FRIEND LEAVES RYLANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21165, 23 April 1932, Page 8 (Supplement)

FRIEND LEAVES RYLANDS.

DR. MINGANA'S NEW HOME. I] viands Lilian, the most beautiful home of learning in Manchester, lias lost .m old friend. Br. Mingana, for 17 years keeper of the Oriental manuscripts, lias decided to go ant', look after a collection of liis own manuscripts. These are kept at the Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, where a new library is abput to he built. Dr. Mingana, says a recent writer, is a very distinguished worker in Oriental languages, and Ins done a great labour for scholarship by his researches in ancient Syriac and Arabic manuscripts. He has not only made many discoveries of unknown Eastern books, but lias spent an immense toil in cataloguing the Arabic manuscripts in I'ylands, a work which takes the form of a largo book of 600 pages. During his stay at Eylands, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Edward Cadbury and leave of absence from the library, Dr. Mingana was able to go to the East searching for more manuscripts of immense importance to the student. The world in general can know very little of the toil of men like Dr. Mingana, and would not understand it if he tried to explain the difference between one group of manuscripts and another and their bearing on European history and scholarship. Students of Oriental languages know, and Rylands knows. The chairman of the library governors could say nothing higher to Dr. Mingana, in expressing appreciation of his distinguished service :o the cause of scholarship, when he i;aid: "Your work in Syriac will remain as an enduring monument of the ye£,rs you have been with us." Dr. Mingana may be retiring from official life, but his research work will not cease. He feels that he wants another lifetime to deal with the manuscripts at Selly Oak.