GIFT OF TONGUES

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 12, 16 January 1933, Page 9

GIFT OF TONGUES

_ The most agile tongue in the world is claimed for Dr. C. H. Irwin, who is retiring from the post of editor and general secretary of the Eeligious Tract Society. He can spoak and read more languages than any other living man. French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Dutch, Eiissian, and German come to him almost as easily as English. la addition to this, he has edited the Gospela in nine different languages, including Finnish, Serbian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, and modern Greek. These are living languages; but ho is conversant with dead Tan--guages such as Latin, Greek, 'and Hebrew. Nor are his linguistic attainments confined to Europe and the Near East. He knows enough of many native African tongues to be able to correct proofs or translations of the Bible.- As general secretary of ' the Hehgious Tract Society he has -had, to correspond during his 35 years' service with people in most parts of the'world and seldom has he been floored by a letter written even in the most out-of-the-way language. Most of us who know only English have but 5000 or 6000 words at our xommand. Dr. Irwin is a master of at least 4,000 OOo' words; ...