Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-03-29
Holy Bible in wenII Language.

At meeting of the Board of Managers
of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary
Society of the Protestant Episcopal
Church, held in New York recently, it
was voted to make grant for the publ
cation of the Holy Sc iptures in the clas-
steal Wenli language of China, which
Bishop Samuel l. j. Schereschewky, late
missionary Bishop to China, has just
completed, after long years of prepare
ton. The work upon which Bishop
Schereschewky has been engaged has at
tracted the attention of the church and
scholars on both sides of the Atlantic,
and the publication of his translation of
the Bible into the Wenli dialect is being
awaited with interest.
For many years Bishop Schereschewky
was one of the missionaries of the Epis-
copal church in the Chinese Empire, and
was made Bishop of Shanghai in 1871.
He became thoroughly conversant with
the language, and 20 years ago translated
the Old Testament into the Mandarin
colloquial under the auspices of the
American Bible Society, by which it was
published.
In 1898 Bishop Schereschewsky was
stricken with an attack of paralysis,
which rendered him almost helpless, and
he was forced to resign his bishopric,
and come to this country, to the home OF
his family in Cambridge, Mass. Although
he was nearly helpless, his mind was not
affected by his physical troubles, and he
determined to make translation of the
whole Bible into the Wenli dialect, TAX
ing the particular form known as the
easy classical. The Wenli is the written
but unspoken language of China.
1t is understood by the Chinese in all
parts of the empire, by the natives of
Corea and many of the inhabitants of
Japan. During the summer of last year.
the Very Rev. E. A. Hoffman of the Gen
cral Theological Seminary went to Eng
land at the instance of the Board of Mis-
sons and brought the attention of the
Archbishop of Canterbury and the au-
thorites of the English Church to the
work Bishop Schereschewsky had in
hand
The Archbishop became interested in
subject, and appointed the Rev. DIR. Legge
of Oxford University and Prof. Douglass
Kings College, London. to examine the
new translation, with view of having a
portion of the expense of the publication
met by the Society for the Promotion of
Christian knowledge. The committee
will act in concert with the committee
appointed last week by the Board of Mis-
siOns here, consisting of the Right Rev.
F. l.. Graves, missionary bishop of Shang
hal, the Rev. DR.. Henry Blodgett, mis-
sionary of the American Board of Com
missioners for foreign Missions, and the
Rev. DR.. w. A. p. Martin, President of
the Imperial College at Picking. Both
Drs. Blodgett and Martin are now in this
country.
With the completion of the translation
and the publication of the result of his
untiring labor of years, While enduring
severe pain, the distinguished ecclesiast-
will consider his life work done. He will
not, however, permit the printing of the
translation except under his own person
al supervision, and as this will be done in
China, he will set out for the Flowery
Kingdom in the Summer, there, as he
said, to end his days in the land to which
he is most attached through long assOci-
alton as Christian missionary. His
family consists Of an adult son and
daughter, whom he will leave behind.