The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-03-14
Rev. 4. Terry's Lecture.

| The lecture Of Rev Z. Terry, at the Opera
House on Thursday evening" was heard by large
audience, and was, in its way, scholarly and
mastery production. Mr.. T. is an exceedingly
pleasant speaker. His voice is full and sonorous,
| and he speaks with careful articulation and dis
tinctness Of uterance that carry every syllable to
| the remotcst corner of the room. While his man
ner was thus faultless his matter was no less in
teresting and attractive. His subject-thc Ian
| guage of the scriptures-to the general nearer
must almost inevitably be dry; yet he treated 1t
in way which was at once pleasant without ir-
reverence, and profound without being beyond
common comprehension. To satisfy himself as
to how much artistic skill this involved on the
part OF the lecturer. let any other scholar among
us ATTEMPT to entertain promiscuous audience
by disquisiton on hebraisms and hclenisms,
and on Greek and Sanskrit roots, and see how he
will fare.
We were not in position to take notes, and
therefore can undertake to give but very BRIEF
and imperfect synopsis of the lecture. He com
menced by remarkng on the exceeding indetn-
iteness of all language. Even the most polish
ed of our modern languages were but dialects,
the same words bearing different Specifications in
different localities. Add to this, that many shades
Of meaning were brought out by gestures or
facial expression, and the difficulty OF ascertain
ing the exact meaning of words uttered two three
and up to seven thousand years ago, was appar
ent. Then every one had proclivity to read
scripture so as to have it conform to his precon-
ccyed ideas. Each one read through differently
coored spectacles. Poemcs especially, instead
of reading scripture to ascertain its true mean
ing and utterance, came, as politicians say, with
an axe to grind. Scripture must be made TO
bend to their theories their theories to scrip
turc. The lecturer then gave 4 number of anus
ing instances, from the old cOntrOversaliSts,
showing how the most fanciful and absurd inter
pretations had been put upon scripture to wrest
its meaning to the support of some prepostcrous
theory or doctrine. Then followed lengthy and
critical examination Of number of hebraistic
and hellenic expressions retained in all the trans
latons of the original scriptures, and which, to
the common reader, convey ideas often most
strangely and absurdly foreign to the real mean
ing. The lecturer closed with an earnest and
eloquent appeal for mutual forbcarance and toll
Grafton. If one thought was brought out more
prominently than any Other, it was the hazard OF
any man or any class in maintaining that he or
they alone have the true Interpretation Of what
is yet in many of its details without interpreta-
ton. The science OF language was making such
progress, however, that it was rapidly sweeping |
away many points of disagreement and contro
vcrsy, and With mutual forbearancc and tolcra.
ton, and an earnest and honest longing for the
truth alone and forts own sake, there was reason
to hope that all might yet come together on com
mon ground, if not to agree, (allow us to add, for
the lecturer did not say this, though he may have
meant IT'D to agree in disagreeing.