The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-30
MIR. BRYAN AND THE BIBLE.
His lrreyerent Arguments Might BE
Easily Met ny other Passages.
Buffalo Courier.

Antonio. upon learning the terms of Shy
locks loan. exclaimed:
The devil can cite Scripture for his pur-
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with smiling cheek.
A goodly apple rotten at the heart
o. what goodly outside falsehood hath"
Now. without likening Mr.. Bryan TO the
devil fts,I. or calling him an evil soul. he may Jay
his purpose, with producing holy witness
to bolster UP his own case when he knows
very well that 1t is false evidence. since
the Same witness may be made 70 bear
testimony for his opponents. In Philadel-
thing: They talk about gold as if it was
divine. 1t is in the sense that IL is their
God. 1t is not divine; 1t is matter: In
be worshiped. we told that when the
Children of Israel made it into a calf and
God and He ground it into powder" The
implication is that II the Children of Israel
had made their calf of silver God would
have been pleased with their worship of the
idol. The fact is that the Lord said to-
Moses: ''Ye shall not make with me gods
gods of gold Mr.. Bryan's burlesque
of augmentation in this matter IS
beneath serious consideration. But for
curiosity's sake, it may be worth n mo-
ment's while to note that all through the
Bible gold is the metaphor for great prec-
iousness in the things of the spirit, while
among material riches Ii is the most desir-
able of all. Silver and gold were used
alone for the arc of the covenant. the att
tar the sable and the utensils of the saness
tuary; and in the very next to the last
holds the New Jerusalem-"pure gold. like
unto clear glass" The wise men brought
to the manager in Bethlehem gold-no silver.
what mighty arg Iments of the Bryan sort
might be made to show that gold is the
most precious metal in the sight of the Al
might be advanced to show that silver is
regarded in the Scriptures as rather inferi-
or stuff. 1t is recorded that Solomon made
silver to be in Jerusalem as stones" Per-
haps its purchasing power was that OF
stones also (Bryanite manner of argu-
mentation.) In Proverbs, a book to which
Mr.. Bryan frequently refers. may be found
a maxim that the merchandise Of wisdom is
better than the merchandise of silver; and.
again. the advice to receive instruction and
not silver. In the following clause of the
the reader is urged to receive knowledge
rather than choice gold But in a Bryan
lite manner of augmentation for gold. such
an admission. of course. would not do. But
would like to call the attention of Mr.
Bryan and his followers to the warning
of Ecclesiastes: He that loveth silver
shall not be satisfied with silver"
Is not that crusher for the silver causeF
clearly what shall happen if the Bryan
cause prevails: Thy silver is become
in 81 Agan we hhye opn
call them because the Lord hath neglect
ed them Hosea; rebuking the degener-
sin more and more and nave made them
molten images of their silver. further
these images of silver craven calves.
Amos reminds the Israelites that the Lord
will not turn away their punishment. be-
Again the prophet Amos cries: Hear this.
make the poor of the land to fail saying
when will the moon he gone, that we
may sell corn? and the Sabbath. that we
may set forth wheat, making the. ephah
small and the shekel great and falsifying
the balances of deceit? That we may buy
the poor for silver and the needy for IL
pair of shoes: yea. and sell the refuse OF
the wheat
Let the Bryanites trembe. Well may
their cheeks blanch. for hath not Ieph-
aniah foretold their end when he hath
cried with a loud voice? Have not their
knees smote together at his words: Howl.
we inhabitants of MakteSh. for all they that
bear silver are cut off,
These but few of scores OF passages
in the Bible bearing upon this interesting
question-bearing uponit, that is to say in
a Bryanian sense. Most of the people who
believe in truth and reason Will refuse
to believe that any passage in the Bible OF
this kind has the slightest application to
the currency question in the United States
or anywhere else The passages which we
may apply with profit to the conSidera ton
of that question and every other involving,
a moral principle are those in which are
told to love neighbor ourselves. 10
deal justly, TO get wisdom and understands
ing. If we hearken to those precepts. and
incline our hearts to obey them, shall
probably vote the right ticket and the
country will prosper in righteousness.