The Hawaiian gazette., 1880-06-30
3alraiialt Qazette.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 50. 1880.
A Preaeher,s Trlcl..

:
This minister had been invited to preach as
a candidate in little rural church in North
ern Pennsylvania, where the members, al
though only on a par with most distant
churches, liked to flatter themselves that they
were pretty well posted" Before starting
for che place, the minister met an old clerical
friend, who had had some experience in the
same neighborhood, and who advised him to
"giye them some Latin and Greek it will
tickle their vanity, and they'll set you down
for a very smart man."
There was little difficulty in the way of
the minister's giving his hearers dose of
Latin and Greek. for he knew no more of either
language than the people he was to preach 20.
But he was equal TO the emergency. BE was
native of Wales, and spoke Welsh as well as
he did English, though these two were the
only languages he knew anything about.
When he had got nicely into the sermon, he
introduced little passage of Scripture, and
said: "This passage, brethren, has been
slightly altered in the translation. It is only
| in the original Hebrew that you can grasp its
full meaning. l will read to you in Hebrew,
SO that you may comprehend it more exactly y
and he gave them the passage in very good
Welsh The old deacons looked at each other,
and nodded approval, though they would
say: That's the stuff; that's the kind OF
thing we want"
Presently the minister, who saw by the
faces of his hearers that he had made hit,
came upon another Scripture passage that
could not be correctly rendered in English
"This passage" said he, "has to be read in
the original to be appreciated. In all Lam
guages there is none / know of in which the
meaning can be SO well expressed as in Greek;
and sgain he gave them long Welsh SEN
tence. Again the 'deacons nodded approving
", and before long the minister found IL
necessary to read verse in Latin, $50 bis
hearers might understand it thoroughly,
and gave them little more Welsh.
Everything was going along smoothly, and
the minister, as he approached the end OF his
sermon, thought he would give them just one
more taste of the dead languages, 81 an
about to read you," said he another pas
sage on this Subject. But it is another OF
those passages that have been altered in The
translation, and will read it to you in the
Chaldaic, in which it was written" He was
Just about to give them little more Welsh
when, casting his eye over the congregation
he saw seated near the door 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
man in the church who understood Welsh
and who was laughing at the trick that had
been played upon the congregation. But moi
feature in the minister's face changed. Fix,
ing his eyes straight upon the laughing man
Just as the congregation thought he was abou
to give them the Chaldaic version, he said
again in Welsh; C TF
''For Gods sake, my friend, don't say ;
word about this, till 1 have chance to tall
with YOU
The congregation went home, satisfied tina
they had listened TO one of the most learned
OF sermons the laughing man never told tn,
story, and the minister was soon settled owe
the church, the people believing that clergy
man who could read the Scriptures in fv
languages was just the man for them.-N. Y
Times.