The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-11-29

Since the death OF the mead OF the
Harpers publishing firm the company
has been reorganzed into a stock com
pany, with a capital Of 100000 All
the stock is in The hands Of the Harper
family. The legal firm name is Harper
II Brothers,
Mrs. IIumphry Ward, the author, is
seldom seen in society. She was born i'm
Tasmania, is A yeas old and has lived
in England since she was ,. She is
granddaughter Of the famous DIR. Ar
mold Of Rugby. When she was q she
married Humphry Ward. art critic Of the
Times. Her long residence in Oxford
and her college training explain good
deal in her books.
New York, Nov. 2G.-In the course Of
an address to the Sunday School teachers
Of Kings county last night, Dwight l..
Moody. the evangelist, paid his respects
to DIR. Lyman Abbott, and other minist-
ers who have recently attacked the Bible.
IF there is anything ! want to impress
upon you" Mr.. Moody said, ut is the
Importance Of teaching the word Of God.
If / have had any success in attempting
to carry Gods word to my fellow beings,
it is because / believe in it-not in some
particular part Of it, but from cover to
covel-and in view of the recent COntro-
verses on this very subject, / will say
that any minister who doubts the Bible,
or any single portion Of it, and so preach
cs in public, had better get right out Of
the pulpit, for he has no business there.
He is doing the devils work even better
than the devil is doing it himself As to
me, | am somewhat glad the fight IS on.
We will perhaus, know, when it is de
cided, where we are at Anybody can
pick at. object to and disagree with the
Bible 1t takes neither brains nor heart
to do that But give me better book if
you can.
Il heard the other day Of large Sun
day School class in New York where the
teacher happened to want the Bible, and
after hunting in all the other classes and
in the church pews. one was finally OBJ
tanned from the pulpit. / tell you, my
friends, when you teach your class you
want TO have your whole Bible with you.
Why is it that so many Sunday School
teachers and ministers fail? 1t is be-
cause they don't know their Bibles. The
ministers preach on all the logical and
economic and political questions they
can find, but seldom. if ever, on the Bible.
There is no better drawing card than the
Bible, and my experience throughout
Christendom tells me that Do Won know
Of any man preaching against the Bible
getting any converts? If you DO | would
like to hear it. People can't 90 around
with a penknife in their hand cutting out
those portions Of the Bible they don't
believe in If they do. what viii they
have leftf That is like the story of "a
minister who. while on visit to one OF
the oldest pillars of his church, picked
up and examined what seemed to be the
remains OF Bible, only so much had
been cut away that practically only the
backs were left.
=" What is this:' asked the minister
oh answered the man, that is
what ! call your Bible. During the many
years I have heard you preach you have
expressed doubt aud disbelief against
those sections Of the Bible that l have
cut out. and accordingly the little that
remains is really your Bible,
IF I was member Of a church where
the minister attacked the Bible, should
get up and go out
DR. Abbott when seen to-day, said:
"Mr. Moody is warm personal friend
Of mine. I esteem him highly, and /
thoroughly believe in his work and earn
estncss. I viii under no circumstances
engage in any controversy with him.
II am not in the least endeayoring 70
weaken mems faith in the Bible On the
contrary, l try to my utmost to make
the understanding OF the Bible more in
tellieent, the reading Of it more universal,
the study Of it more careful, the rever-
ence for it greater, and its influence on
humanity more powerful"
Further than this the pastor Of Ply
mouth church declined to speak, but re-
ferrcd his caller to the following editorial
on THE Bible as Literature" which viii
appear in DIR. Abbott's paper, The Out
look, tomorrow:
Whatever else the Bible is, it certain
~ is a collection of Hebrew literature.
It's very name indicates this, for the
word is a transliteratiOn Of the Greek
word Biblia, meaning, not book, but
books 1t is a collection of books, and
includes legend, law, official records,
historical fact historical fiction, epic,
poetry. lyrical poetry, proverbial philOs-
dresses, geography, letters and dramatic
literature The notion that this cOncep-
ton Of the Bible as literature is inconsist-
ent with its inspiration, its divine quail
ity, its spiritual usefulness, is due TO a
relic Of the Puritan notion which con
POUNDS the truth and fact and would
Danish the voice Of imagination from
the word God speaks to all faculties
and in all voices that is the lesson which
we are learning in our larger conception
OF the Bible as literature
This conception is bringing back the
Bible to us. Much Of it has been a lost
book The whole library has stood on
our shelves or laid on our parlor table
but to many devoted soul the Bible used
has consisted Of the gospels, certain Of
the Psalms, n few extracts from the
Pentateuch and some from Paups Epis-
ties. TheFnew study Of the Bible has
opened other books to US
Prof. .Genung, in his 'Epic Of the In
ner Life has made the Book OF job in
telIigible and inspirational to the reader
Dr. Griffis, in his Rose Among Thorns,
has opened to us the song among songs,
which n ouaTtpr Of n century, ago ii was