The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-11-06

hearts back to Apaiang, taking with
them the New Testament in the native
tongue. Before leaving there was
congratulatory gathering at their home
in Honolulu at which the King was
present.
Ten years later, at the instigation of
Mrs. Bingham, the second task of trans
lating the Old Testament, was begun,
and DIR. Bingham, then a man nearly
fifty years old, undertook the task. The
translation must be made from the He
brew, which he had neglected for TWEEN
ty.fve years, having given his whole
attention to Gilbertese, Hawaiian and
Greek. The examination of the Hebrew
points was most trying for his weak
eyes. But under the inspiration of his
wife's words, backed by the wish of
the Hawaiian Board of Missions, he
took his old Hebrew grammar from the
shelf and buckled down to hard study.
On his fifty.second birthday he was
ready to begin translation. When about
half through, visitor brought him a
copy of the Revision of 1881. This was
an immense help, and gave him new
courage. Then followed an illness of
five months, but nothing could quench
his dauntless zeal. With the help of a
native amanuensis, and obedience to his
physician IS restrictions of "no letter
writing, no visiting, not much talking
FOR walking, but much lying down." he
bed, sometimes at table. His health
steadily improved, his eyesight grew
stronger. Then with buoyant hope and
Increased courage he entered upon the
home stretch.
One morning in the spring of 1898,
after an absence of nearly thirty years
from the United States, he and his
wife, with small group of friends,
stood in the Bible House in New York,
watching the last verse of Revelation
being put into type. A proof was taken
and DR.. Bingham read the words aloud
in Gilbertese, his voice trembling with
emotion. The little company adjourned
to the big press room, the type was
iplaced in form, the wheels revolved, and
the last page of the first Bible in Gil
bertese was printed. A prayer Of
thanksgiving and the singing of thu
Doxology followed. Booming of can
non, music, oratory, banners, and flow
ers often accompany the launching o,
a battleship or the opening of new
canal. Yet conquest of material force
sinks into insigniHcance in comparison
with the victory of faith which lift'
a race from barbarism to the level Of
'civihzed human beings.
His latest literary effort has beer
the preparation of Gilbertese dict.on
airy. This work was made ready foi
publication, and the manuscript loan
ed TO an Englishman, through who's
carelessness il was irretrievably lost
But like Carlyle, after the manuscript
OF the nrst volume OF MS french heV
olution' was burned by an ignoran
serving maid, DIR. Bingham began tn
work over again.
1t took him ten years, and the monu
mental task was only just completed
SO far as known, he was the only MAJ
who has reduced a language TO writ
ing, translated the whole Bible int,
that language, and supervised TIL
printing of the volume. He had sup
piled other means of education an,
Christian culture by preparing this die
tionary, hyme- books, and miscellaneou
literature. He suffered from repeated
illness, due to o tropical climate an,
lack of nourishing food, Once he wa
so weak that he was carried on a lit
ter on board the Morning Star, OF
which there was COW, whose MIL
was the means of saving his life.
When asked If long periods of iso
lation from his fellow men was not tn,
chief trial in his missionary career, h
! answered: "That twenty-seven year