The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-03

u
And stiii again she represents our Lord
In q description whose redundancy OF Ian
guage spells the whole dignity OF the
event. ~ being anxious as 10 whether
Lazarus would continue TO live. His
heart ouivered With an. anxiety over the
condition Of Lazarus. The future Of the
Christian faith rested at this crisis to an
extent impossible 10 measure upon the ne
cesstty that Lazarus should remain a 1--we
man for suficient time"
The description OF the temptation Ia the
wilderness H. perhaps. the most marked
instance Of what. not Intentionally. but
inevitably becomes irreyerence. Intrusion.
almost impertinence. when the loving
Imagination undertakes TO al all Che un-
known spaces Of any time Of our Lords
tfe" How the writer can feel that her
pen has not been begui.ed into any import
ant departures from the details OF His
only authorized biography" or how she
can speak OF tho strokes by which these
: outlines have been filled In a. Few"
they certainly are unfamiisar) and with
out oRense to probabilities" 1t IL difiicult
% say. The story. a. the writer tells
II. reads ike an Arabian nights dream.
with visions. or Ike the story OF the temp
tations Of an ascetic Of the middle ages.
We have cliffs hung heavy with purpling
grapes" mouths OF caves rioting with
ng and olive ''blaxed (sic) with lus-
cious mellow and crimson with alluring
pomegranate." fresh unleavened bread
hot from the oven, smoking on the
ground" and the following:
He sat with His famished eyes fastened
upon an oval. fiat stone at His feet: il
had the shape Of shew bread such as
the priests baked for their own food. He
picked the stone up and handled 1t curl
ousiy. thrill like the joy OF feastiEg
| ran from His fingers through His whole
| sinking body. At that momen. He per-
cefyed that He had but 10 open His lips
and speak two words. Become breadr'
for the rocks Of the wilderness were His.
There Is no intimation OF the scripturai
story. Half deifrious dreams chased
each other through a burning BRAIN"
The spokesman OF a swarm OF the people
OF His race held up a flashing thing-a
crown" and. while the people in the
courts u the temple caught sight Of Him
on the highest pinnacle OF SoIomon's
porch. He felt IT in Els thrilling con-
sciousness that He could have fioated over
that parapet and descended among the
gaping crowd without a bruise." This Is
unfortunately not an unfair specimen OF
| the writer's yenturesome dealing with the
| most sacred scenes OF our Lords life. 1t
seems little short of proclamation to In
5ect such language az this into the SIM
pie story of the Masters last journey to-
ward Jerusalem.
Serious protest also needs to be made
against the putting OF words into the
mouth OF Him Who spake as never man
| spake-" Not uncommon In some Of the
more emotional hymns, this habit surely
,Oh mot to S,l Ma tn x,nr4%
this: and yet 1t does many times over,
and sometimes the words are altered to
. different and dangerous meaning. The
story Of the sinner who anointed His
/ feet Is made to teach that she was for
given because she loved much. whereas
| our Lord plainly says that she loved
much because she was much forgiven"
| Whatever may be the meaning OF petra,
| our Lord did not say TO St. Peter: Thou
| art rock, ! build My church upon thee"
| nor did He say In 0ethsenane or on the
cross: Father. trusted Thee. but
| have failed" -
As matter Of literary bad taste. the
book shocks one with It's wild exuberance
| Of most redundant rhetoric and its melo-
| dramatic sentimentalism OF sentences and
| OF situations. Read in contrast with the
| English indebted" OF the authorized ver-
| sion, with the few short. clear delinea-
| tions Of scenes and events. It seems I'M
! possible that anyone familiar with the
| Bible should 90 utterly have lost its IA
vor. The description OF the scene In Beth
| any. where Mary anoinied the Masters
| feet. is not SO much a parapnrase as a
| parody.
| So the enlargement. into infinite belit-
| Element. OF the story OF the transfigura-
| ton.
Even the sacred scenes Of the agony IN
| the garden Of the cruciixion. OF the res
t-s~ IA L. sAt
petual tendency TO rhetoric run mad.
| Think OF this description Of the institution
| OF the sacrament of the Lords Supper.
| With bowed heads, with streaming
| cheeks. with shrinking lips. they ate.
| they drank. wondering. but asking Him
| no question now.
The cup tremb,ed a little in His hands
as He passed 1t 20 the lips OF John. In
| His eyes rested the solitary lock Of far
| provision which His friends had learned
| to know.
| What did He see? Cruciform oak. nails.
| the poin. OF spear. then the gush which
| comes from the heart?
| But what did He see? Far down the
years. quiet groups in holy houses. sit
| ting with bowed heads. The dull white
| OF broken bread. the CLEAN Of red
| and shift across the scene. Tha
| afternoon wanes 20 dusk. Pray
| er and sacred song are softly audible
| This is one Of the hours whose memory
| fits far across driven life. Doubt re-
| members II. and neral peril and sorrows
| lean On II. II comes to mean power in
! the world of men, gentle as tina, Of moth
| erhood. strong as that Of worship. With
| wet eyes, with huxhed hearts. those who
| celebrate this sciemnisy dc think Of Him:
| they murrpur a name-it Is His: they melt
/ with tenderness for susYsrsng--it Is His.
| / have not alluded 20 the compliment
| assumption which describes the luxury Of
| the house IN Bethany. the ssateilneEs OF
| the chamber OF the last supper: nor TO
| the fioriation which Is scattered through
| the book IN the description Of places and
| scenes. because they are part and parcel
1 Of what I have caiIsd the redundant
1 rhetoric: but IL is surely dangerous TO
| mix up in such perfectly uuaotsd way
| what is written with the forid .rnagina-
| t!cxs OF modern author.
| One would he~Sisd 10 deal Otherwise
/ with q book which seems really &c have
| been conceived In a spirit % affection for
| the person OF Christ, whose very irrcyer-
e=c4 seems to have been meant for rever-