Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-09-19
REV. DIR. BAIRD ON BIBLE COLLATION.

The following extract from n very recent letter
Of Rev. Or. Baird, now in Europe, 20 the New
York Observer, has come into our hands since the
peuning of the editorial on that subject. 1t bears
very directly upon the s%utjec. discussed in our
columns
81 had a good deal Of conversation with both
Lord Shaftesbury and Mr.. Bergne, respecting the
course which should be pursued in relation to .
revision of our english Bible. Both think as we
do in America, with some exceptions, that a ner
translation is not at all needed. On the question
of a slight reriSlon, affecting only obsolete words,
and perhaps some obscure and evidently mis-
translated passages it was thought that some
thing is desirable. but that it would be difficult to
attempt it in'England just now, owing to the pecu.
liar state of things. Mr.. Bergne seemed to think
that. so far as America is concerned, the Ameri-
can Bible So,iety is the best body to do all that
needs to be done.
Il confess that this is my own opinion, l have
for years believed that if the Board of Managers
of the American Bible Society were to appoint an
able committee, composed of such men as Drs.
Hodge. Turner, Robinson Alexander, McClintock,
Wayland, Dewitt, Kendrick, Campbell, (of the
Dutch Reformed Church. McCarrell, Mcleod,
and others who might be named, with instructions
to make Just such changes, and no more, as may
appear to be necessary, giving them ample time,
and then submitting the proposed changes in a
nrinted document to all the ministers of the Cos.
pei and influential laymeu in our churches, every
thing would be accomplished which needs to be
done. No word which there has been, and long
will, it is to be feared, so much sectdrtdn use
the word in no invidious sense) dispute-suCh as
baptise,' '~Japtism,' '6ishop,' elder &c.-should be
touched obsolete words, and a few expressions,
even, might be, and ought to he, changed.
"SOme changes might be made, this is conceded.
The spelling Of words has undergone a great
change since our present version was made. The
printers have made changes Of this sort from time
to time. But now the Bible Societies.. and not the
booksellers, have the work of printing mainly in
their hands, and if they do not make the changes
which the progress of tue language demands, they
will not be made. And are we forever to have
the words leasing, trOC, ard some others kept in
the Bible, from fear of making any change what
ever?
l think it is quite probable that the American
Bible Society has made a mistake in not giving as
much publicity as they should have done 70 the
changes which they proposed to make before actu'
ally introducing them. And it is possible, too,
that some of the changes which they have made
would net entirely meet my approval; but wish
for my part, that they had gore as far as | have
suggested above, and after having gathered careful
lly the opinions of our wisest and best men, acted
accordingly. The more | have considered the sub,
lject, the more | regret that they have not gone far
Their, aud changed some words and modified some,
phrases and introduced them into the text only after
the consent Of the most competent judges had
been secured,
Some people speak as if they held our present
English version In about as much veneration as the
Romauists do the Nulgate. And yet our wisesl
and best commentators do not shrink from making
innumerable deviations from that version, in theii
explanations of Gods Word, whenever they think
that the case demands it. Sometimes they stoutly
maintain that our version is decidedly wrong, and
yet some of them would be opposed to have any
thing done to improve that version even in words
and phrases about which there never has been diff
erence Of opinion so lar as doctrines are concerned.
So far as relates to the changes in the heading
;. Of the chapters and running titles Of the pages,
which the American Bible Society have made, l
r certainly think that they have generally been
II greatly for the better. If they had stricken them
II out, and given us nothing but the text itself OF the
% Holy Scriptures 1T would perhaps have been quite
as well. But if any healing Is TO be put to the
e chapters, it is certainly safe to make 1t out OF the
very words Of the chapter itself. instead of making
,e as King James trnnsiators, have done, what It
re virtually a commentary, which they had no righ'
lie to do"