The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-05-01
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
Old MY or SURPRISING ROCKS.
Th. rtomc Was Sometimes kindied by tho
Common IIangmnn-Bad BOOKS "ef"
Those Derogatory to Church and state

That there are many books which should ne
burned no one can doubt; but the old fashion
Of brrninc undesirable literature by Legal
enactment. the flame sometimes beng hin"'cu
by the hangman. went out more than hph-
dred years ago. In England, oddly enough
the last book TO be burned by order OF Faria-
ment was oTDe Present Crisis with Regard 70
America Conside,ed,Y in the year 10. frO"'
the title and dafe it is not difficult TO ASSUME
the nature Of the condemned volume. MucH
curious and interesting Information on tn's
subject NAV be found in a little work entilieu
Books Condemned 10 BE Burnt By JaiHe9
Arson Faaler. ia his preface the auln0'
says: ,.,ed
III have found any thing ~ my condelIn,,u -
authors which they would have uons Det'ti -
have left unsaid. have. IN referring 70 'nea
fortunes. felt under 10 compu-'oh 10 iepr,,
duce their iuilscretioHs. Bat 10 an ol thei"
put together doubt whether there Is 81 mucn
10 offend a scIuDu Gus tas.r as IN iiau,
latter day novel, the claim OF WDcn ID VIZ
distinction Of Burning Is often as lnd. 'pul'y.p
a. the certainty oil its rcg.euable iullhuniY
from that nery but fitting fate
The custom ! write about SUCCESS so.no
obvious reflections on the muiaD.iity Oh Oh.
ancestors really % much greater man ".
own. a. MANY profess ~ believe. Il ~
il is strange with now much Of THAI VISOR"
we nave learnt % dIspen,e. Cne nY one '",
old customs have fallen away tom u.s. an"
fancy that If any Gentleman could come va,
o. MS from tne seventeenth century ne "V.."
be less a-touishod by en0yel sights le W''i9
see thau by the Old familiar sights be Woup'
miss. lie would SEE no one standing I'D 'H-
pillorg. no one being bum. at stake no one
being 'sWum' TOR wltcherai., no one W. -
civ being tested by torture, and, above az
no hangman burning books az Cheapsue, ~
unfortunate authors being logged an lile va
from Fleet street - Westminster j Ae @"-
sence OF these lhIngs would pi0Dao.y sum
Aim more than eScu the railways ana '"'
telegraph Wires.' ..-., Of
n appears that bad books, IN the opinion OIL
/ the English authorities were only nose " h''"
were uncOmp.imeniafY 80 tle estaDi-ne"
views OF Chuich and STATE. Many we pilu'7
saw the light in England ln the peii0u I. t"l' ~
for tine English people were guiit ~ i'"u ~
indecent si0il es as toe l1euch oil me pie'Vnl
day are supposed ~ De. Inc dIthVi l"''''
however 10 name single book OF iuls CHASE.
| The court was never better man me C"h,'''''
people in point OF mOra.s, but IL hau q h'eil
sense az H. 0fn dignity and inai Oh ~ !" 'H
mower the Church: tine deNll ~ .hL d' p h-
pleased elsewhere. provided lnc lDIoA1 'i
/ tig OF bishop was lot -hahen'
TIA. barnIng of tJ0h--d ana ol oHenuih5
affhor, als0-was not original Win LnGiahd.
'u,e ancient Greeks and Romans expressed
win ure their Official isappoDaii1n oil me-
raf.re. Before Ine Christian era the DOCKS oil
pr0farOras. the first known a8uOsuc WiHe.'
wer. burned 40 Athens. ihc roman Srhai e
burned obnoxious books in ihc Forum, ana IN
inc fourth century P0Iphlrys treatise
Against tine Christians Was puDncly Dui htu
b, order OF the Emperor Iheodosius. and IN
tnetwe.uh century all of the famous ADtl"iu >
books were burned 10y oider0i fOle innocent
IL. AuCafhoiic countries adopted ine Gust. iii'
and ENGLAND Neis one OF them. But me ll 80
printed work by an Enslsbmah mat was ~
treated was actually the Gospel. The story IS
| 100 familiar 80 repeat of the two occasions ON
which ryndale's New Testament lu Lnglsh
was burned before Old 81. Pauls: bui Iu
pausing TO reflect that the book which met
win this fiery tate and whose author ui.l-
p.4elv met Win the same, Is now s0id ln
England Dv the million (i0r our received
version is Substantially nddle') one can
only stand aghast at the f0Dy of the lea 'ui
contrast winch 50 widely separated Tue
laborer from his triumph. But perhaps we
can scarcely wonder that our ancestors. alter
centuries Of mental blindness, should have
tried 10 bnfn the light they were unable 20
bear, causing IL thereby only TO SHINE the
blIghterO
on course the burning OF books was as IN -
enpctual in securing desired results as dogs
bsviue at the moon on the P0pe's bull against
Inc comet, but the story OF the times Il a
pregnant comment upon tie ioolisnness OF
men who were Loyalty believed tue Wiscst 0i
then time.