Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-05-27
TIE REFUSED VIEW TEsTAMENT

LARGE SALES ON THE OPENING DAY-oPINIoHs,
HOME AND FOREIGN, ON THE MERITS OF THE
REvIsIoN-TRIcKs TO Oct HOLD OF ADVANCE
COPIES.
The stores of Thomas Nelson & Sons and
1. X. Funk & Co., New York city, agents in
this country for the sale Of the Oxford Bibles,
were the scenes OF unwonted activity last
Friday morning, which was the date fixed
for beginning the sale of the revised edition
of the New Testament. Ship ments began at
midnight and employees of both houses were
busy all night packing up Testaments, while
in the early hours Of the morning a crowd of
jobbers, publishers and agents gathered at
the doors, each eager to get hold of the first
copy. The sales in New York of the various
styles of the book, varying in price from IL
cents to $l6 reached 100000 copies during
the day. In Philadelphia, j. b. Lippincott
q Co. are agents for the Cambridge edition,
the only difference in the two editions being
in the imprint. Their sales on Friday were
$50, 900 copies. In cities and towns within a
days reach of New York and Philadelphia
the sales began on Saturday and were very
active.
In many of the leading pulpits of the East
and notably in New York and Brooklyn, the
revised version was used in tho Sunday ser
sermon, the general tenor of comment indi-
eating disposition to accept the version for
regular use. There are dissenting opinions
however, and some Of the soundest heads
among the clergy believe that ii will take Ave
years at least to settle the fate Of the revis-
ion. Bishop Doane Of the Albany diocese
speaking for the Episcopal church in this
country, says the church will pay no atten-
ton to the matter till il comes before the
II.
from now. He thinks the version no i'm
provement on the King James translation
The London correspondent OF the New
York Tribune telegraphs that the revised
version has been received in England with an
almost unbroken chorus Of disapproval
Most Of the daily papers give elaborate crit-
cisms, all condemnatory. These articles
quote scores of examples where the changes
were purely frivolous and capricious and de-
nounce the self-opinionated scholarship OF
the motley combination of theologiRns and
professors which has dishgured, mangled and
made unacceptable some of the noblest pas
sages in the Bible. The Saturday Review
complains of the childish pedantry of the re-
visers, and describes the new version as sad
ly inferior TO the old one in general vigor and
beauty Of language. II predicts that it will
never come into general use. II is said that
an act of Parliament will be necessary TO Sc
cure the use Of the new version by the Estab-
lished Church, but the government has no
intention Of proposing such an act.
The book pirates in this country have for
weeks been in an agony to get hold of a copy
of the revision, il possible, 80 as to anticipate
its publication, but the regular publishers and
their agents were sharp enough for them.
The tricks which were resorted to to get hold
of a copy of the Testament would be laugha-
bic il they were not so rascally. Here is
specimen A week ago last Sunday morning
a letter was handed TO DIR. Schaf at his house,
signed by Mr.. Provide, the English manager
Of the publication, with whom he has had
constant correspondence. II was written in
an easy, confident manner on the steamship
Britannic's letter paper. In il the writer said
that he had brought with him from England
1000 copies Of the Oxford edition, in hand
some bindings, which were to be presented
10 persons who had subscribed over $40 for
the expenses of the revision. He further
stated that there were some people on board
the steamer who were on their way to Japan
via San Francisco, aud that they were to
start on Sunday evening. They were mis-
sionaries or something Of that sort, and were
very anxious to see copy of the new Bible
before they left town. All of the thousand
copies were slowed away in the hold of the
Britannia, and, it being Sunday, he could not
get at them so would DIR. Schaff kindly
send his copy by the bearer? The genial
doctor, never doubling the genuineness of
the letter, hesitated only because he did not
feel that he had any right to let the book 20
out OF his hands, no matter who wanted 1t.
So he wrote polite note to Mr.. Provide, ex-
planning why he could not consent to his re-
quest, and inviting him to come to his house
10 tea that evening. Mrs. Schaf got up quite
ine tea, and arrayed herself with more than
usual care but Mr.. Provide did not accept
the proffered hospitality. 1t is needless to
say that the whole thing was trick of some
sharper to get hold Of a copy Of the book.