Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-05-21
mr.. WEBsTER's PROPOSED EDITION
on THE BIBLE.

Dk. WEDS EN- - Nv OoA
OF THE BIBLE.
We have viewed the notification Of DR.. Web
ster with indignation. We look upon this pro
iect of dressing up the Doric simplicity OF Inc
bible in all the trumpery Of 'euPhemlsms,. as
little less than impiety, as an attempt 10 sup Tue
book Of life of its very lIfe-its beautiful s'mPi-
city-its childlike unconciousness OF giving Of
fence by calling things by their right names;
which gives it such a character ot uneauai'ed
grandeur and purity. Does not Dr. webster
know that nothing is SO we'll calculated to call Up
an offensive image in the mind, as that affected
soueamishness under which asciviOusness may
be- and so often is masked? Is he ignorant that
~oHtenslve ideas may be as easily conveyed By cir
cumIocutinn or .seuphemisms." as by the plain
est words? or that the truly delicate and yirtu.
Gus mind revoIts ten times more Indignantly at
the one than the other. because the former is an
atte,npt to cheat it into federation by artiiice and
disguise, while the latter comes in garb OF simple
truth at least? What should we think OF Dr..
Webster dressing up Moses and the Prophets in
the costume Of a dandy Of the present day; or
decorating Sarah, Rebecca and Esther in the mul.
~tfarious trumprry of a modern fine ladys Yet
this would not be more supremely ridiculous.
and not half SO mischievous, as reforming the
scriptures into the pompOus, artificial rhetoric OF
the present day. We beseech the doctor to stick
to his spelling books and dictionaries and let the
bible alone. We believe him to De a plnus man.
and that he would not intentionally make the
scriptures ridiculous by translatSg them into
- %euphemisms."
With respect to the correction of grammatical
errors, il the doctor means such as have crept in
by means of that carelessness and peryersion to
| which we have heretofore referred, we'll and good.
But if his intention is TO play the pedant with the
book of Inspiration, and adapt it to his notions o!
the beauty and purity of grammatical c%onstruc.
ton, then we say, the Lord deliver US from DR..
Webster and his bible!
The second object of the doctor is the " omis-
sion Of obsolete words and phrases. and the sub
%stitution Of equivalent terms DOW in use" Nov,
to our poor apprehension, there Is not a single
word or sentence in the bible which requires the
doctors pruning knife; or that he can make
clearer by all his circumlOcutiOn and euphe.
misms. There is not in the English, or in any
other tongue. living or dead. a book OF more
c~Iearness nf language than the bible. Ii Is q
perfect model, and no man living can touch with
out defIiug it, or alter without %polIutins its di-
vine simplicity. We cannot think with pa.
thence of a bible decked out in the rhetoric of the
modern school, and our faith in it would. be al.
most as much shaken by altering its language,.as
by classifying its precepts.
Lastly. The Doctor cantempla,es. by the aid
Of ''euphemisms," TO disguise such ideas as caG.
no, be expressed in plain English. without pain
both to the reader and ~hearer." We have been all
our lives accustomed 10 think, that indecency, or
smuttiness, consisted as much in ideas as words.
Now, if the Doctor would do away entirely with
those alleged scIiptural indecorums. he must not
only alter the words. but the ideas, BY the aid of
his eupheaIisms; in other words-.he must alter the
Scriptures; in plain English-falsify them; tor
no one doubts that these ideas are found IN the
original as veil as in the trsnsia ion. Where
this system If alterations would end TO one cen
tell, since that squeamishness IN language, which
is ever the result of a relaxation IN morals, might
cume. IN time, TO take exceptions at other words
and ideas which had escaped the sk,ttlsh delIcacy
of Doctor Websier. Tful, thi. is a wonderful
moral age; it is assuredIy more afraid Of naughty
words than naughty actions. We have editions
Of Shakespeare, and other fine old authors.
with the brains Knocked out. under preteDce of
making them fiji for family use; and we are now
threatened with an edition Of the Bible, stripped
OF its simplicity, IFS very identity, by the aid of
enphemisms and Ircnmloo utions; though it is
acknowledged on all sides, that the simple. brief
directness Of the Bible language, is not only its
greatest beauty. but its strongest barrier against
error and mislnterpreta,ion. We say, therefore,
to Doctor Webster, once again. stick to Spelling
Books and Dictionaries-deluge the country
with one, and confound the universe with the
others-make, alter, mar and mispell, as you
please, but spare us, we beseech thee. the Doric
simplicity, thr unaae ted beauty, The brief, unstu.
died manIlness, the naked truths OF the Book Of
Life.