The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-11-16

| On Tuesday evening OF each week "conver-
sstion meetings" are held at the Methodist
church, at which time religious topics are dis
cussed and occasionally short essay is read.
These meetings are growingiin interest, and
are source OF much enjoyment to all who
attend. Last Tuesday evening Miss Mary
Backman read the following essay on " The
English Bible:
About two centuries after the invasion OF
England by the Angles aud Saxons, the peo-
plo had been won to the Christian faith, and
gladly received poetical vsrsihcation of pas
sages from the Bible, by which they could more
easily remember the teachings OF the Scriptures.
Cedmon, monk, was the author of Met
rical Paraphrase OF the Scriptures" which is
supposed to be the first Of all TRANSACTIONS Of
the Bible into English. This was written be-
fore the year $50 and was translation only Of
parts of the Bible.
In 700 Adhelm translated the Palms into
English, and other parts Of the Scriptures were
translated about the same time by Saxon
named Eadfrid.
The first complete TRANSLATION In the English
tongue Vas by John wyclins This translation
WAS written not printed. Great objections
were made to it by the clergy, and many per-
sons became martyrs for reading Wyclide's
Bible This TRANSLATION Was made between the
years 1880 and 1880. Less than two centuries
later the English language had passed through
such changes that Wychfe's version had be-
come uninteligibls to the people. The nation
was agitatsd on religious subjects, andiwas on
the verge OF the Reformation. Englishmen
wished to read the Bible for themselves, and
! the demand for printed Bible WAS great
VIM. Tyndale, man who desired to put the
Word OF God within reach Of all. began trans
latng the New Testament from the Greek
After many discouragements he succeeded and
the first edition WAS printed in the year 1925,
probably at Cologne. The king Of England
and the Church threatened severe penalties FOR
buying and selling it; but this did not prevent
the people from procuring and reading it, Sir
Thomas More bought nearly the whole edition
and burned it OF st. Paul's Cross. This how
ever, only stimulated Tyndale to greater exer-
tons, and he began translating the Old Testa-
ment Before it was finished he was seized by
the officers who were searching for him, and
was strapgled by the common hangman and
his body burnt at the stake. Soon after bis
death John Rogers completed the correction Of
his translation OF the Old Testament and print
ed 1t. II was still further corrected by Arch
bishos Cranmer and Miles Coverdale, Bishop
Of Exeter, the latter Of whom has the honor
Of publishing the first printed copy OF the en-
tire Bible. When Coverdals and others were
in exile during the persecution in the reign Of
Mary they made ira nsation with short notes
and had 1t printed at Geneva.
We next come to what 10 called King James
Bible, the one Cow in use. The need OF this
translation was suggested by DIR. Rsinolds, an
eminent puritan, in the year 1904. Three years
later the king appointed fifty-four learned men
I to make the translation. OF the ffty-four only
forty-seven undertook the work. These were
divided into six companies, two Of which were
to meet at We stminster, two at Cambridge, and
two at Oxford. The first company ct West
minister undertook the translation Of the Penta-
tench and the his torical books to the end of
Second Kings. The first at Cambridge, from
the beginning OF Chronicles to the end of
Cantices, and the first at Oxford, the remain
ing books OF the Old Testament. The second
company at Westminster translated the apos-
tolic epistles: the second at Cambridge the
Apocrypha, and the second at Oxford the Acts
OF the Apostles and the Apocalypse. 1t was
finally revised by two delegates from each COM
pany. No pains were spared to make this YER
sion as accurate as possible. It was completed
in 1910 and published in 1911. 1t has been as
serted by some that this version OF the Bible was
translated entirely from the Greek and Latin
and not from the Hebrew; but this assertion is
easily overthrow by the following passage
which appeared in the preface Of the edition
published in $780, 6 II you ask what they had
before them, truly it was the Hebrew text of
the Old Testament, the Greek of the New
The one grand object Of the Bible, IN what
ever form it may appear, is to give an account
of ne world, as the work OF an Almighty Crea-
tor to show thu relation OF man to God, and
in what manner and with what hopes we ought
to live and die. The fact that God gave the
inspired writings to men in the languages most
familiar to the mass OF the people, proves that
He intended they should be read by all in their
own languages and not by the learned alone
Many have been the martyrs for reading the
Bible in dlsobedience to the laws OF men but
now that religious free dom is allowed to all, we
ought to be truly thankful that we may read it
without fear OF molestatien.
The subject for next Tuesday evening will
be 81 Reading the Bible.'
The following Is the Thanksgiving proclsma-
| ton OF Gov. Croswell:
The present year has been one OF manifold
blessings. Peace and plenty have prevailed
within our borders. The fruits OF the earth
have been abundant and the harvest bountiful
We have enjoyed health In a remarkable de.
gree. Our people have been secure in their
homes and the sacre dness of person and
pronertv has been nreservad We have haan