The evening times., 1897-12-18
REVISED VERSION a DRUG.
Booksellers Ov.rstockcd With Copies
of Newest English Bible.

(trom the New York Timesb
TEos. ..ho remember the enormous sales
which TENDED the Introduction fthe l.e-
vised version o the Holy Scriptures will be
not little surprised al the general collapse
which has gradually made this publication
a drug i'll the marEet. over sixteen years
ago the first edition of the Revised New
Testament was published at the Oxford
press, and st that time 50 strenuous were
the efforts made to obtain advance sheets
oft that one house alone offered c5-ooefor
single copy without success When the
Revised Version or the entire Bible was
published four years later, the run on the
OK ford University Press warehouse was III
prpcedented, upward of Il million copies De-
ing issued between one midnight and the
next midday At the New York branch III
the Ok ford Press, in Bleec6er street, the rf
flee yds besieeed the night before pubi'Et
ton, and special detectives were placed
around the building to prevent oTsreaser
purchasers from obtaining copies, e:rn iy
depositing their money.
1t is estimiit. d that / 900 900 copies we're
sold in this country during the first three
weeks after the publication. suct sale
had never before been known, and sevar.h
American firms, including Harper Bros,
D. Appleton X Co, Duud, Mead L Co., and
Porter * Coates, of PhiIadelphia, iss led
Americas editions ia large Quantities TO
meet the demand.
The collapse was experienced less tisn
two months after ttefirst appearancepf-he
new version. The total less to tile Amer
ican firms interested has been variously
estimated to tobebetveenS $500, 900 and $780,
900. From that date until now the sales
have been extremely small less than eight
copies being soldto 1 90 of the King .aInes
version.
That the revised version will ever sup
plant tile King james version seems cx-
tremely doubtful, from the present outlook.
As is well known the new version is never
used in either the Roman Catholic OF Prot
estant Episcopa! Church, in public 'yoT ship,
and can never be, unless authorized 10y
those in pnwer, Which is extremely Iniike-
ly to occur, owing to the origin of the
revised version. The Douay Bible is at
present used almost exclusively among
English speaking people Of the Roman
Catholic Church, and the King James B!hle
an the Protestant Episcopal Church. In
churches of other denominations the re-
vised version has made iittl. or 10 head
way, and the regular Scripture reading for
the day is rare tax en- from it.
As textbnpll, however, it is considered
almost inva iuable and is used extensively
by ciergyuen of ali denominations and in
many Sunda y-schools. Its superiority In
technical acccracyis every wv here recognized.
Its lack of popularity in public worship
seems to grow out OF loss of sentiment,
which is found to so large n degree in the
authorized version. One OF the passages
which has evoked the most unfavorable
Comment is tile translation of the Lcrd,s
Prayer, wllchin Matthew vi. g-1i. is made
tO rea d a follows:
'.Our Father which art in heaven, Hal
lowed lie Thy name. Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be doIe, q 8 In heaven 80 on earth.
Give Us this day oar daily bread. An.i
forgive us our debts as we also have
forgiven our debtors. And bring us not
into temptation, but deliver us from he evil
one.''
The substitution OF '.the evil one'' 10.
'.eyil'' brought forth flood of criticism.
Another passage which has attracted
attention is tie translation OF the '.Glor:a
In Exce.sis." Instead of '.Glory he to
God In the highest, and on eartn peace.
good Will to men, the revised version has
It,: GLORY ~ God in the highest, and on