Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-06-15

We're forever lost. Pliny wrote 20 books
Of history. All lost. The most Of Menan-
dcr's writings lost. OF 1870 comedies Of
Plautus all gone but 20 Euripidcs wrote
100 dramas All gone but 10. .Eschylus
wrote 100 dramas. All gone but seven.
Varro wrote the laborious biographies Of
700 Romans Not fragment left. Quin-
lillian wrote his favoritc book ON the cor
ruption If cloqucnce. All lost. Thirty
books Of Tacitus lost. Dion Cassius wrote
so books. Only 20 remain. Berosius' his
tory all lost
Nearly all the old books arc mummificd
and aro lying in the iombs Of old libraries,
and perhaps once in % years some man
comes along and picks up one of them and
blows the dust and opens IL and finds IL
the book he does not want. But this old
book, much of IL 10 centuries old, stands
today morc discussed than any other book,
and IL challenges the admiration OF all the
good and the spite. and the venom, and the
luminosity, and the hypercriticism Of earth
and hell. ] appeal to your common sense
II book So divincly guarded and protect
cd I'm its present shape must not bc In just
the way that God wants IL to come to
us, and II IL plcnses God, ought II not TO
please usY
Not only have all the attempts 20 dctract
from the book failed, but all the attempts
TO add to IL. Many attempts were made
10 add the apochryphal books 10 the Old
Testament The council Of Trent, the synod
Of Jerusalem, the bishops OF Hippo, all de-
cided that the apochryphal books must bc
added TO the Old Testament. They must
stay in, (" said those learned men. but they
siaid out. There is not an intelligent
Christian man that today will put tho book
of Mnccabccs or the book of Judith beside
the book Of Isaiah or Romans Then
great many said. I'VE must have books
added 20 tho New Testament" and thcro
were cpistlcs and gospels and apocalypscs
written and added 20 the New Testament,
but they have all fallen out. You cannot
add anything. You cannot subtract any
thing. Divinely protected book in the pres
cnt shape Let no man dare 10 lay his
hands ON II with the intention Of dctract-
ing from the book or casting out any Of
these holy pages.
Besides that, am opposed To this ex-
purgation Of the Scriptures because II the
attempt were successful It would he the
humiliation Of the Bible Infldcl gcolo-
gists would say, "Out with the book OF
Genesis" Infidcl astronomers would say,
"Out with tho book Of Joshua" People
who do not believe In the atonlng sacrifice
would say, "Out with the book Of Levitt
Gus" People who do not believe In the
miracles would say, "Out with all those
wonderful stories In the Old and New Tes-
tamonts," and some would say, "Out with
the book Of Revelation, and others would
say, "Out with the entire Pentatcuch,"
and the work would go on until there
would not DO enough OF the Bible left TO be
worth as much as last years almanac. The
expurgation Of the Scriptures means their
humiliation.
am also opposed To this proposed ex-
purgation Of the Scriptures for the fact
that in proportion ns people become self
sacrificing and good and holy and consc
Grated they like the book as IL Is. have
yet To find n man or n woman distinguish
ed for self sacrifice, for conservation TO
God, for holiness Of life, who wants the
Bible changed. Many 81 us have inherit
cd family Bibles. Those Bibles were in
use 20 40, 90. perhaps 100 years in the
generations. Today take down those fam
fly Bibles. and find out IL there are any
chapters which have been erased by lead
pencil or pen, and II In any margins you
can fad tho words, This chapter not fit
TO read" There has been plenty OF oppor-
tuniiy during the Inst half century pri-
vately 10 cxpurgatc the Bible. DO you
know any case OF such cxpurgation: Did
not your grandfather give II 10 your father,
and did not your father give 1t 10 you?
Besides that, am opposed TO the expur
cation Of the Scriptures because the so
called indelicacics and cruelties Of the b.
bio have demonstrated no evil result. A
cruel book will produce cruelty. An un-
clean book will produce unclcanncss.
Fetch me n victim. Out Of all Christcn-
dom and out Of all the ages fetch me
victim whose heart has been hardened 10
sruelty or whose life has been made inn
pure by this book. Show me one. One OF
the best families / ever knew Of for 80 or
40 years morning and evening had all the
members gathered together. and the scrv-
ants Of the household, and the strangers
that happened 90 be within the gates
Twice n day without leaving out n chapter
or n verse they read this holy book. morn
ing by morning, night by night. Not only
the older children, hut the little child who
could just spell her why through the verse
while her mother helped her, the father
beginning and reading one verse, and then
all the members 81 the family In turn rend
Ing a verse. The father maintained his
integrity, the mother maintained her in
.cgrity. the sons grew mp and entered pro-
LESSONS and commercial life, adjoining ev-
cry sphere In the life In which they lived,
and the daughters went into families where
Christ was honored, and all that was good
and pure and righteous rcigned perpetual
ly. For 80 years that family endured the
Scriptures. Not one OF them ruined by
them. Now, II you will tell me Of family
where the Bible has been read twice n day
for 30 years, and the children have been
brought up In that habit, and the father
went to ruin, and the mother went 10 ruin,
and the sons and daughters were destroy
ell by it-if you will tell me Of one such
incident, / will throw away my Bible, or
/ will doubt sour ycracity. tell you II
man Is shocked with what he calls the in
delicacics Of the word Of God he Is pruri-
ent In his taste and Imagination. II a man
cannot read Solomon's Song without Inn
pure suggestion, he Is either In his heart
or In his life "a libertinc.
The Old Testament description Of wick
cdncss, uncleanness OF all sorts, Is purpose
ly and righteously n disgusting account IN
stead Of the Byronic and the Partisan YER
nacular which makes sin attractive in
stead Of appalling. When those old prophets
point You 10 u lazarctto, you understand
IL Is lazarctto. When man having be-
gun 60 do right falls back into wickedncss
and gives up his integrity, the Bible does
not say he was overcome by the fascina-
lions Of the festive board, or that he sur
rendered 10 convivialltics, or that he be-
came little fast In his habits. ! will tell
you what the Bible says, "Thc dog is
turned TO his own yomit again and the
sow that was washed TO her wallowing In
the mirc." No gliding Of iniquity. No
garlands on deaths head. No pounding
away with silver mallct at iniquity
when 1t needs an iron sledRc hammer.
! can easily understand how people,
brooding over the description Of unclean-
ness In the Bible, may get morbid I'm mind
until they arc rs full of IL rs the wings,
and the bcak. and the nostrll, and the
claw Of buzzard arr full Of the odors 81
carcass, but what is wanted Is not that the
Bible be disinfcctcd, but that you, the
critic, have your mind and heart washed
with carbolic acid.
tell you at this point In my discourse
that man who does not like this book,
and who Is critical As TO It's contents, and
who Is shocked and outraged with its de-
scriptionS, has never been soundly con-
verified. The laying on Of the hands Of
prcsbytcry or episcopacy does not always
chungp n mans hpnrf and men soru,.tfrnca