New-York tribune., 1895-02-25
MR.. GLADSTONE.
.s WRITER OF THE PREFACE TO NE"
PICTORIAL BIBLE


PICTORIAL BIBLE.
,,,s ,,r,v THEORY OF DEMOCRATIC CHRISTIAN
IrY-HIs MATBRIAIIsTlc TLsI ~" I'M
-,,,ru OK RElAGIoN-HIs VIEWS OF
MODERN BIBLICAL CRITICISM
u,s ,so,,rsTIoN AND STRAUSS
ANswER-AN ENGINEER
ING ANALOGY.
London. February 13.
An extract from Mr.. Gadstones Preface to
EDITORIAL Bible "for American circulation ap-
nears in to-day's London papers 1t is character
,,ed saws the chief Of his political opponents, by
much logical force. His supporters. or ex-sup-
porters do not say much about It, There are
two points which fix ones attention. The hrst
ts what may be called the Democratic view OF
Christianity. or the doctrine Of majorities as ap-
plied to the truths Of revealed religion. The
veteran statesman has so long been in the hao''
of counting figures and votes that he has come
TO look upon the arithmetica test az good for all
purposes His Preface to the Bible reads Ike
Midlothian election address
Christianity says Mr.. Gladstone. commands
the largest number of processing adherents' Tic
reckons between 400, ,000. 900 and 5Oooooooo Oh p'
Tossing Christians" The term has 'eo''''"
significance and 1t would be in'eres''is " ".
the source Of these figures and the au'Ho''.'
them Moreover "at every point OF '"e ~
the ouestion is not one OF losing sroui'"' o' "
gaining it,: surely bold assertion III ia0e -
scientific inroads upon the rehgious uo'''a''' .,
agnosticism Of the Noltairianism OF FRANCE an"
.ho e.srant sceptcism of Germany; TO mention
oIc.nn
tho whole s5.oOOOoO of Frenchmen in his census,
and the As 900 900 Of Germans. and so on. In
se,se no doubt they are Christian nations.
On the other hand. the chief rival in numbers
Of Christianity. Buddhism. is, II you accept MT
Cladstone's account. rival no longer. Inc lai-
lacy" he says, (which accepted the vast popuia-
lion of China as Buddhists in the mass mas
been exploded" 1t would be more satisfactory II
he had explained when this explosion TOOK place
The last edition of Chambers's Cyclopedia COM
nutes the adherents of Buddhism at more thah
340 600 O0o or nearly fourth OF the human race.
In China It claims majority of the popuiauon'
dividing suffrages with the systems OF Confucius
and Lao-Tse There is. however. notnlng lncoh-
sistent in these three religions. II religions lhey
oop all be called The Statesman's Year Book
saws plainly that Large numbers of the Chnese
in Middle and Southern China profess and prac-
thority adds: The bulk Of the people. however,
ora Ruddhsts" What Mr.. Gladstone calls an eX-
n,oded fallacv is STILL therefore. to be found In
two of the latest and best books of reference.
II we take his most moderate estimate OF pro-
Tossing Christians" they are 4O0OOOOOO II We
take Chambers. the Buddhsts are 34O,0OO.Ooo Yet
Mr.. Gladstone finds himself able to assert that
no other religion approaches the numerical
s,reneth of Christianity" To one who judges
with less Of religious fervency and closer atten-
ton TO figures II might seem that 34OOO0OOo does
"approach" 400 100000 pretty nearly. And the
more so since the authority for the estimate OF
400 900 oc0 is not given During the last few years
Of his exile from office the ex-Piime Minister in
vented and practised new science. That or fohil-
cal Meteorology on which he used TO write elabo-
rate and sometimes exceedingly fancifui treatses
in The Nineteenth Century and elsewhere. ne
has extended the range OF his observations. and
TODAY it Is Theological Metcorology which en-
cages his attention. But there is An element OF
the fanciful in this also. Perhaps there must be
in all such calculations Even in dealing with
figures there is room for the exercise OF the mag
nation
He pursues the argument into other regions
A singular materialism blends with his spiritual
ism Chr Jtanity is not only numerically supe-
rior to other religions, but superior. ne says, IN
dustriay commercially. and superior In force
II sounds odd to hear disciple OF the Gospel oi
Peace proclaiming its supremacy on the ground
n, Ire greater strength in War. But Mr.. Glad
stone expressly does. Force. he says secular
ar nhvsicai is accumulated In the hands Of Chris
tians in a proportion absolutely Overwhelming.
And again: The nations Of Chrstendom are
avarvwhere arbiters of the fate Of non-Christian
nations" Christianity indeed. lin the area OF
controversy can hardly be said TO have serious
ANTAGONIST" His argument may be summed up
IA a form slightly different from that In which
he states it. There are two ways in which
YOU may now overcome your Antagonist You
may vote him down. You may subdue nm ov
war. Christianity do both. and the dlVihe
origin of 1t is thus demonstrated. There is
new reading OF the "Vox populi, vox Del, ana
also new reading OF the maxim heretofore some
what frowned upon In religious circles, that
might is right Mr. Gladstone Of course. would
deny that this conclusion is logically deducible
from his assertions. He would draw endless dis
tinctions between his statements and the in
terpretation others put upon them. But there is.
nevertheless. such thing common-sense
view and there is always appeal 10 the intelli-
gence Of the judicious
The second point relates to mis- dealings with
Biblical Criticism. When this preface was an
nounced | ventured to say that 1t would handle
Biblical questions as If the criticism OF the last
forty years had existence. II does Mr..
Gladstones view is the view Of his youth and
early manhood. He discusses questions on which
there Is 4 whole literature with scarce a refer
ence TO that literature Ir his controversy with
Professor Huxley his attitude was the same
Now he disnisses this mass Of learning, the re-
suit OF the continuous labor Of some OF the
scutest nirds OF the century a. mere critical
negetions." More than that, he complains OF the
spirit in which this critical inquiry has been
carried on. The tone and temper of 1t do not
suit him. He singles out the Germans for CEN