, 1880-02-15
TEE ORIGINAL TONGUE.

4 CLERGYMAN WHO WAS EQUAL, TO ANY
LANGUAGE, DEAD OR ALIVE.
Nttp Tork Times.
When party Of clergymen get together,
with not too many 1aymen within hearing,
they sometimes become as merry party as
so many members Of any other profession.
The c1ergymen of New York. as rule, are
not to be beaten in the telling Of a good story.
Anumber Of them were gathered together
one evening last week, when one member OF
the party told an anecdote Of a minister in
search Of a charge, that is certainly worth
presenting as good story, and, perhaps, as
an example Of how such things are some
times done. This minister had been invited
to preach as a candidate in little rural
church in Northern Pennsylvania, where the
members, although only on q par with most
distant country churches, liked to hatter
themselves that they were "pretty we'll post
ed" Before starting for the place, the minis
ter met an old clerical friend, who had
had some experience in the same neigh
borhood, and who advised him to "Give
them some Latin and Greek; it will tickle
their vanity, and they'll set you down Tor q
very smart man,
There was little difficulty in the way OF
the minister's giving his hearers q dose Of
Latin and Greek, for he knew no more Of
either language than the people he was to
preach to. But he was equal to the emer-
gency. he was native Of Wales, and spoke
Welsh as well as he did English, though these
two were the only languages he knew any
thing about. When he had got nicely into
scatnae ss and sad Ths pass psssge bSfe
rem, has been slightly altered in the transla,
ton. It is only III the original Hebrew that
you can grasp its full meaning. will read
It to you in Hebrew, 50 that you may com
he esa passage g inv IN very % good Welsh. The Old
Deacons looked at each other, and nodded ap-
proyal, as though they would say: '@Thatss
the stuff; that's the kind Of thing we W. Manfn IT,
aes 81 y esrers ne at lie T9 had sde S hit
came upon another Scripture passage that
could not be correctly rendered in English.
"This passage," said he, "has to be read in
the orginal to be appreciated; In , al The the
meaning can be so well expressed as in
Greek. I will read you the verse in Creek"
and again he save them long Welsh sen
tence- Again the Deacons nodded APPROX
NECESSARY to read verse in Latin, so that
his hearers might understand it thoroughly
and gave them little more Welsh.
Everything was going along smoothly, and
sermon, thought he would give them just
one more taste of the dead languages. II
am about to read you," said he, an
other gIassage. {Sast On this subject. But It
been altered in the translation, and I
will read it to you, in the Cl!aldaic. in
to give them little more Welsh, when, cast
ing his eye over the congregation, he saw
seated near the door a jolly looking man, who
was holding. his sides tight to keep from
bursting with laughter. The minister took !
in the situation in an instant. Here was q
man in the church who understood Welsh, !
and who was laughing at the trick that had
been played upon the congregation. But not !
q feature in the minister's face changed. !
Fixing his eyes straight upon the laughing |
man, Just as the congregation thought he ]
was about to give them the Chaldaic version,
be said again in Welsh: !
. ssFor Gods sake, my friend, don't say
word about this till have a; chance to talk
with you.'
The congregation went home satisfied that
they had listened to one Of the most learned |
Of sermons; the laughing man never told the
story, and the minister was soon settled over