The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-03
JONAH AND THE WHALE

Of one Ofthe LsylathhnS.
Mr. A. W. Campbell, in an editorial in
,bs Denver, Colorado, News;
Not long since the Rev. Lyman ABB
nat, Of Brooklyn, New York. delivered
series OF lectures ON the book of Jo-
r,1 He Is the successor of Henry
ward Beecher at Plymouth church,
like his famous predecessor, he is not
nm to the full measure of the orthodox
standard, The rigid school of the Con-
rreratonal ministry look quite as much
o-Eant at him as they did at Beeeher
This IS why, we presume, he was chosen
Ms the Iatter's successor by the Ply
mouth people, They did not want a
more orthodox pastor than the great
nrolcher who had made their tabernacle
famous the world over.
In tie lectures referred to, the Rev.
,bbot undertook 10 utterly discredlt the
G0gk Of Jonah as an inspired narrative.
I, vas a mythical and legendary story
hat mad crept Into the sacred record,
ami was to be read only as pious allie
cory. This was his position as regards
,ba book OF Jonah and the story of the
whale. The book had Its instructive
uses Ike other books that convey
wholesome moral, but was not on ac-
count Of something that had ever really
happened,
Naturally, such position as this on
the part of so eminent minister as Mr..
Abbot, provoked reply and criticism.
Hence we have from the Rev, DIR, Luth-
er Townsend little theological bro
chure entitled THE story OF Jonah In
the Light of Higher Criticism" in
which the story of Jonah and
the whale is gone and gone into as a
question OF physics as well as theology.
DR. Townsend boldly meets the chal-
lenge Of science as to the imposs!billty
OF a whale having swallowed a man
alive and Of having saved him harm
less three days In his stomach and then
having thrown him up safe and sound
nj some convenient spot on the shore,
from whence ne proceeded on his origi-
nal mission to the wicked people OF
Nlnevah. He proceeds first to question
the correct rendering of the Hebrew
word for whales The so-called whale
may have been any kind of sea mon
yter. IL may have been the equivalent
OF any OF our extinct terra firma mon
sters, such, for instance, as the musto-
don. But, putting aside the question of
mlstranslation as respects the kind OF
fish or monster of the deep that swal-
lowed Jonah the Rev DR.. Townsend
boldly aftirms, from a purely naturalls-
tic point OF view, that whale could
T1nah NUIkSnnf crushing
him In the process, and could have
carried him about for three days and
three nights, as recorded in the sacred
text, and that during that tlme Jonah
could have thought and repented and
nraved exactly as stated. The difficulty
with DR.. Abbot and other heterodoXlsts
ike him is, according TO DR.. Townsend.
that they have not studied the anatomy
of the whale. They are not familiar
with his wonderful makeup. II they
were they would know how readily the
elastic throat OF the whale will admit
q man, and large man at that They
are also not familiar with the records of
actual facts as regards the swallowing
of sailors by whales. There Is such q
record and DR.. Townsend quotes from
It. Here, for instance, is an extract
ITOIl "HdL He ehSS 10 NSiA uNtSStSu
occurrence:
an the month OF February. 1891, the
whaler Star OF the East, Ian Eastern
ship, launched two whaleboats with an
equipment OF men to pursue a superb
whale that was observed at some dis
lance. The huge creature was har-
pooned and wounded to the death.
While II was wrlthng In Its last agon-
- H. hi DO Oh
by Its tail and shattered to pieces. The
sailors who were In It were thrown into
the water; all hut two were saved
shortly afterward by the other boats.
The body of one was recovered, but the
other-a man named James Barley
could not be found. When the monster
mad ceased moving, and Its death was
quite certain, It was holsted alongside
the ship, and tie work of cutting 1t up
began. When il was ended the stomach
of the whale was opened. What was the
surprise Of the whalemen to find In Il
their lost comrade. James Barley, un-
conscious, but alive! They had much
trouble In revlvlng him. For several
days he was dellrious, and could not
speak an Intelligent word. Not until
three weeks had elapsed did he recover
his reason sufficiently to narrate his
Impressions. II remember very WELL"
said he, the moment when the whale
threw me into the air. Then was
swallowed, and found myself In a firm,
slippery channel, whose contractons
forced me continually downward. This
lasted only an instant. Then l found
myself In large sac, and. by feeling
about, / realized that / had been swal.
lowed by whale and that was In his
stomach. | could still breathe. though
with much difficulty. / had feeling OF
insupportable heat, and It seemed as IL
were being boiled alive. The horrible
thought that was doomed to perish In
the whales body tortured me. and my
anguish was intensified by the calm
and silence that reigned about me. ri.
nally lost the consciousness OF my
frightful situation"
DR.. Townsend does not claim, OF
course, that there Is an exact parallel
between the cases Of Jonah and Bart
ley. The latter was rescued after sew
eral hours from dead whnle-from
one that had been fatally harpooned.
while Jonah was carried about and
finally cast up by live whale. What
would have been the fate OF Barley had
his whale remained alive and thus Gu.
idble Of supplying him with air. Is a
matter for naturaIsts to speculate upon.
That he did live for some time in a dy.
Ing whale and that he did keep his
senses for time, Is the important fac.
10 which DR.. Townsend calls attention.
Therefore as purely naturalistlc posi-
ton. 1t Is not Impossible for q whale 90
swallow a man and for man to pre-
serve his complete consciousness after
being swallowed Therefore, 10 this cx.
tent, pr Abbots higher criticism is cf.
iectually answered And that too,
without any resort whatever to the mi.
flculOus features Of Tho cosn yvbtch ali