The times., 1899-05-14

among Bedouin khaimehs. lie had lived nuch
among the Hebrew race. and was well versed in
! their ways and phraseoogy-' Finally, he had
visited the principal capitals Of. the world
Madrid. Paris, st. Petersburg. London, Edinburgh.
shiraz, Constantinople, Lisbon, and Havana All
this before 1888
One OF Borrow's earlier works was COL
/ lection cf Danish ballads, and it is sup
posed that copy was sent to Sir Walter
! Scott, and that that busy man forgot TO
acknowledge il, which accounts for Bor-
rows lifelong hostility to Scott. This ex-
/ traordinary wanderer seems to have been
as imp!aeable as a Red Indian or an
1 Afghan chief.
He never forgot the fact that after his
| runaway from school. the master had given
! him thrashing, and he hated all the mas
tsr's family on that account. He never for
gave the Curzons. because one of them
had secured a codex-hunting job in the
| Levant which he wanted for himself. He
carried his animosites with him into his
/ literature, and they were numerous as well
( as intense.
After the publication of the ballads,
there is hiatus in the records, but Mr..
4 Knapp skiIlfully pieces out theory that
/ during the next two or three years Bor-
row followed the Romany patteran
| through Central and Southern Europe and
! had numerous adventures, both with and
J without the assistance of the gypsy folk.
/ somehow, without remunerative employ
ment, writing political articles, translat
ing poetry, and, as he himself expressed
| IL digging holes in the sand and filling
them up again" This lasted for three
| years; and at last he sought the British
and Foreign Bible Society just at the time
when that association was seeking him.
There is something peculiarly incon-
| gruous in the connection of this Wander
inc hut ic
! no more curious than other facts of his
| career. He was invited to come to Lon
don and confer with the secretaries of the
society, and started, on foot, early in the
month of December, 1882. He walked the
entire distance, one hundred and twe.ve
miles. in twenty-seven hours, and his ex-
! penses amounted to five pence hapenny.
spent for pint of ale, half-pint of mi k.
a roll of bread. and two apples. When he
reached London Messrs. Brandram and
Jowett, the secretaries, detained him for
a weeks examination in Oriental lam
guages, and then offered him employment
so soon as he should learn the Manchu-
Tartar language, giving him six morths
for the task. The reason for this particu-
| lar action on their part was that a manu-
script translation of the New Testament
into this tongue existed at st. Petersburg
ready TO be printed, and competent En-
glishman must be found to superinteld its
publication. There was also copy of the
Old Testament in this language, recently
| discovered, which a missionary named
Swan was engaged in transcribing.
In view of the struggles and poverty of
the young linguist and traveller, it may be
interesting to note some advice addressed
to him by Rev. Joseph Jowett at this time
] 1t indicates that the race of clerical Peck
! shifts existed in those days. and that they
! were no more backward in expressing their
opinions than they are now:
| Excuse me. if, as clergyman and your senior
in years though not in talent, venture, with the
| hndest of motives, TO throw out hint which
f, may not be without its ! am sure you will
not be offended if / suggest that there is occa-
| sionally tone Of confidence in speaking Of your
self, which has alarmed Of the excellent
members ot our committee. II may have been
this feeling, more than once displayed before
which prepared two Of them to stumble
at expression of yesterday in which, till
pointed out, ! confess ! not struck with any
thing objectionable, but at which, nevertheless a
| humble Christian might not unreasonably take
umbrage. II is where you speak of the prospect
of becoming useful to the Deity, to man, and
to yourself" Doubtless yor meant, the prospect
of gloTifying God; but the turn Of expression.
made think Of such passages of Scripture as
Job xxi. ?; xxv. and S; Palm xvi and g.
Mr.. Knapp makes this comment:
That poor Borrow gave the committee ample
dialect of Earl street in addressing them, is fully
shown by their answer: The spirit OF your last
letter, wrote Mr.. Jowett, was truly Christian
/ in harmony with the rule laid down by Christ
Himself. and which in He wonder
fully exemplifed. that He that hunbleth him
self shall be exalted -"
Considering that the contract with Bor-
row was purely business arrangement,
. the sleek, SNUG complacency of Mr.. Jow
EFT toward half-starved and independent
! young author about to undertake an i'm
portant and difficult task, can hardly be
too much admired.
The performances of the indefatigable
young Englishman while engaged in his
task for the Bible Society are worthy Of
note. He not only did the work for which
he had been sent to St. Petersburg, but
finding that the German compositors on
whom be must rely for the printing OF his
work did not understand the mysteries of
the Tartar alphabet, he actually turned
printer himself drilled them, worked with
them, coaxed them to endure long hours
and small pay, and generally spent himself
in the service of the society. Then that
intelligent aggregation of individuals COM
planned because they did not receive regu-
lar reports of his progress. They thought
that the public would find fault with them
If they could not expatiate on Mr.. Borrow S
work. and wished TO save their own repu-
detailed statement Of the facts, which has
been lost by the society, but the reply, by
the aforesaid Mr.. Jowett, indicates that
the apprehensions of Earl Street were al
layed, and assures the young agent that
his superiors Will not interfere with him.
Borrow offered, Of his own accord, to
undertake the difficult and dangerous work
of distributing copies of the Bible through
Manchuria, but when the time came TO
|, start on this journey the Russian govern
ment absolutely refused TO give him q
I passport. THIS fact is stated by Mr..
, Brandram. the other secretary OF the So
ciety, in one of his letters. The next year
he wrote to Mr.. Borrow:
Suffer me to remind you that when you cam.
! TO the point Of distribution your success ended
Truly the ways of religious corporations
are queer.
The letters OF Borrow to his mother
written at this time. indicate the sincere
affection which he felt for her, and which
he never failed to express in the strongest
terms.
The indefatigable missionary spirit o!
Rev Joseph Jowett blossoms out again, a
little later. when he cautions Mr.. Borrow
against too perfect translation of the BIZ
, bic into Manchu %. The idea Of this in
, telligent gentleman is that the flowers OF
Oriental rhetoric should be avoided as far
as possible in presenting the Bible 10 the
nations of Asia, and this is wha: he says
on the subject:
Tie passion for honorifcsbitudinity is a vice
Of the Asiatic languages, which Scripture trans
Iaior, above all others ought to beware Of countc
nanoing. But Persian, MandJurian
Will read so simple composition the Hebrew
Bible" Nay, its Divine Author says they shall
and they will and his most learned Apostle