Nos. 1, 2, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 24, not having yet completed their subscriptions, blanks are left opposite to their names in the last three columns. VI. This Association adopts the plan of public distribution; Observations on the Bible Book. consequently, all the Bibles and Testaments specified were delivered on the same day, with the exception of Nos. 3, 23, and 25;-the first a sailor, going on a voyage, who paid up his subscription, and was immediately supplied; the last a servant-maid, about to leave the town and the circumstances attending No. 23, have been already detailed in the observations on No. vIII. It will be observed, that all the subscribers entered in this Specimen paid the cost price for their Bibles and Testaments, except Nos. 5 and 13. One of these was out of work, and offered to become a free contributor when she got a situation: the other was a widow, with a large family, destitute of the Scriptures, and extremely anxious.to possess them. VII. It will be found to save considerable trouble to the Bible Secretary, and facilitate the preparation of the Monthly Report, if the letter C be annexed to the names of those subscribers who pay the cost prices, as in this Specimen. VIII. About twenty folios at the end of the book are ruled according to the SECOND SPECIMEN; the design of which will be now explained. With every parcel of Bibles and Testaments, the Bible Secretary should receive a regular Invoice or Bill of Parcels (See Specimen C, page 183), which she should immediately compare with the books, and examine the calculations.-If all be correct, she should fold and indorse it, inscribing the number in large characters, to promote facility of reference. If any error be detected, the invoice should be immediately returned to the Secretary or Depositary from whom it was received, that it may be rectified. IX. Each description of Bible and Testament should be carefully kept distinct; and if the Bible Secretary be not well acquainted with the various sorts, it may save her some trouble, as well as prevent errors, if she have one copy of each kind marked, inside the cover, to which she may refer. Many Bible Secretaries mark in pencil every copy they receive, with the letters which denote the description. x. Having placed the Bibles and Testaments in the Depository, the Bible Secretary should immediately enter the particulars on the "RECEIVED" side of this account; and marking the Invoice "Entered," with her initials, transmit it to her colleague, the Cash Secretary, who enters the amount to the credit of the Ladies' Branch Society, and files the invoice. XI. It will be remarked, that the "Deliveries" are entered monthly, so as to exhibit the actual state of the Depository on the day preceding every Committee-meeting. The Bible Secretary should have two files, or two divisions in the drawer appropriated, to the tickets; one labelled "Delivery Tickets," and the other "Delivery Tickets this month." When the Bible Secretary makes up her Monthly Report, the latter should be added to the former. Blank columns are left for the insertion of the receipts and delivery of Bibles and Testaments in foreign languages, or in the Welch, Gaelic, Irish, or Manks; and the Bible Secretary inserts the appropriate heading where necessary. The comparative infrequency of such issues by English Bible Associations precludes the neces sity of leaving more space for their insertion. * Or Auxiliary (or Branch) Society, |