The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-10-11
The 9aiIg Areas.
(Coneluded from second maze. !

lConcluded from second page
holds its place In the book of books. 1t
ougbt not to be there. yet it is there; and
we have never heard a warning voice
raised against it from the pulpit There
cannot be one code of literary morality for
Bible and another exactly opposite for
secular books. What. for instance,
would be thought of Oxford and Cam
bridge universities if these great educa-
tlonal corporations insisted upon retaining
In their editions of Cicero or Plato a pas
sage which they and the learned every
| where knew that Cicero or Plato never
wrote2 Speaking OF DR.. William Young
| who was once in high repute as diciph.
erer of Egyptian hierglyphics, M. LIE Page
Renouf says: He did not succeed In
Analysing the royal name of Ptolemy or of
| that OF Berenike. All his other attempts
| were simple failures. He mistook Auto
krator for Arsinoe, and and Caesar fer
Euergetes" Whatwouid be thought of
later and better informed Egyptologists
If knowing Young's blunders. they delib-
erately and persistently perpetuated them
Lit they put forth an authorized version"
of the sacred books Of Egypt with his
errors not only uncorrected. but unvindica-
ted? How long would it be before they
were branded by more conscientious
scholars as a disgrace to their profession ?
Ii the corrections made by the editors of
the new Bible work no modification of
belief. there is no conceivable objection.
founded IN common sense, to their
reception and recognition. IF these
corrections "do tend to modify belief"
and are rejected on that account. it may
be proper to inquire what belief is worth
which needs such support. If medical
work asserted that a certain pill or pow
der would cure certain disease, and the
faculty. knowing the assertion to be false, !
continued to indorse it by publication for
fear OF disturbing deeply rooted popular opin
ion, what would be thought Of the medical
fraternity? And how much good would |
the pill or powder do those who trusted to |
its healing efficacy? The ''class of per-
sons who hesitate to begin the revision of |
the Bible sbecause they cannot tell where |
the work will end are persons who. with !
all due respect to them, do not deserve to be |
consulted in the matter. The Bible |
should be revised until it no longer needs |
revision, which is simply saying that the |
process of publication should go Ion until
there are no more errors to be corrected, |
In this. as in everything else, no
superior knowledge The acqui-
sition of such knowledge carries with |
it the obligation of use; aud how can it be
better used than in bringing the Scriptures
as nearly as possible to their original
intent and meaningP How can it be more
grossly abused than In letting the Scrip
lures suffer for the lack of it.
But while the argument seems to US all
on one side, we DO not think the new
Bible will be substituted for the old By
the present generation at least. Heredi-
tary prejudice is sufficiently obstinate in
all its manifestations, but nowhere so
intensely and immovabiy obstinate as in
things pertaining to religion. The old
Bible is fortified BY the usage of two
hundred and seventy years. and IFS youth
ful successor will find it exceedingly diff
cult to occupy the field which ought. in
the interests Of truth and righteousness, to
be yielded without a struggle, Much.
almost everything. depends upon the
action Of the clergy; and it is to be hoped
they will initiate the conmendable exam
pie set them by DR.. Chambers.