LINGUISTICS IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC. 173 
No choice could be made in the Epistles as to which should be trans- 
lated in preference to others, but the translator will naturally make 
what progress he can with them all. If a people is to receive the 
honor of having the Gospel message written in its own tongue the four 
Gospels and the Acts must surely be the minimum amount of trans- 
lation done, and it is hard to see how practical religion can be developed 
at all among a people unless they have a copy of the Epistles, the 
application of the Gospels, ready to their hands. 
In very few cases will it be possible for much of the Old Testament 
to be translated, either in the languages in the sphere of the Mela- 
nesian Mission or in those of New Guinea,-.owing to the multiplicity 
of languages and <o the comparative dearth of missionaries and 
to the need of working in the first place onthe New Testament. More- 
over, if the people have a New Testament it is hard to see what need 
there is to undertake any systematic cranslation of the whole of the 
Old Testament. 
A list of the translations and of books published for use in the 
Melanesian Mission is as follows: 
(1) New Hebrides. 
Raga: Prayer Book, St. Luke, Genesis, Harmonized Scripture Gospel 
Lessons, Hymns. r 
Omba: Prayer Book, Harmonized Scripture Gospel Lessons, Hymns. 
Maewo: Prayer Book (small), Harmonized Scripture Gospel Lessons, 
Hymns. 
(2) Banks Islands. 
Lakona: Prayer Book (small). 
Mota: Prayer Book, New Testament, Old Testament, Harmonized 
Scripture Gospel Lessons, Commentary on St. Matthew, Instruc- 
tions for Catechumens, English Lesson Book, Codrington on the 
Miracles and Parables, Hymns. 
(3) Torres Islands. 
Vava: Prayer Book, Canonical Gospels and Epistles, Hymns. 
(4) Santa Cruz. 
Ndeni: Prayer Book, Canonical Gospels, Hymns. 
(5) Solomon Islands. 
Ulawa: Prayer Book, New Testament, Catechism for the Children of 
the Church, Hymns. 
Sa‘a: Prayer Book, New Testament, Catechism for the Children of 
the Church, Hymns. 
Lau: Prayer Book (small), Gospels, Hymns (few). 
Fiu: Prayers and Hymns (small). 
Wango: Prayer Book (small) and Hymns, St. Luke, Harmonized 
Scripture Gospel Lessons. 
Guadalcanar: Prayer Book (small), St. Luke, Hymns. 
Florida: Prayer Book, Gospels, Canonical Epistles, Harmonized Scrip- 
ture Gospel Lessons, Catechism for the Children of the Church, 
Hymns. 
Bugotu: Prayer Book, Book of Psalms, New Testament, Portions of 
the Books of the Prophets, Hymns. 
( 
