THE BIBLE IN THE WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 107, 7 May 1924, Page 8

THE BIBLE IN THE WORLD.

. l< Commenting that the subject chosen ' < for him as above gave him unlimited < I range of the subject, the Rev. Dr. .1. H. < Ritson ranged the world in anecdote. | jraeh with its particular point and j moral, when he spoke to a large gathering in the Scots' Hall last night, with | i especial reference to the activities of the ( British and Foreign Bible Society, a t society which Dr. Averill. in introducing j the speaker, described as the friend of i all the missionary societies of the world • Starting with the Bible House in London, centre of the sTeatest publishing business of the world, the speaker .' ( scribed the library where is preserved ] in script and first editions the Bible , as it has been translated over the cen- , turies in at least 70S languages. The J first heathen translation, in the language j of the Massachusetts Indians, could not now be read by any person in the world, for the tribe was extinct. Dr. Ritson ' ran interestingly over the list of the great translators in Latin, Greek, Eng- T lish, German and heathen tongues, with , excursions in story out to the countries ( chiefly concerned with these translations, and then he dealt with the work of col- , portcurs in distributing the Bibles. For i over an hour he kept his audience deeply ' interested with his narrative, edged with humour, but containing ever an appeal ( for greater interest and financial sup- j port by the people of New Zealand. i