The Book Talks

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 3, 1910

WHEN for the first time an African village was shown a book, and heard the missionary reading the Scriptures in their own tongue, they cried out: “The book talks! the white man has a book that talks!” And indeed the Bible is a book that talks. It is the “living Word,” not as the books of men.

“We know the Word you teach is good,” said heathen chiefs who came to one of our missions in German East Africa to plead for a school.

The late John G. Paton, the apostle of the New Hebrides, in the South Pacific, said that an old Aniwan chief had helped him to translate the first little Scripture portion. At last the book was printed. Dr. Paton said:—

“Namakei came to me, morning after morning, saying, ‘Missi, is it done? Can it speak?’

“At last I was able to answer, ‘Yes!’

“The old chief eagerly responded, ‘Does it speak my words?’

“I said, ‘It does.’

“With rising interest, Namakei exclaimed, ‘Make it speak to me, missi! Let me hear it speak.’

“I read to him a part of the book, and the old man fairly shouted, in an ecstasy of joy, ‘It does speak! It speaks my own language, too! O, give it to me!’

“He grasped it hurriedly, turned it all round every way, pressed it to his bosom, and then, closing it with a look of great disappointment, handed it back to me, saying, ‘Missi, I can not make it speak! It will never speak to me.’

“‘No,’ said I; ‘you don’t know how to read it yet, how to make it speak to you; but I will teach you to read, and then it will speak to you as it does to me.’

“‘O missi, dear missi, show me how to make it speak!’”