Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1850-06-11
Speech Of Hon. Edward Everett,

DJ0re me massachusetts, BiOte Society
at the .4naud Meeting, Nay, 81 80.
We make the following beautiful ant
eloquent extract from the address mad,
by Hon. Edward Everett, before the Bi
bic Society. 1t is a noble tribute 10 iht
Bible and The faith upon which ii is fcun.
ded -
F" There is auo,her consideration of a
practical nature, which should be gIad
to offer to the meeting, if have not eN-
ceeded my allowance Of time. We all
have pretty strong and as think just i'm
pressonS Of the superiority of Chrisien-
dom over the Mahomctan, Hindoo, agd
Pagan countries. Oar civilization, |
know, is sull very imperfect, impaired hy
many vice and many a woe which dis
graces our Christian nature and
Appears spot upon The yestal's robe,
The worse Tor what II so!.s.
But when we compare the condition of
things in Chrlslendom with thar which
prevails in the countries just named we
find that all the evils winch exist among
Us, prevail there in a greater degree, while
they are subject to innnmeraOle others
50 dreadful as to make Us almost ready to
think it were better for the mass of the
population, humanity speaking. they had
never been born. We'll, now, Mr.. Chair
man, what makelh Us to differ! ! know
uf no final and sufficient cause, but the
different character OF Christianity. and the
religions which prevail in Turkey, Per-
sIa, India, China, and the other semi.civ-
iliZrd or barbarous countries and this
difference, as far as / know, is accurately
/, hpc1ed in their sacred books. mean,
sir. thalthe Bible stands to the Koran and
The Vcdas, in the same relation as that in
which Christianity stands TO Mahomelan-
ism or Brahmanlsm, or Buddhism or
Christcndom to Turkey, uIndostan, or
China.
We should all, ! believe, more fully
appreciate the value Of the Scriptures, if
We compared them with other books as
suming the character of sacred. have
not done it 50 much as | wish | had ; but
one rrason-a main OnC-has been, the
extreme rppuIsivpn, IS Of those books !
have tried to read. | have several times
in my life attempted to read The Koran.
| have done so lately Ihave approached
it with highly excited literary curiosity.
| have tcIr a strong desire to penetrate
,his great mystery Of the Arabian desert
As have, in some quiet Turkish town.
TOR in the provincial Turkish towns is
liItlp of the hustle Of our western lifc)-
Ge:aacd at thr close of day to the clear,
calm voice of the muczZ!n, from the top
IF the graceful minarcl, calling the faithful
20 evening pravcr--ls | have mused on
the ylcissitudrs If all human things be-
lealh the venerable dome Of ST. SophIa's,
| have, | may say, Iongcd to find some
rational ground Of sympathy between
Christianity and Islamism, but any thing
more repul,ivc and unnviring than tie
Koran | have seldom attempted 10 Pcruse,
even when taken up with these kindly
feelings. And vet, sir, You are well
aware that it is not conceived in spirit
of hostility to the Old and New Testa-
menls. but recognizes them both rs q.
vine revelation. With such portions Of
rnc sacred books of the llIndOos as have
fallen in my wav, the cast IS far worse.
The NEUROLOGICAL sys'em contained IN
them is a tissue Of mOnsIrosllles and alb
.prIiirns b,r firms sO rpyolliu0 and UaiIsp-