, 1889-12-07
PRINTING THE BIBLE.
How and when tho First Copies Were Is
sued in the United States. =

How and When the First Copies Were Is
sued in the United States -
The sacred history of American
printing, the introduction into the
New World OF the Bible will interest.
The earliest publication on this CONT
mont OF any portion of the Scriptures
was the translation of the New Tesla
ment into the Natick dialect, the ordi-
nary speech of the Indians at the time
the Pilgrim Fathers landed in 1920.
This translation was made by John
Eliot, q native Of England and a grad
uate Of the university of Cambridge.
The work of translation, with the aid
Of an Indian, was the labor of eight
years; and it is now conceded TO be
one of the most notable contributions
to philology made in this country.
To meet the demands Of emigrants
who had largely settled in Penn
sylvania, the first edition of the Holy
Scriptures in the German language,
and the first in u European tongue,
was printed by Christopher Saur, at
Germantown in 1743. 1t is a notable
fact that neither the Old nor the New
Testament vas eve printed here III
the English language till after this
country had declared independence.
So oppressive was the monopoly that
the British government maintained
yer the exclusive printing of the
Bible that it never transferred its au-
thority TO reprint it, even in her own
colonies; and every copy had TO be
imported across the Atlantic. RobeIl
Aiken, n native of Scotland, who had
settled as a printer in Philadelphia, is
sued in III an edition of the New
Testament, the lrst in the English
language, with an American imprint.
For this breach of privilege, Aitken
was imprisoned. Alter his release
this jealous Scotchman announced to
tho members of congress then in ses-
sion his intention 10 print al edition
OF The Entire Bible, and asked for
their imprimutur, which was readily
granted, together with the certificates
of the chaplains, the venerable Will
lam White, the future Episcopal bish-
op. and Rev. DR.. Duffield. Here the
action Of congress properly terminated,
and the circulation of the Bible was,
ever after, left to tho people and to
their pastors.
Athens promised edition, copied
from the authorized English version,
appeared in 1882, printed in BREWER
type, having Oh the title page the sig
~niticant motto of Virtue, Liberty and
Independence. This will always be
priced as the first Bible in the English
language ever printed in America. A
perfect copy is preserved among the
treasures in the LcnoX library. In
1880 n neat edition of the New Testa-
nent was printed at New York by
dugh Game; and another in New
Haven 10y A. Morse, the latter replete
with errors on every page. In 1871 the
hrst folio edition of a Bible, with fifty
copper plates, was printed at Worces-
TER. liass., by Isaiah Thomas, the text
revised b. DR.. Bancroft, father Of the
historian and the ~hiographer of Wash.
jugton.
IN the same year an edition Of the
S.rird Scriptures was carefully and
correctly printed for the use of Quak
by one Of the Friends of Trenton,
u New Jersey. In 1894 the New Tes.
/ lurnt. without the Old, WAS issued at
D,r,tuu uud in 1913 the first hot
pr, Cd clifton Of Il Bible appeared in
hant.uur FORM at PHILADELPHIA. In
colonial uu,s, under British rule.
or L pr!al laws were enforced against
'.r painting Of Roman Catholic
~o,ES; c-5cn their devotional books
V.ie3ryl by stealth. One of the re
-t..gaoi Inc Revolution was the abso
tusa frralorn Of the printing press
CURRENT liLerature.