stahlschmidt british and foreign bible society

Colporteur of the Austrian BFBS in 19th century - Once in a while a dangerous job ...

The British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) was founded in 1804 with the aim of supplying Bibles and New Testaments on a basis and language which could be understand by people all over the world and could be purchased for a cheap price. Soon the texts were translated into 67 foreign languages, today the bible is translated into 2000 languages and dialects.

Already Johann Christian Stahlschmidt (1740-1826) - the well-known author of "A Pilgrimage by sea and land" and founder member of the "Elberfelder Missionsgesellschaft" at Westphalia - was in contact with the British Bible society.

One of his relatives was Karl Martin Lorenz Stahlschmidt. He was born in 1841 at Sandersleben/Saxony. Son of the merchandiser Eduard Stahlschmidt and Johanne F. Heise. Stahlschmidt got early a member of the Evangelical Society of "Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine".
Later KML Stahlschmidt joined to the British & Foreign Bible Society and became their Austrian representative at Prague (to at least 1901).

Particular the Austrian history of the Bible Society is a turbulent story. In 1850 their first representative for the Austrian-Hungarian area - the Baptist Edward Millard (1822-1906) - was sent to Vienna. Millard had to fight against great hostility caused by the state and catholic church. After some years the Society was prohibited. As the stock of bibles was in great peril the bibles were sent to Breslau.
In 1816 Edward Millard was able to take up again his work (with the assistance of Protestant Church) at Vienna.
A new depot for bibles was established near the Opera and further depots were established at Budapest, Trieste, Belgrade, Carlsbad and Prague. The bible was translated now also into German, Bohemian, Hungarian, Serbian and Slavonic language.

For more than one century most important position of the bible distribution was the "colporteur". Those men were equipped with a license for sales representatives and sent to several areas to offer bibles for sale. This job was not harmless, sometimes the representatives were scuffled and physical attacked. There is the report of a colporteur who was killed during his work at the end of the 19th century.

The following report (July 1881) is from "our excellent depositary, Mr. Stahlschmidt, at Prague, who sends a portion of a letter from colporteur Mahr, stationed in Bohemia: All Day long I had apparently laboured in vain. Some would have bought if I could have left them the book at once, but they were not in downright earnest. I had been desired to call at the public-house at T., where I had been before. On entering the bar-room, I quietly laid out my books on the table, when a man stood up an cried out in wild accents, 'If you do not immediately take those books away, I will tear up every one of them. Some years ago I bought such a book of lies, but I was glad to get rid of it at half the price I paid.'
And before I could say a word, he seized me by the throat and nearly strangled me. The landlord and two other men were at my side in a minute, and, in fact, they providentially saved my life. Among those present there was a miller, who at once came up to me and said, 'Good friend, God has sent you out like a lamp among wolves. Don't mind suffering disgrace and pain for Jesus' sake. Send me a Bible, I love the precious book; it is a book of truth!' The miller told us he had very nearly become a monk, and evidently the reading of the Bible had been richly blessed in his experience. The wicked and violent man who attacked me so unexpectedly has grievously hurt me. I cannot take any solid food; I can just barely swallow a little soup. 'Father, forgive him, for he knows not what he does.' The landlord and the miller were extremely kind. Pray that the Lord may grand me new strength and fresh courage."
A week later Mr. S.[tahlschmidt] heard concerning the poor colporteur, that the injuries sustained were more serious than at first expected, and that he was confined to his bed, suffering much pain. That the colporteur was injured more serious that first expected." (cf. Monthly Reporter).

Henry Edward Millard (1848-1902) became the successor of his father Edward Millard at the Viennese depot. In the BFBS Archives we can find today several recommendations re. the former aspirant Henry E. Millard. It exists also a copy of a recommendation which was written in 1869 by KML Stahlschmidt, who travelled at that time throughout the whole extent of Dalmatian and to Trieste … "both provinces are on a level of ignorance":

Trieste, April 2nd 1869

Mr. Henry E. Millard entered the Trieste Depot as an assistant on the 1st April 1868 and left it on the 1st of April 1869, in order to go to the Pest Depot, there to act for the disenabled Superintendent.
Having enjoyed a through education at the Gymnasium, and the University, and have acquired a valuable knowledge of modern languages, it was easy for Mr. Henry E. Millard to enter into the duties of his new career, and to qualify himself, theoretically & practically, so that he is altogether competent for all its requirements. But it is a special pleasure to the undersigned to recommend Mr. Henry E. Millard not only on account to his knowledge, his talents & his perseverance, but also an account of his solid Christian principles which have for ever insured for him the affection & friendship of the undersigned.
Most earnestly do I, from full conviction, recommend Mr. Henry E. Millard to all, […] him the Lord's richest blessings in his further course of life. "

KML Stahlschmidt was married twice: his first wife was Anna Martha A. Francke; but she died soon and left 3 children. So Stahlschmidt married (1874) a second time: Louise F. D. Bollmann. They had 8 children, who all were born at Prague. Stahlschmidt died in 1921 at Berlin, (further genealogical information cf.: Rumpler: Stahlschmidt, pg. 255-257).