The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1844-02-29
HAMPERS PICTORIAL BIZ F.

= The following is an extract from Major
Jack Doui.ing's Letter, published in late
4 number offhe Rover. 1t contains the pro-
, ceedngs of meeting held at Downingville,
"away -dowu-east.n relatise 10 fIarper's Illu-
minated Bible
One ofthe last now things we got here was
the first number OF Harper's .spieier Bible.n
There was nigh abouta cart load OF 'elneonle,
and they all went las fast as Zeb could toss
'em over the counter. For my part liked
the looks of it a good deal, for Pm materially
fond fpicters, and thought most of 'em
Twas about The pretfiest picters, Id seen in any
j book this great while. And / cant help feel
ing a kind Of sorry, that the book cant 20 on
and be published, but has got TO be cut Tigls
offinthe bud, and all the first numbers throw
ed away, or else burnt at the stake But that
protest against it, by them four ministers out
there in the Jarseys, has killed itas dead as
door nail
Every body here was delighted with lie
book for week or Two, and every body was.
reading if, and lookin at the picters, and as
glad as could be, to think we was going to-
have SIGH a handsome bible,-till one day
Deacon Snow got hold of newspaper that
had that proiestin it. And be come into lie
house all out of breath, and found his wife
reading the book, and showing the children
the picters.
'Now, Sally, says he as soon as he could !
get breath enough TO speak, s,sLel that atoin-
Unable book right up, and don't let it be seen
again!r
The Deacon's wife was thundersituck.---
"Why, Mr.. Snow" says she, s.what dc you
mean? are you crazy!''
"Why don't you see,'' says the deacon,sit
is very indecent book to have about?n
''Why, Mr.. Snow, how can You say SO
about the bible?'' Because it is so,' say.tse
deacon, sand here it is in the newspaper,
signed by Jour ministers"
'Melcy OH U.S. said Mrs. Snow, s'whefe
abouts is it so indecent
'fhere' said the deacon, that very picter
you are looking at now, at the beginning OF
the first chapter of Genesis Don't you see
that Adam hasn't got any great coat on; and
that there's horses running bout there with
out any blanket on; and that theresa deet
standing by the side tho water there, with S
his hinder parts right towards u.s.?
Mercy on US" said Mrs. Snow, and she
put her right hand over the peter, aud would
And this isn't The worst Of it neither. The
deacon didn't stop here; he went round the
next day, and called meeting ofihe Parish,
men and woman,and all hands. Deacon Snow
was called 10 the char, or rather he took the
chair, and read the protest to The meeting.
and said he perfectly agreed with them min
listers, that it was a very indecent book; and
called upon the meeting to express their
minds freely about it. As no one seemed to
be ready TO speak, he turned to Miss Rider,
the schoolmarm, who is middle aged lady
and has a good deal of farming, and uncenl-
mon taste about seh matters, and asked her
to express her opinion about the undecent-
ness of the spicters.
Miss Rider said, for her part, she thought
them horrid great elephants that WAS going
into the ark ought to have blankets over 'ena.
And besides, and of the pcters had a badly
in it wasn't dressed, which she thought was
highly improper.
This brought aunt Keziah up She sid,
for her part she didn't think twas any worse
TO look at them elephants, than it was to
look at the COWS in the coward Aud as
for the baby, she had seen babies without
clothes on before to-day, and she guessed
there wasn't many in the meeting but what
had. But still, she had an objection 10 that
bible, and great objection; and she feltit
her duty 10 state it.
s'Certainly,'' said deacon Snow, s'it IS the
duty ofeve,y enc TO bring uptheirobjections
now, that the thing can be stopped in the
bud.n
'Well, my objection" said aunt Keziah,
''is that is goin 10 ruin all the children and
all the young folks, by keeping 'em reading
the bible so much that they'll never have
time TO do any thing else.n
eyes," said Mrs. Shaw, ssthat it is, my
Sally let whole oven full of pies bum up
because she was reading that PFC
Ter bible, and forgot all about 'em.n
ayes, agree 10 that said Mr.. Jones;
cit is going to be the ruinaton of our child
rem I've had TO chop ali the wood to keep
my fire agoing a week past, because the
Boys have been so busy reading that peter
bible they conldn't get time to cut stick
Finally, afiera number more speeches
aud arguments about the matter, the meet
ing voted to send on protest TO the Har-
pers against printing any more of 'enl, not SO
much on account ofthe piciers, but because
is a going to make every body spend TOO
much time in reading the bible, So you
nav Jest tell the Hapers they better hang up
heir fiddle, and let the pieter bible alone.
You may hear srom me again soon, and
remain your old beloved friend,
MAJOR JACK DoweIye-