The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1881-05-26

NEw YORK, May ls.-A difpatch nom
London gives the main points Of the Nsad-
srds review Of the revised New Testament.
The writer Of the article asserts that what
ever scholars may think Of the iabors Of the
rcvisere, the impression produced upon the
public mind IL one Of disappointmcut and
dissatisfaction. 1t is deeply to be regretted
that the reviscrs, Judging by the work just
published, have apparently forgotten the
condition on which the work was entrusted
to them. 1t is obvious that great many Of
the alterations adopted have been proved by
the reason Of mere literary criticism, which
makes US rather sceptical as to the infallibil-
ity, or even good taste Of the reyisers.
Where NO material change in the sense or
substance Of the authorized version has been
shown TO be required by the revisers for the
proper construction OF the original, they
have nevertheless. thought tn. mselycs justi-
fed IN correcting the English and improving
the grammar Of the paragraphs which have
struck deep root in the hearts and memories
Of the English people. One word has been
substituted for another at the whim Of tie
New Testament Company modes and lenses
have been shifted about to satisfy some ped
antic scheme Of syntiaticai symmetry. The
sentence treasured up in the popular mind,
and enriched beyond description by the pa
thetic associations OF hundreds Of years have
been tortured and crucified into precise
grammatical accord with the latest refine
ments by critical labor upon the comparison
Of the early manuscript texts, and thus been
robbed of all its true value. The system up
on which .he reyisers appear to have acted Is
In our judgment altogether erroneous and
deplorable. The writer then points out the
position held by the Scriptures among Eng
lish speaking people. ''They have been
known by them for centuries" he says, land
IL Is rash and reckless to shake this noble
growth Of centuries 10y attempting to har-
monte it with the correctness of scif-opin-
toned scholarship, or to regulate it by the
ley combination OF theOlOgians and profess
ors." Even the Lords prayer. which every
English speaking child learns to lisp at its
mothers knee, has not been spared. The
reviscrs have handled it Us bold commcuta-
tor might handle VIGOROUSLY corrupt chO-
rus in Eumenidcs. The staccato, st. Paul's
praise of charity, unequaled in its own kind,
for ringing and rythmical eloquenee in the
old version, is mangled and made unrec-
equitable by the scnselcss substitution Of the
word love for charity The meaning is
really Obscurcd rather than elucitatcd by
this change, while the music of the sentence
is irretricvably lost. Alterations Of the die
ton of the old version, involving no gain in
sense or scarcely perceptible one, swarm in
the revised edition, and in almost every in
stance it is impossible not to feel that the
original translatOrs, however inferior to the
present revisers in precise and exhaustive
scholarship, were infinitely their supcriors
in the rare and precious art OF writing musi-
cal English prose. Had they purged the sa-
cred text Of errors which had crept into it,
and placed where 1t was necessary the vari-
orium readings in the margin, they would
have performed useful and acceptable
work; but in their efforts to attain dry and
merely nominal accuracy of expression, they
have SO revised the noblest book in the Eng
fish language as to deprive it Of much Ct its
beauty, and they have destroyed many OF its
historical associations.
In conclusion, the writer says, it remains
now for the revisers to revise the text they
have produced. II this new version is ever
to be generally used, ana to supersede the
authorized version, many Of the alterations
that have been made must be discarded.