, 1875-06-13
THAT $4,000 CHALLENGE.

tAES1pLN2 0UNAfE55 ~ - dALLEaGE4.
OFFICE or PRESIDENT NORTHWESTERN CHR1s-
TAN UNIVERSITY, INDIANAPOLIS. Ind, May q,
1875.-To " Challenger" Chicago Iu-: Yours
| Of the 21st lust, in reply to mine Of tho 18th,
came to hand in the columns OF Tue TRIBUNE.
You will be kind enough to pardon my dullnesa
it I yet fail to understand your proposed 1node
OF procedure; or il I do understand it, zee
! nothing for mo to do except 70 read from the
! Bible, as you and others read from other
"sacred books, +" tho jury in the case to make up
their verdict after listening to the reading. You
| say: 'Tho evidence submitted to any jury
| agreed upon to be simply ths reading Of what is
| known the sacred writings OF all nations" !"
| etc This, as in;imstcd above, seems to call for
no man to defend tho Bible, but simply some one
70 read it.
In ATTACHING the Bible, you attack, as you ate
aware, that which ia most naczed to ors1y Chris-
tian, and II you overthrow it. that is, its divine
| inspiration, you crush out the most fondy-cher-
! ished hopes, the most glowing aspirations, OF 3
| large part OF the human race, and give nothing
| in place but the blackness OF darkness forever
| Christians ara not those who cap discard their
claim for the divine inspiration OF the Bible and
| Btlu draw hope aud consolation from its teach
ings- With them, it is true or fa?ss,-a glorious
reflection of the divine idsal Of life, or the must
| cruel and 6tupendous fraud eYer perpetratod.
! They want, therefore, something more thsn =
simple reading Of It to test it's merisst and il
right ought to hare it. Very few, il any, books
| be understood ii tull by simple reading. It is
| not aloue the sound Of words that determines
! their character and value; the germiual ideas
those words contain must be tested by their
outgroWth; this sometimes requires centuries.
The words Of "Abolitionisn first spoken in
this country wers scarcely hoard, or, 1t heard
only to bring scorn and contempt upon the heads
n taH N.h afoE vat tc aa1
the books continuing these words, would there
be much meaning to them; but ho who reads
them in the light Of our late terrible war, and
tho freedom Of millions OF human beings, Vill
invest them With significance that coming gon-
eratous will study with inteusost interest.
This principle is true OF the Vedas, Zend-
aveata, Bible. and all other works Of note. The
mere text OF these books il ono thing. the work
ing OF that text through the centuries quite an
other snd tho man who would search for tho
character Of that text without the aid Of these
centuries would be like ulsn searching at Ioon-
day, by taper instead Of the sun: Nor does it
OF ptiestly Interpretation: nothing ct the sort.
aek only that Interpretation to which it's fruits
justly entitle it, and accord to the ZeudaYesta
and other books the same.
The propositions I offered still seem to mo to
inyolya tho real Issues, s. we'll AS to suggest
proper mode Of meeting them.
But you object to those in very singular
way, and in your objection, pardon mo for say-
ing, you see1n to abandon the very esaence Of
your challenge. You Say, - The propositions
make would be perfectly satisfactory and
promptly accepted II the learned Parace vero
here to defend his Zeudavost., the Mahone-
tan bis Koran, the Buddhist his Vedas," etc.
But, my very dear sir only beg you to retneul-
bee that neither Zo,oastar, nor Mahomet, nor
Bnddha la the challenger in this case yon are
tho s. Challenger y you have fallen buck On
the sacred writings Of other nallons" and YOU
hare called on the eEhristian world to defend this
h<,zfr rrI e.
your = challenge" whereupon you retire bohlnd
The ''dlsciples Of the aforementioned gentle
men, Invoke tnelr MD, and say my propositions
Woul1 be promptly accepted if those said dlsci-
pies we're hero to defend thor own works. It
certainly seems 10 me; as you bave assumed the
championship OF the sacred books of I'LL nations.
you should not now cau upon those nations to
help yon out Of your difficulty, but maintain I
your ovr position. and that, TOO, upon the broad
cat ana most liberal terms Of investigation.
hope you will see the fa1rness OF my position. |
and conceds enough at least to insure the carry
ing out of the proposed work. / think the pub |
nc tsfore which you have go boldly placed YOUR
asls Will demand that your basis of investigation
Ge as conpfehens,ye aad the pEocess as e1haus- ]
tive, es your clalleDga il defiant and your doc I
tr1no aggressive. An early and favorable reply !!
O. BURGESS.
''cHALLEnar3" 70 BURGESS.
CHICAGO, June II, 1850. 4. BURGESS, Esq,
president Northwestern Un1cers1tV-DEAB SIR: !
Your favor OF Lay % is duly received, aud dno,ed |
cannot accuse you Of duIlness, as you Certainly
comprehend fully my proposition. Ny object !
from tue beginning has been simply to bring
about comparison OF the sacred writings Of all
nations in order to have again decided, in the !
light OF the nineteenth century, what were and
what we're not Of disine origin, and worthy to
be regarded as the revealed Will of the Great |
Creator to mankind. hare not, as you init |
msse, "assumed the championship ct tho sacred !
books OF all nations" I have simply assumed
the Championship OF the idea that the sacred |
writings OF oil nations sro equally aud
purely Of human origin, aud this idea chs1Iepro |
you and AL chlistendom to prove untrne. Tie
best possible ~ay to ootesmne the question is by |
slE7pls comparison OF all writings known Al
sacred writings OF conrso should not Init
you or any committee to siuSla reading of |
them They might be read once Or anT uu1nber |
OF times till the minds Of the Jury or COMMITTEES
we're fully made up.
An argument to decide tbs qre.:..>.o goa.a = |