Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-07-14
TIE LARGEST CALCULATION.
In 3O4 Languages the Bible is Found All
Over the World.


The British and Foreign Bible So
ciety OF London, which is the Oldest
and largest society Of the Kind, reports
that it has since It's formation dis
tributed l31, s44, 796 copies Of the Bible,
the New Testament, and OF portions OF
the Scripture. The American Bible
societies (of which there are ive) have
distributed over 60, 600, 900, and kindred
societies elsewhere more than 2l,-
OOO. 900, so that through these chan
nes alone there have been more
than 213.OO0,0OO copies placed In
circulation. AS was said, there
are no means Of estimating the numbers
Of copies that have been printed aud
sold or given away by other publishers
or agencies. The copies OF Scripture
circulated In heather lands In the pres
ent century exceed in number all that
were in the world from Moses TO Martin
Luther, and are more than double the
entire production Of the press from the
printing OF the first Bible Ia l45O to the
era'of Bible Societies In 1904.
The Bible, or considerable portions OF
It. is printed ln 3O4 different languages
or dialects, so that there is hardly any
portion of the entire globe which is not
supplied with printed copies Of the gos-
pei in the language read by the inhae-
itants.
This printing and placing have In
yolved the expenditure OF many mil
lions Of dollars and the entire life WORK
OF many men of learning and OF 0usi-
ness ability, but the result is beyond
comparison with any other achieve
ment of mankind, even considered as
business matter alone. One Striking
fact illustrates this. Ii Is cited by DIR.
Plumer ia a tract which he wrote on
GLOW to Use the Bible" He says that
In the thirteenth century two arches
OF London Bridge cost e25, and at the
same time a copy OF the Bible, with
few explanatory noses, cost $50. The
real value of the money or It's purchas-
ing power is seen by the comparison.
In those days laborer's wages were
only nlnepence a week, so that the
Bible cost the entire wages Ia money
of laboring man for fifteen years.
In other words, the Bible was tden
the most expensive book in the world,
and one reason was that IL was the
largest book then known, and existed
only IN manuscript form. The fabulous
prices II formerly commanded continued
10 rule long after the invention OF print
ing, but 10 is to-day the cheapest DOCK
IN the world. The entire Scriptures
can be bought for twenty-five cents Ia
America and for q siXpence In England,
and the New Testament for i've cents.
In England the book OF ST. John Is
printed and sold for penny.
No one. however. need be without a
Bible even If he has not a penny to
spend for II. Any one OF the Bible So
cietles will fun nsh copy to any one
who can read, no matter whether ne
can pay for It or sot-in fact, great and
snecial efforts have been made repeat
edly to place a copy in each family In
the United States, and In sixteen years
the American Bible society alone caused
nearly 100000 families to be VISITED
and gave away more than l,OOO,OOU
COMES 10 those who professed 30 be IN
able 10 buy one, and perhaps In order
10 demonstrate that no distinction was
nroposed, the society some years age
presented a handsome copy TO each oil
the relgning monarchs and other cnlel
magistrates of the world.
One particularly interesting branch
o1 the work OF the Bible societies has
been the publication Of copies. prepared
| for the use Of the blind. This Is neces
sarily an expensive work, for the letters
are raised on the paper instead OF being
nrlnted in ink, but the books are SOLD
/ helow cost. so that the entire Scrip
tures pubished In this form Is offered
for sale at SO and the New Testament
/ for Sl.50.
Several Of the professors at Johns
! Hopkins University are assisting II
the preparation for the publication o
| the new version OF the Scriptures 10 81
known as the American Bible, OF whiet
prof. Paul Haupt Of the Oriental de
partment is the chief editor. The pro-
! lessor states that all the English trans
lAtions will be published before tn
German versions, though many OF tn
hooks were translated first ITO Germal
and from the German Into English.
Prof. Haupt is now busily engaged u
editing the German translations, havin
] finished his work on the critical editio
of the rearranged Hebrew text OF th
hook OF Job, which was the first part Q
the work on the new version done unde
his direction. Prof. Siegfred OF To
University Of Jenna, reconstructed IN
book by putting some Of the verses int
sequence and position that will enaoI
the general reader 10 better understan
it. and a score or more OF other eminer
European and American scholars al
engaged In the work.