New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-15

United States during the fifty years of his service
One might say of such life that 1t is buried; that
a cultured American who left his home for distant
and unclvilzed' land In little brig OF $50 tons
burden, fifty years ago; who has not seen MS
native land for quarter OF century; who has
passed among semi-barbarous people the whole OF
that period of the worlds history which saw the
development of steam navigation, of railroad enter
prise and Of the electric telegraph. has wllfully
shut himself ont from usefulness and from fame.
Perhaps DR.. Riggs has shut himself out from lame
but not from usefulness Of the most solid KIND.
The story of the life of Dr. Riggs illustrates not
only the great ability of the man but the great
Importance Of some branches at least Oh INC "oih
done by American missionaries abroad,
DIR. Riggs is of solid Puritan stock. lie came Oh
race that let him read at four and instantly had MN
memorize the Assembly's Shorter Catechlsln. Al
nine he was learning Greek ont of grammar
written in Latin. At thirteen he had taken up
Hebrew although his father could give MN III 'nis
study no help other than to purchase poohs iol
him At fifteen he entered Amherst College, ana
was graduated with its first class. during DIS
oolleue course he pursued the study OF Hebrew
Arabic and Chadee as light recreation. besides
getting a good knowledge of modern Greek out OF
two classmates who were native Greeks Such WIS
his preparation for work before he had reached
his theology.
As to his work during fifty years. he was at
Argos. In Greece. until 1888, in charge OF girls
boarding school; then transferred to Smyrna IN
Turkey, lie appears for seven years translatng the
Bible INTO Armenian from the original. lie seems
to have imbibed the Armenian language by some
natural process since it is not related TO either
Hebrew, Arabic or Chaldee. and since the version
of the Armenian Bible prepared under his
supervision stands to-day a model OF simple,
domatic language. Next he was sent to
COnstantinope and employed in charge oil the
Greek department of theological seminary,
lecturing meantime in Armenian also ON systematic
theology, and finding recreation in editing weekly
newspaper. In 1896 he visited the United States
and was there offered professors chair in the
Union Theological Seminary. lie had seen nearly
TWENTY-FIVE years of active service, and might have
been expected to choose the rest and honor OF SUCH
a positioD But the Bulgarians had attracted his
attention before that time. Their version OF the
Bible was IN ancient Slavic, and he declined the
professOrship and returned tC Turkey to give the
Bulgarians version of the Bible which they could
understand Here was another language absorbed
as on9 takes up nutrment from the air In 1871
the Bulgarian Bible was finished, and is standard
of choice language throughout Bulgaria Next,
from 1873 to 1878, DR.. Riggs was IL leading
version of the Bible. This work, too, was done IN
the same patient. faithful and scholarly way.
These have been the great works of DR.. RigGss life;
tntersperseo, however, with the writing Of gram
mars in various languages with the composition of
HYMNS in Gleek, Bulgarian. Armenian and Turkish,
and with many other valuable and polygot literary
undertakings.
Now as to the result. What has Or. Riggs to
show for ho having spent in dead Turkey the
busiest half century Of the worlds hlstoryf One
of the speakers the other evening said that 100000
copies of the Bible in Armenian, Bulgarian and
Turkish have been sold in Turkey since DR.. Riggs
first translation was made; that 100000 Arlne-
mans arc to-day reading and hearing the Bible as
translated by him; that 100000 copies of the
Bulgarian Scriptures have been sold aud that of
Turkish Scriptures thousands ale being read and
pondered These Bibles are found by universal
testimony to be raising the abject to MANHOOD.
bringing the obscure to light, and leading the weak
into strength in cities villages and mountain fast
nesses throughout Turkey. Another speaker said
in reference to the Bulgarian version Of the Scrip
lures that it is laying hold upon the life of the
people that it came just in time to prepare the
BulgaTians for the work of social reorganization
laid upon them by the result of the late war And
no testified that this Bulgarian Bible is having
great influence on the reorganization of Bulgaria
Inc glII OF JulS DlDlc plcpdlch as ~ "uo "h"
it was was of measurable valGe 10 the ulgarians.
The future of Bulgaria practically depends upon
the use which the nation makes OF the book placed
in their hands by means OF the self-denylng labors
of DR.. Riggs. Are rot these results worth more
than "a New-YOrk prOfessOrshipf Are they not
worth the sacrifice of the enjoyment of prosperous
home lief As General Lew Wallace SAID at the
golden wedding: II any man has right TO boast
il is one who has behind him fifty such years of
toll and conquest crowned with the highest sue
cess Yet Or. Riggs mOdestly dscaims any special
title TO honor and refuses to be called the translator
of these Bibles because Others worked with him as
assistants His little thought Of his own labors
was illustrated when lady asked him what
grammars he had published He enumerated sew
eral "Why, I thought you once published
Chaldee grammar ?" said the lady. "Oh, yes" said
the good doctor, laughing. g. quite forgot the
Chaldee grammar
Dr. Rigs now at severty-two years OF age. is
publishing Bible Dictionary in Bulgarian. and Is
preparing a commentary in the same language lio
is genial and almost youthful and works as II he
was lust beginning life. But those who know the
mowers of the Bible, looking back on what lie has
done KNOW that this mans life work touches the
fate OF this empire and lights up the future of its
downtrodden populations.
SHE TAINTED TO SEE TIE EDITOR.
From The Son Francisco ArgOH0M.