The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-05
UNCLE sAM1s BIBLES.
Interesting Volumes of Sacred Lite
nature in the National Museum.
From the Washington Post.

rom the washington POSt.
Close to that portion of the national
museum presided over by the fac smile
OF the fair goddess of the capitol dome
Is a corner brimful Of the most precious
Of all the objects In history. A minia-
ture biblical museum has been arranged
recently here, and all this week colored
laborers clad In the white cap and duck
uniform of the museum, suggesting in
appearance q group of choice car walt.
ers, making ready a choice epicurean
spread, have been working day and night
putting the finishing touches to this
feast for the soul, which will delight the
Christian Endeavorers as much II not
more, than anything in Uncle Sans vast
crowded treasure house.
The collection contains all sorts of rare
and precious objects illustrative of the
Bible. arranged by DR.. l. NJ. Casanowics
PHI. D., under the direction of DR.. Cyrus
Adler, custodian of the collection of re
ligious ceremoniaIs in the museum.
The gem Of the entire collection, the
most precious and dearest Bible in the
world to Americans, is this" said the doc
tor, taking from a locked drawer in his
office small scarlet and gold volume,
1t is the Bible of Thomas jefferson. n
is said that it was his original idea %
have this compilation translated for use
among the Indians"
The book is really a scrap book of the
Bible, and the work is arranged with the
most exquisite care, and a tender palms.
taking solicitude Is displayed from first to
last TO make it fine in every trihing detail.
The touches of time are tinging the edges
OF the leaves with a delicate brown while
the paper has that softness like velvet
noticeable In all old books. This Bible
consists of texts from the evangelists his
torically arranged and bears the title.
THE Life and Morals of Jesus of Naza-
reth, extracted textually from the Gospel
in Greek, Latin, French and English"
Two maps OF Palestine and another of
the ancient world are pasted in front, and
notes In Jefferson's handwriting are scat
tered throughout this most interesting and
valuable work
He long had the preparation of this book
In mind. On Jan. %, 1904, he wrote from
Washington to DR.. Priestly: II had sent to
Philadelphia to get two testaments Greek
of the same edition, and two English, with
a design to cut out the morsels of moral
ity and paste them on the leaves of the
| book"
Nearly 10 years later October IS, 1872
in writing to John Adams he stated that
| he had for his own use cut up the gospel
verse by verse out of the printed book,
/ arranging the matter which is evidently
Him Christ" In the same letter he des-
scribes the book as the most sublime and
! benevolent code of morals which have ever
been offered to man.
| Next in point of interest was the pocket
testament of Bishop Francis Asbury con-
tanning the text OF his sermon marked
| by his own hands.
The first edition of the King James BIZ
| BILE. an old English Bible OF 1923, and a
fac-simile of an Old Bible found in the
monastery on top of Mount Sinai, are all
rare and interesting, also a second edi-
| ton CODY of the Luther Bible
| In the collection of treasured old vol
! umes none were touched with a feeling
of deeper reverence than a small, curious
tractllke-looking Bible used by Crom-
wells soldiers and printed in 1913. This
little pocket Bible was bound in brown
suede kid. and contained all from the
| Bible relating to war so that the book
| served as an inspiration to our English
ancestors, even more powerful than the
strains of martial music.
The Hebrew Bible is represented by
portions of an ancient Egyptian manu-
scrip OF the fourteenth century; fac smile
! Of the Aleppo CodeX, by the first Ameri-
can edition of the Hebrew Bible printed
IN Phiadeluha in 1910; by other we'll
known prints OF Amsterdam, Antwerp and
! Hamburg.
The septuagint Of Greek version Is rep
! resented by fac SMILES Of the famous AL
exandrian and vatican codes. Following
these in this collection to illustrate the
history of the Bible are quaint copies OF
the Targum or Armenian version. the
Syriac version the Coptic version (repre-
sented by manuscript, the Ethiopic YER
sion Gothic and Anglo-SaXon version rep
! resented by manuscript, and the trans
| laton Of the Saadia.
Some curious modern Bibles contra st
oddly with these ancient Bibles. For in
stance, Prof. Haupts wonderful poly
chrome Bible, with its rainbow-like leaves,
| each color denotfng the different race that
contributed that especial portion, the
whole forming a fine example of the
triumphs of modern printing.