Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-07-07
THE RICHMOND ENQUIRER.
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BY RlTClfIES l. PRYOR.
THURSDAY MORNING, july q.
TIE WIG AND THE TYPES OF MAN
KIND"


across an original idea, genuine discovery jus
from the mint Such one our ncighbur Of tht
lIh's hns nj last caught. He has found "the book -
the age" thut "is destined to excite atteno!
than amy publication since the invention of the art o
printing" This is certainly startling announcement
10 ihusc Of who have not forgotten that such indi
yiduas rs Bucon, Milton La Place and others, hav,
written books since that dutc but we ought not Il
be the less thankful for such discovery that i
throws these worthless fur in the sIudc. But w
confess that our enthusiasm is somewhat dampcd IL
regard to this discovery, when find the book, is III,
one noticed in very different terms short time
ago, the TYPES Of Mankind by Mrssrs Mott
Glddun.
Now We have no disposition 10 disturb our worthy
neighborn his or naI discovery, but We hsNcu dspo
sition to rnghtrn either him his readers i'll regard
to the drift Of this pondcrnus volume. Our nciglhor
may prefer Mott & Gliddom TO Moscs md Paul if hC
chooses, but We are very unwilling to have 'lIc pc"-
pie of Virginia deceived into the notion, that thcy
can retain their faith iii the latter il they adopt the
sentiments Of the former, ana think tha: they
| should know the cXuCt truth
We do not intend To d,c,,rs the contents ~! the
book, hut simply to indicate s real characrr. Now
| this character either known t" the Wing or II
was not. Ii it was known, We d" s"rmny protest
against an attempt TO smugglr lntdclitv into thc
homes of people, under the Sui-c of mere science
| If it was not known solcmnly protest against
man endorsing poison and recommending it rs
bread, or vending oXalc acid, surprising it t" be Ep
SON salt. The ignorance Of the apoth"cary's b"ywI
not save the patient.
Now, the principal author "i this book, Mr.. Gid
! don, avows himself To be pnsvst in philosophy
which. perhaps our learned cncnp"rary docs Iini
need he told, is but another name fur un atheist
But rs this might not he regarded P0S'rr evidence
of the ulidcity Of the book, will refer our ncigboT
10 passage OF Is it what ncehbor calls SEN
largng peoples views 10 inform thcrn rs Mr.. Gid
don does tp. jl speaking of the book OF Genesis that
"vicwcd as narrative inspired by the most High it,
conccits would b, pu, and s revelations false, be-
cause tcescopr astronomy has ruined lis celestial
structure ph vsics have ncgavcd its cosnic organism,
and geology has sucd the fabulous terrestrial me
chanism upon which lis assumptions based. How,
then, are its crude and Juvenile hypohescs about hu-
man creation to be received !" This passage certainly
cnargcs peoples views about the Kings English, and
prepares them to hear this muster OF what he calls
.'linguisticnl protundtcs, t" in regard TO the
translators of the version Of the Bible who
have hitherto been supposed o De ut least neither
fools nor scoundrcs that there il ''damning evidence
produccable that these worhcs could no, coiistruc
siagic linz Of the Hebrew text =. Ga. Truly Mr.
Giduns knowledge Of the past must be most 'lrarn
lous to have discovered all that. We are therefore
not surprised hear him announce his p"s!tiv"ism i'll
such terms these: "As p"sitlvci~i" We lament NOT
thu, our brci span "t l:tc will be measured long be-
fore u ncr English version mny l." authoriz"d he
cause through the slow but um"rrng laws ri human
a,, alccmcnt in knowledge, by tho time that MeoIo-
| -. hill l---- -.---. - ,.'.' -. -'-
.ition and have awukcd to the stern realities OF the
casc the developments of the science will have rcn-
dcrcd any ncr translation altogether supcrcroSGory
among the educated, who crentng He~ r'Itgto"S
for thcselvc- p. Jg3. The italics are Nh GI'dd"n ~
Here, then, we have the ulslot ot the Whole matter
The present version Of the Bible Is an awiuiy Dn'g
ling ufar but it useless to try to mend IT. '"r before
such an amcndmen, would be of any Use, the old
book will be laid usidc and Hc~ r,'s'on be created
| by the educated.
Now we do protest against this cHrtin Of prlantic
.neers against the Bible aud christianity into the
houses Of our people, under any other than s true
L
take il. but lot them know what they nr" getting.
Our ncighbor may think it very witty to sncer at
"Thc Garden OF Eden, rs pictured BY plous iancie''
as he docs in later issue, and speak ot the "c"nl
plusa crc,lulty and Jewish vanity" that is exhibit
cd in the belief, that all mankind have descended
from Adam and Evc but we apprel"nd that there
are very many of his readers, and some "i them NJ
least rather respectable i'll their mental character
who will geo much more wickcdncos than wit, III thus
insulting the cherished belief Of the christian world.
We will not presume To discuss the point raised by
the lthir in seeming tdcfrncc Of thir fling at the
book of Genesis that "u the cnr!y christian ia
,bcrs repudiatcd the idea of literally interpreting the
Pcntatcuch, the first portion OF Genesis beng re-
cardcd by them as an allcgory.' we VIII not AZ
tempt to cope with ncghbor i'll pntri>tlr !"ro ai-
though we confess that in ignorance tins also II Il
| discovery. We had some mixing ol Tie iuc', thai
the fathers were very prone to allcS"rsr me 16">
of the Biblical history but that they al rc"nr'Icd
c recDy IA mere ullcury is really news TO us li We
upprchcnd to more besides. Even Mr.. Ghddon doe+
not seem TO have discovered this; for the utmost ta
we have noticed him to assert is that "ihcy a, thr
fathers of the first centuries, attributed @"""'r Ti''
to the words of Scripture the ono obvious ana literal
tho obc~ hidden and mystical. The former they treat
cd with tho utmost neglect" =. JG6. Thi. Is, how
ever very different from saving that they rcpud"t"'
snv I;,ern ,cnsc md treated the whole record as n
lerorical. We happen TO have before rs the opinion
of the learned Hhrernck Of Germany, III Which h'
.nvs that "Hea,hen authors alone, as Celsus and Ju
linn represented the contents "f the fch'htench ~
bciur mythical" and duties the mythical view Incl9
Christians To De Wettc We leave our neighbor II
| trht the battle out with the German Professor.
We have no doubt that these views of Mott d Gid
don have been adopted by many, our neShbor IN the
number the more readily because they seem to favor
the system of slavery. But that system needs moi
such defenders, especially il the Bible Il 10 be tho
price it must pay for them. The Bible il now the
prapd object OF attack from Abolitionsts, be-
cause they know it il the bulwark OF Southern
principles, and the platform on which all con-
scryativc men stand North and South. Destroy
the Bible and You lay buro the very citadel OF oui
strength to our foes This they well know, and hence
the Parkrrs and Garrsons md P!lsburys, are almost
s hitter apainst the Bible and the Church they
oc.ipst slavery Let us not then allow this shield o
strength TO be torn from Ia until We have something
70 mt in its place. The Bible hus stood many hard
knock, and can stand few more. Npltare and hi'
coadutors made the boasts exactly with Gid
don and his aids, and though some young bird,
were caught with their chaff, the Bible still
stood and its assailans were carried away
with their chaff and now where are thcy' We
make no pretcnsiors to picty bat we do revere III,
Billie and we DO feel M honest Indignation at III,
sncrrn. filings with which iii assaulted III such books
as this, and we are unwilling TO have them SNUG
gle into our houses, under false coors, or susslcd
all under anyablor. Mr.. Gliddon promises lis, ''ucw
religious" he does not say how many, but one good
one will content us. Let him give lis better re
| nj bott hnnG tI,,,