Constitution… string tied together with The First Report of…with…and a list of subscrbers and benefactors.
[Religion]. The Female Bible Society of Philadelphia. The Constitution of the Female Bible Society of Philadelphia. Instituted the sixteenth of March, 1814. With an address by the right Reverend William White, D.D. delivered at a meeting of the members. Philadelphia: Printed by the order of the Society, 1814.
Bound together with:
The Female Bible Society of Philadelphia. The First Report of the Female Bible Society of Philadelphia. Read before the Society, March 23, 1815. With an appendix and a list of subscribers and benefactors. Philadelphia: William Fry, 1815.
8vo.; 2 vols., string-tied together; blue wrappers; upper wrapper of first pamphlet missing; lower wrapper of second pamphlet missing; overall wear and age-toning to wrappers with foxing throughout; page size variations.
First editions of two pamphlets issued by the Female Bible Society of Philadelphia. The first pamphlet includes an address given by the Right Reverend Bishop White one week after the Society was founded. Reverend White commends the women for taking the initiative to form their own Bible society and encourages them to abandon “the apprehension of exceeding the bounds which the modesty of [their] sex prescribes” and embrace leadership roles within the organization (p. 6). The final page outlines the by-laws under which the Society will be governed, with detailed descriptions of each position and duties.
The second pamphlet is a record of the first meeting of the Society, held on March 23, 1814, and was read aloud one year later. The document details the progress made over the past year, including the establishment of similar female Bible societies in cities such as Baltimore, Boston, and Poughkeepsie, and the growth in membership of the Philadelphia chapter. The pamphlet also notes the number of Bibles that have been purchased and distributed in Philadelphia, as well as the number of Bibles sent to nearby impoverished areas.
The appendix of the second pamphlet features three letters received from Corresponding Secretaries of other women’s Bible societies, expressing their gratitude and reporting on their organizations’ progress. The appendix also includes a list of approximately 700 subscriber names, all women, and their respective contributions (in most cases, $2 annually), as well as a ledger of donations received in the period from March 29, 1814 to March 14, 1815. OCLC locates only two copies of the Constitution pamphlet and no other copies of the First Report pamphlet. RLC locates four copies of the Constitution and two copies of the First Report.
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