By courteous behavior and kindness such a worker may open the door of many homes..hearts.. The word colporteur refers to someone who sells devotional and religious books, such as Bibles, children's books, and health books. It comes from an old French word comporteur, from comporter, meaning to conduct, or peddle, and influenced by the word col, neck, from the idea that peddlers carry their wares o
n trays suspended from straps around their necks, or that they carried their books from town to town in a bag carried on their neck. Colportage is the distribution of religious publications, books, tracts, etc., by carriers called colporteurs. The American Bible Society and the American Tract Society were among the largest organizations involved in colportage in the United States. Many people thankfully trace their family faith to the day when they, their parents, or grandparents, were visited by a colporteur. Today this word is not often used outside of religious circles. Today most colporteurs refer to themselves as Christian literature evangelists engaging in literature evangelism. Another accurate term might be literature missionary. By courteous behavior and kindness such a worker may open the door of many homes... Sometimes he will find men who say they are too busy to listen to a canvass or a Bible reading. Often he may gain their attention by helping them in their work." (Colporteur Ministry pp. 88, 89)
