The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-20
THE PERyERsIoN OF SCRIPTURE.

That the Bible is the best model for a
pure English style and one of the greatest
storehouses of apt and effective illustra-
ton is a truism so commonplace that it
hardly bears repetition. All great writer's
none know it better than those who have
studied and tested it. In this regard as
well in morals, the Bible is the one in
valuable and incompatible training book of
the world.
But the Bible may be perverted in it's
illustrations well as in its principles. It's
figures can be distorted as we'll as its
moral teachings, and in the hands of an
adept at Misrepresentation distorted Bible
illustrations become a potent means of
evil. Reverence for it is so great and uni
versal that a seemingly respectful refer
ence to it always commands respect, while
most of its parallels and illustrations are
so familiar that any alluson to them by
a speaker rs readily understood But the
average audience does not stop to anaIyze
such illusions, and when a speaker distorts
a scriptural illustration and makes it serve
his own purpose they are more apt to APP
plaud his skill than to question his honesty
or his logic.
The candidate for President who is now
stamping the country on railroad train
is an adept in this kind of misrepresenta-
ton Mr. Bryan is not only a past master
in the art of insinuating untruths and con-
veying false statements by innuendo, but
he is remarkably skillful in giving a. false
meaning to passages of Scripture and a
false application to it's illustrations. In do
ing this his manner and language are so
apparently reverential to allay sus-
pieion of any wrong motive, but it is notice
able that his scrptural quotations and
illusions always have sinister purpose
They begin and end in partisanism. They
do not aim at making men better in any
way, but simply at converting them to Pop
ulism and Organism Almost invariably
they are so framed as to appeal to selfish
passions. Mr.. Bryan never makes a
scriptural reference or uses a scrptural
illustration to excite the nobler attributes
of human nature, but always to arouse the
meaner and baser ones. His notorious
''cross Of gold and crown of thorns figure
used at Chicago and since discarded be-
cause of its almost blasphemous nature.
was violent effort to prostitute
to base partisan uses and to the stirring
up of evil passions an incident which be-
longs to humanity. A minister of the Cos
pei would hesitate to use the figure in any
but the most spiritual connection, but Mr.
Bryan presses IT into the service of Popu-
ism and uses it as a eliminating period
to his TRADE against ''plutocracy" Again.
he has made frequent allusion to Christ
driving the money changers from the tenn
pie, paraphrasing the incident in such a
way to represent bankers and capital
lists the money changers and himself as
doing the scourging. Another illustration
he makes frequent use of is the parable of
the talents. In his speech at Richmond
on Friday he said: Don't tell US that
your conscience would permit you to vote
the Democratic ticket and then vote for
a boiling ticket. The Bible tells us of. the
man who hid his talent in the earth and
who was condemned because he neglected
to improve his opportunity" There is no
earthly connection between the parable and
the application of it, but, no doubt many
of Mr.. Bryan's auditors thought he had
made very skillfuI use of a familiar pas
sage of Scripture He had simply distort-
ed it and made it serve an utterly irrele-
want and illogical purpose. BY the way,
the lord in the parable praised and re-
warded the servants who, during his alb
sence, had added 100 per cent to the
money he had left IN their hands, and he
punished the one who had made nothing.
Thou oughtest" said the master, ito
have put my money to the exchangers,
and then at my coming should have re-
ceived mine own, with usury.' Perhaps
Mr.. Bryan never read this part of the par
able. He certainly makes a very far
fetched application of it in his speeches.
Mr.. Bryan frequently aIludes to the
statement that when Christ was on earth
1.-The common people heard Him gladly"
Here, again, he poses as the redeemer of
the people. and the common people' ara