The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-12-14
The Bible in One Hundred Languages


one of the Bible pavilion:
A little to the southwark of Horticul-
tural Hall, upon shady walk leading
from thence to the Dairy, is a pretty pa
vilion, to which attention is attracted
by large sign upon its front, reading,
"Bibles in One Hundred Languages"
1t is the pavilion of the American Bible
Society, and we are told it has been
erected "by special contributions by a
few friends of the Bible," who have de-
sired that place should be set apart in
the Exhibition celebrating the Centen-
nial anniversary of the nation birth
for the especial display of the Book, the
pure teachings of which are the foun-
dations of all free and enlightened Gov
ernment.
The oddity of the sign attracts to the
pavilion good many people who are
by no means in the habit of reading the
Bible in any language at all, and by
whom its reproduction in 100 languages
is regarded only as an interesting liter
ary curiosity; as a curiosity, too, which
needs to be examined before it is
accepted as an absolute fact. The num-
Der seems excessive and to require the
substantiation of ocular proof. But as
with the Bible itself, the fulfillment is
greater than the promise, for the 100
languages include many dialects, and
the actual number of different versions
of the holy work is no less than 164. A
mere list of names is not very enliven-
ing reading, yet list SO fraught with
religious meaning-not to mention its
pathological value-as is that into which
the Bible has been translated, can
scarcely prove uninteresting, and may
therefore be given as follows: English,
Hebrew, Greek (ancient and modern, }.
Latin, French, Spanish, Catalan, Por-
tuguese, Indo- Portuguese, Italian,
Vaudois, ,Piedmontese, Romanese (Ober-
land and Enghadine), Rouman, Welsh,
Gaelic, Irish, Manx, Breton, German,
Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Icelandish,
Flemish, Negro English (Surinam),
Creolese (West Indies), Albanian,
Basque, Russian, Sclavonic, Bohemian,
Bulgarian, Wendish (upper and lower).
Slavonian, Servian, Croatian, Samogi-
tian, Lithunian, Lettish Qivonia),
Polish, Finnish, Norway-Lapponese,
Lap, Esthonian (Russia, Dorpat and
RevaD, Hungarian, Turkish, Greco
Turkish, Tartar-Turkish, Tschuwas-
sian (Russia), Georgian, Syriac (an-
cient and modern), Arabic, Maltese,
Ethiopic, Tigre (Abyssinia), Am
haric (Abyssinia), Armenian (an-
cient and modern), Persian, Loaor-
dish, Sanscrit, Pail (Ceylon), Hindi,
pnv~oE Ep vnoffvyn orA Pnpcoov,
characters), Gujerati (West Indies),
Pasi-Guregati, Marathi, Sudhi Qndia),
Punjabi, Famil, Telugu, Canarese, Ma
layalin, Hindustani Tin native and Ro-
man characters), Orissa (India), jap
anese lin native and Roman charac-
ters), Chinese (according to the Bridg-
man and Culbertson version; in Man
DARN and in the colloquial dialects of
Fuhchan, Ningpo, Amhoy and Shang-
hattie first three in native, the last
three in Roman characters), Siamese,
Burman, Khassi (India), Tibetan, Karen
(Burmah), Malay, Soerabayan (or Low
Malay, Batavia), Dajak (Borneo), Jap
anese, Niasian, Malagasy (Madagas-
cary ,Narrineyri australia Maori (New
Zealand J, Nengone (Loyalty Isles ,Lifu,
Iaran. Anertyum (New Hebrides), Fro
mauga, Fate, Fiiian, ROtuman, T0or-
gan, Nieue Savage Island), Samoan,
Barotougan, Tabitian, Ebon, Kusaien,
Gilbert Islands, Ponape, Swabili, Sc
chuna, Sesute, Zulu, Otiyeherero, Kafr,
Damara, Namacuqa, Dualla, Tho,
Haussa, Yorububa, Accra, Tsachi,
Mende, MandurgO, Terune, Benga, Gre
bo, Mponwe, Greenland, Esquimaux,
Cree (in native and Roman characters),
Time, Malisect, Mohawk, Choctaw,
Seneca, Dakota, Ojibway, Muskokee,
Cherokee Tin native characters), Della
ware, Nez Perces, Mayau, Aymara and
Arrawack.
The amount of labor expended upon
these translations can scarcely be rea-
lized even by those who have been en-
gagged in similar work, especially as
such work has been of q religious OF
technical character, requirir The ut.
/ most care to preserve sense and fact
intact in the transportation from
one set of words into another of differ.
ent powers and different construction
In the majority Of these translations i
has been primarily necessary to reduc'
the foreign language to written signs
an undertaking requiring years of pa
tient laborious research which must b.
counted in as part Of the work as ,
whole. But an even greater difficult,
has been found in making the languag
of heather nations and tribes expires
Christian ideas. The theory of tn
Christian religion is SO pure. its com
Misunderstanding SO simple-are 81
exalted that the vocabularies, ample TO
the promotion of Pagan creeds, hav
proved inadequate to express the purel
perfect doctrine of Christ. The tongue
. | -annnd onlu To aascrihe the GROSS M q