The New Testament as a Language Aid
At the American Tract Society’s office in New York there is constant demand for the New Testament in various languages, from persons who use it less for religious instruction than as an aid in the study of foreign tongues. Some students buy the smallest and cheapest Testaments printed by the society in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Greek, or one or another of the Oriental languages, and, armed with a single leaf cut from a small Testament in English, use the two together in studying the foreign tongue as they go to and from business. A still simpler method employed is to cut a single leaf or a chapter from each Testament and thrust them folded together into the waistcoat pocket against the journey to or from business. Many foreigners in New York improve their English in this fashion, and incidentally extend their acquaintance with the Gospels. Some students buy Testaments with the English text and that of some foreign language printed in parallel columns. This form is extremely convenient, but the books are necessarily rather large, and on that account are not in favor with those who study in public. There is a pretty steady demand for Latin and Greek Testaments with parallel texts, and there is now an increased demand for the New Testament in Spanish for use in the study of that language. German, French, and Italian Testaments are also considerably called for, and Testaments even in the languages of eastern Europe are occasionally asked for.—New York Sun.