The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1914-08-07
Religious Work
America Home Of the Bible.

America Home Of the Bible.
Seldom so rated, the making and
shipping of Bibles are one Of the most
important American industries. The
volume of cash involved is not 80 great
as in many other lines, but the world
wide distribution is greater and the
consequences are more potent. Out of
this country have gone forces which
are literally making owe old nations.
1t Is a truism to say that the Bible is
still the best selling" book in the
world. Apart from the millions OF
copies issued by scores Of Independent
publishing houses there are three great
institutions, largely missionary in their
character, which produce only Bibles
and parts of Bibles. These are the
American Bible society, the British
and Foreign Bible society and the
Scotch Bible society.
The American Bible society alone
last year issued 4.O49,61O volumes,
made up of 800, 734 complete Bibles,
1881 New Testaments and nearly
100000 smaller portions Of the Bible.
In the ninety-seven years Of its history
this society has issued 98,25O,OOO vol.
umes Of the Bible.
Hidden behind the old fashioned
brick front of the ramshackle Bible
House on Aston place, New York. are
many romances. No business on earth,
it is safe to say. has more curious
ramiications than this one Of supply
ing Bibles to the whole earth. for
nowadays Bibles may be circulated in
all lands except Tibet. A~fghanistan
and certain Of the north African Mo-
hammedan lands.
A few months ago there were shipped
from the Bible House 1000 volumes,
which there began a voyage of 5000
miles. Their immediate destination
was Australia; thence they were to be
transshipped to a little spot under the
equator called Ocean island, 5000
miles southwest of San Francisco.
Ocean island is a famous storehouse Of
phosphate and thus a ~favorite distribu-
ton center for ships touching the other
south sea islands.
In making these books poison was
worked into the covers because Of the
ravages of certain insects. Every
twenty books We're soldered up in a
tin case to guard against damage by
waves or weather, and then these tin
cases We're inclosed in heavy boxes.
In the long and rough voyage they are
rough handling.
All this labor and money carry on
the work Of the greatest American
character in the south sea the late
Hiram Bingham of Honolulu. the mis-
sionary who translated the Bible into
the Gilbert islands language.
The Zulus in South Africa do not
know much about America. but Chris.
tian converts by the thousand are look.
ing to this country for the fruit Of the
presses in the old Bible House. which
are now turning out the revised Bible,
which the American board missiona-
rjes have perfected during the past
thirty years. Tons and tons of the
earlier translation have already gone
from here to South Africa. Every
Zulu who learns to read seem to want
a Bible first Of all. One Of the secreta-
ries sheds this bit of light on the deli
cate as we'll as the gigantic character
of making over the Bible into a print
tive tongue: Expert knowledge of
several sciences is requisite in Bible
translation. Imagination rs we'll as
expert knowledge was required for
transferring the list of accessories Of
ladies' toilet found in the last verses of
the third chapter Of Isaiah into the vo-
cabulary Of a belle Of the kraals,
whose entire equipment consists of
some beadwork, a leather apron and a
blanket