, 1880-02-01
BIBLE WORK.

CIRCULATION OF TIE SCRIPTURES THROUGH
OUT TIE WORLD.
= From Paper By t< Ret. E. B. Red.
Earliest in the field was the Society for
prnmotine Christian Knowledge, which
began its honored careeras far back as 1888.
Next to it was the Canstein Institution,
founded at Halle in 1712; which has acted as
feeder to the German Bible Societies Of more
recent date. The Naval and Military Bible
Society has carried On operations in its spe-
cial sphere since 178o. The British and
Foreign Bible Society was established, as
is we'll known, in the year 1904; and the
example thus set was followed by the
formation Of numerous offshoots which have
since become independent OF these the
chief were the Basic Bible Society, founded
in the same year, and the Prussian few
months later; the Swedish and Russian So:
cieties in 1so9 and 1872 respectively; and the
American Bible Society, which combined
several smaller institutions, in 1916. The pa
rent tree, for all it has lost, can still boast
upwards Of 5000 branches at home and in the
Colonies, and has exepnded ,E833, ,489 in the
spread Of the Divine Word; the American
Bible Society comes second with 1000
branches and an expenditure of e3 2,547;
the National Bible Society Of Scotland third,
with e a7 T., branches, and an outlay since 1852
At the beginning Of the present century
formed a stock for the newly-estab-
lished societies TO- commence upon.
nSs "fEs fs laaeaagss Of INTO EuIope nSas
into few, spoken in the adjacent parts Of
Asia and Africa, and into four only Of .coun--
trles lying beyond. Some of these old
VERSIONS wire not adopted; others were
be provided, d,-for it is better to giyea starving
man stale bread than to keep lin while you
are baking; others, again, havt been EN-
poyed without material change up to the
present time In some countries a single
version mas been accepted, as in England;
ssiseTShere' sas Sa as IN France and Germany, use
mas oeen made Of more than one; and in
gases where important sections Of the people
nave refused one version, it has been the
nractlce Of most Bible societies to permit
a1em 10 purchase version they would re-
eelSe. provided always it was substantially
la'lnIal, and revealed clearly the way Of
SaSaao9. iaaaae1 Ihe Apocrypha has never been
oocety u its English editions, and Since the
year La! It has been disused in its foreign
GsssueS. The Bible societies Of Germany and
nsHcanahasla r. still cling, however, to part of
ale scriptures which Luther considered
9sela! and proper to be read"
~, NeE transactions have been made sinee
taA U about 226 languages. To state how
many have been due to the labors Of any
pataealar psl1. body Of missionaries would not be
miss;d NIL inaSmuch as, In many cases, various
cniss n"issens have been engaged. The same diff
~ tSa,x :aappneS, IN measure, to the work of
nnb' I D!pte societies, two or more having often
foIiosiNea fkJIIi.snea III the same language Still the
ef.t9F eft.3Nlag may be taken as an approximate
ntes nneemeaL though the correctness Of the fig;
Fietteaign tiet9ag Bible. Society has published or as
nssen snesl 70 publish new versions in 1877 Ian
euases, the American Bible Society in forty
- nafs ,l ne Z National Bible Society Of Scotland
- taaa 1--WE, 4 Inc Bible Translation Society in four
Te,M ~, Me Society for Promoting Christian
Htrlsn Bible Society in three, tie Neither
tae aas s. Blnie Society in eleven, the three soeie
n;s, rs OF Germany in nine, of Switzerland in
I.g, II :, anQ OF Denmark, Sweden, and Norway
- oaaay Of the above translations extend only
h,s t tRart OF the Scriptures. The entire Bible
nrs nes Geen I; rendered during the present cent
.isStme .aiesS.tament in eighty-four, and parts only in
dest fttseven. x 1t may surprise some to learn
n N.Y. a.a Me work should, inso large proportion
Ssese eases, be incomplete; but none will Won
ToIraS Tno realizes the prodigious labor in
Eho}e dn making a translation OF the
oecapiedb db'o5e nno+1a The version Of ense6 Redson
= T,titr!: ,tnr:. Carey at least fifteen years, the
fean fnl.an ,s twenty years, the Arabic six1
IT, IT, tyears. How could it be otherwise? ?
t. VIE flnson!y on!y OF: the labor itwould cost simply
e},tiaaa tiaascIlbe the book from Genesis to Rev
fam;I;aa, 1y turning single Gospel into 2
beInr bIta III language like French, due regard