Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-12
BIBLES IN MANY LANGUAGES
More Are Sold Than Ever, Despite
Growing Disbelief.
IN FIVE HUNDRED TONGUES
Dying Tongues Preserved by bible
TranslstiOns-The Arabic bible
work of Three-Qusrters
of n Century.

Despite the fact which officers OF the
American Bible society freely acknowledge,
that the reading Of the Bible has much de-
creased among native born Americans,
more Bibles are sold and read and more
money IL given for the work OF the society
than when everybody believed the Bible
literally.
Last New Years Mrs. Russell Sage Of
fered the society $4,000 IL It could raise
an equal sum during tho calendar year.
The money Is rolling In ana the society
secs tho million in hand by January l. The
day after Mrs. sase's offer was made
public a New York business man called
up the office and said:
You can put me down for 10000 II you
won't give my name"
A couple Of years ago another New
York business mar entered the office and
said; II believe in the Bible. 1 am also very
much interested In the races.
I will give you a piece OF property II you
will dedicate II to the end OF time to the
circulation Of the Bible among the Moham-
medan races" The offer was accepted and
the property, a New York office building
worth $4,000. was turned over to the
society.
The distribution OF the Bible to the In
habitants OF the earth's surface is practi-
NAAg ~ ~ VI ~ AdnA ut Oilgs n
the beginning Of the nineteenth century the
Bible existed in only fifty languages. Today
in round nunrpSrs It exists In 500. The Bible
went into more languages during the nine
teenth century than in the eighteen prev
ious centuries.
Adding New Languages.
A few weeks ago an item appeared in
the papers to the effect that the American
Bible society had completed the pubffca-
ton of the Bible OF ChamorTo, the chief
language Of the island Of Guam. Thus
the natives got their first printed book,
their first alphabet. a written language
and a literature all in one.
All over the world men are doing the
Same thing. Scores of the worlds Ian
guages have been supplied with an alpha
bet and a written form by the translators
OF the Bible.
Last year. for instance, the society
printed a Bible for Pleasant Island. Few
persons would know where to find Pleas
ant Island on the map. It Is a mere dot
in the Pacific, 800 miles south OF the Caro-
line islands, with a population OF 1900;
the sort OF island one reads about in ship
wreck stories. 'H
For ten years one lone missionary and
his wife have been living there. He
learned the nguag by ear and then set
Il on paper Theoretically. Then he trans
lated the New Testament into It. Then
he begged and entreated the Bible Society
TO publish his Bible. The society re-
Piled: I'VE can't afford to publish the
Bible In q language spoken by only 1,50O
people;
Then the tribe pledged itself TO pay
for the work IL 1t could have time. So
the society sent the missionary a printing
press and he and his native helpers set up
and printed the work. Then he sent 1t to
San Francisco, the society paid for binding
It,. and one more little South Sea island has
a written language and literature.
Phllologists of the future will study ex-
tinct languages by means of these Bibles,
Already 1t is said that Name Matteo dc
Turner's version OF the Gospels in Quiehuea
is the only key to the language Of tn,
Incas.
wark of the Americans.
Americans have translated the Bible
portions OF It into thirty European tongu,
forty-three, Asiatic, eleven African, n.
Oceanic and twelve American. Amerl,
women have made TRANSACTIONS into fife
languages. the names of which are IN
known to the educated public.
In many cases tho Bible is all that will
preserve native American languages from
extinction. Only st year the society pub
lished the four Gospels In the WinnebagC
tongue. There are only 1000 Winnebagoei
left. Their children are all learning tC
read English. In. another generation tn,
tribe will be extinct or assimilated. Bu
someone offered to pay for the work FOL
the sake of a few odd Indians who would
never learn to read English. and 1t wal
done.
Two copies of the Gospels in the SenecI
language were sold within the last year
one In Arapahoe, four in Dakota, fourteen
in Muskogee, twenty-five in Ojibway, IL
in Cherokee and 2t2 in Choctaw.
Down In Oklahoma the rich Indians. tn
Cherokees and Choctaws. take a racia
pride in preserving their language from
oblivion through the use of II In thei
church life. Although most of the adult
read English now. they prefer to use tn
Bibles in their tribal tongues, and only
few weeks ago a letter reached the Bibl
House asking IL a new edition of the Cher
okee hyrin book could not be got out uni
form with the Bible.
Interest Of the Indians.
A notable instance Of this tribal prid
came within the past year In an order I
print the Creek Bible. the expenses TO /
paid BY the Creek Indians OF oklahom,
and some of their white nelghbors. Mr.
A. e W. Robertson. a Congregation
missionary, made a version OF the scriI
lures in the Creek or Muskegee languaG
tho labor OF many years. The order can
to publish It after her death.
The board wrote. why do you 90
such an expense as this when your chi
dren all read English? II lie foolish tt
rOply came back, I'VE want It as a moi
ument to Mrs. Robertson and Creek IaI
guase,"
One year after its organization, in 1Sl
the society began the translation OF Il
gospels into the Delaware and Mohaw
tongues. In August. 1905. an order can
into the Bible house from a New Yoi
indian for a copy OF that old Mohaw
gospel