The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-22
THE PULPIT AND PEW.
NEWS EyTRICTS OF INTEREST TO
CHURCH PEOPLE.
Novel Yearly Celebration Of the British and
Foreign Bible Society Various Versions of
the Old Testament-The Iransla'ions Oh the


New Testament.
The British and Foreign Bible Society was
started by an insignificant little Welsh girl.
When the present century was young Mary
Jones walked many weary nile from Llan-
dudno 10 Bala III March, 1904, to ask the
minister there. Mr.. Charles Tor copy Of the
Bible. That worthy divine-expelied' by the
by, like Wesley. from the Episcopalnn fold
YVES 50 moved, and to such purpose thai the
British and Foreign Bible Society was founded
few months afterwards. The bishops were
disgusted. and declared that 10 circulate the
Bible without the prayer-book as an antidot-
would undo the English people. while Nads-
worth the poet wrote against the soceit, Oh
the ground that il would add 10 the ranks OF
dissenters. Like Badley's cake at Drury
Lane Theatre. 50 n Bible cake is cut eyeiy an
uiNersorv Of Mary Jones' walk at the Offices
Of fine British and Foreign Bible Society. and
the occasion is a festival ~ the year with hun
dreds Of Sunday school children. The cake
cores bonds in pounds with the years oil the
society's existence. Next birthday, March TN,
the cake. encascd IN pink and white sugar
Will weigh thirty seven pounds.
The year 1901 IS mcmOla. 10 also IN America,
for then a few Baptsts IN New York stated
society which lent Bibles for a period OF a
MINI The PHILADELPHIA Bible Society was
fonnded four wears later and the great Ameri-
can Bible Society was sct on loot in lslI;
The Bible can boast the largest circulation
in the world" The man IN the street ana the
woman IN the boud0r know bat little. If any
thing, about its early vicssltudcs. The Old
Testament consists of 80 books. divided into
a29 chapters. containing so .i39 words. At
first II was written without any novels, like
ready writer's shorthand. the vOwels, points,
&c. were not added for hundreds Of years
indeed. il was once asserted that the devil
had put them in. For 50 many words had
double meanings and different prOnunci-
atoms that all the teXtual criticism
has arisen. The name Old Testament
first occurs in the Second Epistle 10 the Corn
thians, written a. ID. 55. j was Simon the
Inst about 2q2 h. c., who laid dowh tho law
rs 10 what should be included in the volume.
The Oldest version we know Of Is the sep
tuagnt. written about 217 b. G. IN Greek. IT
is called the Septuaglnt because Ptolemv
Philadelphus ordered seventy Jews To come
70 Egypt and translate the Old Testament, %
because the work was done IN seventy DAYS.
Traditions as to this differ. The old cop,ls's
had no idea of meum and tuuIn. Ihey would
make alterations and additions according to
their ON sweet wll-nay. they would even
incorporate marginal notes into the text.
The New Testament was written Ike
child's copy bo0k-all IN capitals on ptp"lus
rolls. The rolls soon wore out, 80 parchment
and vellum were substituted. No papycI-
copies are eAtapt. The New Testament IL
divided into twenty-seyen books, containing
2GO chapters IL was written IN Greek the
very word Bible Is Greek-and this vas the
same language of the early Christians.
Various versions OF the Old Testament IN
Arabic owe their origin 10 the spiead % liam,
and when Jerusalem was destroyed colony
OF lew. went 10 the far F1si 80 Gonna 50 10
is said-taking with ,hcn vc1 carly copies.
So incoi rrctlv were the Bibles bc.ng copied
ina; Jerome produced tho Latin Nulgate n
20. A. H.. ever sinrr adopted by The Church
% home. vii ell. by the way. as an aniidoie
10 Protestant versions uphold the RhemisL
end Douay Bibles.
For centuries the Latin Bible reigned 81
preme. but metrical versions we're published
IN the Vernacuar, that Anglo-SsYon one OF
Caedmon's (the venerable Bedei ~ G5i i. -,
is case in point. The Latin Bible was the
first book printed. Tyndales New Testament
WAS the first printed IN English, IN 1876
Eighteen Of the former eXist--twelye being IN
Britain. Only one copy Of Tyndale's volume
X known and that is in Bristol Baptist Col
leoe The Earl of Oxf0rd's butler brought
the priceless treasure Ia his master two cen
tures ago. who gave him 10 guineas $50 for
il and an annuity Of $40 (SlOO) Cor the rest Of
his life.
Very curious some Of the English editions
are There is the Brooches" Bible, printed
al Geneva in 1860, So called because the word
''breechesn is substituted for aprons IN the
passage in which II Is stated that Adam and
Eve sewed iig leaves together and made them
selves "breeches" Then there Is the Wicked
Bible because in the seventh commandment
the word not is left out Another edition
is the Vinegar Bible-a misprint for vine
yard"
One of the quaintest is the eentleman's
Bible. A man considered Biblical language
too homely. and freely substituted words of
Latin and Greek in origin for honest Anglo
Saxon. The parable from the prodigal son
began thus: Now n certain gentleman had
two sons" OF course there Is BowdleuZed
version and also "A stringlng together of all
the passages, but the latter Is not found IL the
Bible House.
The Bishops Bible is so called because
twelve out of the sixteen translators were
bishops. Then there are all sorts Of curiOs-
ties in the way Of printing, illustration, and
binding. One version Is translated by the
late King OF Tahiti, and there is a copy of the
Pentateuch also specially prepared for one OF
the Shahs.
There is funny story about the Penta-
teuch. Ii is generally admitted now that 1t is
piece Of patch work. Asuspected hereto
was baited and asked for his views as to lis
origin. Il think, said he. :that the Penta-
touch is of Mosaic ongin'-but he meant mo-
sale with a small, not a capital m.
Amongst the 2C0 volumes OF the Holy
Writ in one Of the public libraries in London
are specimens of quaint Bibles. One Is Mig
ger-Engiish New Testament, in which chill
dren are called "piccanlnnles." In the vpr-
sion used by the South Sea Islanders sheep
and lambs are described rs woody pigs"
Then there Is the pidgeon English Of John
Chinaman. also set up IN all the glory otplnt
In 1904 a New Testament III Britain cost
one and fourpence, and Bible about four
nnd six Abroad matters were worse. In
Poland the Bible could scarcely be had for
love or money, and clergymen eXpOunded the
word without possessing a copy OF II. In
Sweden not a single Bible was found among
IA. 900 families. AID in Iceland. the $1,000 in
habitants OF which could nearly all read, only
fifty OF so Bibles were traced.
marvellous change has since been brought
about. The circulation of the Scriptures last
year from London Amounted to 1872. 263
copies. viz: s}6.2Oj Bibles. 1,3572lS Testa-
nents, and l.565, $40 portions. Since 1904
(when there were only thirty i've transations)
the Scriptures have been written IN Z2j Ian
guagcs. and Indirectly sixty-fiye more. and
last year IN various parts of the world. trans
iations and rcvisiOns were in progress in
nearly seventy languages and dialects.
Nor has England neglected America in the
Way of tlHnsiaiions. .Or from London are sen;
70 the far West hundreds of copies Of the
Blacktoot and Slave Indians Of the North
west. and other versions for use IN Central
and South America Washington Post.
The Formation of Character.
II is q significant fact that, with few ex-
ceptiOns. the school days of well-known au-
thors have been. for one reason OF another.
periods OF trial and mental discomfort
4