To John Jay from John Brodhead Romeyn, 1 June 1816
From John Brodhead Romeyn
New York June 1. 1816
Sir
I have the honour, in compliance with the direction of the Managers of the American Bible Society, to inform you, that you have been elected one of the Vice Presidents of that Institution.1
Trusting that this Great National Society for the circulation of the Word of God without note or Comment2 will meet with Your cordial approbation, I am Sir Your’s respectfully
Jn B Romeyn Secy. D. C.
Honble. J. Jay
ALS, NNC (EJ: 09088). John Brodhead Romeyn (1777–1825), ’Secretary of Domestic Correspondence,’ was one of two secretaries of the Society, the other being John Mitchell Mason, who was in charge of foreign correspondence. See Fea, Bible Cause, 21.
1. JJ was one of 11 vice-presidents to serve, out of 23 selected at the first ABS convention. Fea, Bible Cause, 21.
2. “Without note or comment” was a phrase used by Elias Boudinot in initial prospectuses for the ABS. See Fea, Bible Cause, 13. It was written into the first clause of the ABS constitution. Constitution of the American Bible Society, formed by a convention of delegates, held in the city of New-York, May, 1816. Together with their address to the people of the United States; a notice of their proceedings; and a list of their officers (New York, 1816; Early Am. Imprints, series 2, no. 36724), 9. JJ was opposed to proselytizing and frequently invoked the expression. See Addresses to the American Bible Society, 9 May 1822, and 12 May 1825, below.