The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-09-30
REV. AND MRS. BINGHAM.
Their Work in the South Sea
Islands.

Rev. Hiram Bingham, DID,, who
was born sixty-two years ago in
the Hawaiian Islands, and who
has for forty-fve years been a mis-
sionary in various islands of the
Pacific, is at the Occidental, says
the San Francisco Chronicle. DR..
Bingham was for many years a
missionary in the Gilbert Islands,
on the equator, as was Mrs. Bling
ham, who accompanies him here.
They have translated a number
of books into the language of the
Gilbert Islanders for their use. The
New Testament was translated by
DR.. Bingham long ago. Now he
has accomplished a task which has
consumed many years, and which
may be considered the browning
work of his life. Furthermore, he
and Mrs. Bingham have just re-
turned from New York, where the
American Board of Foreign Mis-
sions has printed the Bible.
There were about 200 of them in
all, and most of them are now here
and will be forwarded to Honolulu
by the steamer Alameda. AS soon
thereafter as possible they will be
sent down to the Gilbert group.
Mrs. Bingham has also for several
years been engaged in the author
ship of school books, and some of
these have already been published.
One of the latest books she has
been working on is an arithmetic,
and this, as DIR. Bingham said, had
required an infinite amount Of care.
There are no equivalents in the
Gilbert Island language for certain
arithmetical terms, and the lady
was obliged to almost coin the
terms. The doctor thinks she has
succeeded very well.
"The Gilbert islands are progress
sive," he said. "There is a vast
difference between them now and
when I first went down there years
ago. Then almost all the natives
were entirely naked-the men never
thought of wearing anything. Now
they think they must all have
clothes, and all of them are anxious
to learn.
"The king of Butaritari, who was
here some time ago, is good man.
He is really Christian, being sim
cere in it, and anything he can do
for the advancement of the island
ers he is always anxious to do. The
islanders never were cannlbals In
the sense that the Fijians were.
They never ate human flesh for the
love of it, but if in war they killed
their enemies, they might taste
some of the flesh to show their ha-
tired of them. But the FUians
would eat men entirely for the love
of the flesh.
II am very anxious to visit the
Gilbert islands again. For some
time I have been engaged at Homo
lulu on the Bible. We brought
several of the Gilbert islanders up
and employed them as servants and
got them employed, and whenever
we needed assistance as to the
meaning of any expression we
would call on them. Besides, my
wife is a remarkably good scholar
in the Gilbert-island language, so
we got on very well.
"There are about $4,000 natives
and they are situated on eighteen
islands, scattered along on and
near the equator. They are about
$500 miles from Honolulu. My
father was a missionary to the Ha-
waiian group in 1920, SO when l
got old enough, after I was educat-
ed, fell into the work naturally"
DR.. and Mrs. Bingham, who have
become famous for their missionary
work, will start for the islands on
the next steamer. The doctor once
commanded the missionary ship
the Morning Star.