Western news-Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1898-1900, 1898-10-13
REVISED VERSION A DRUG.
booksellers Still Overstocked with
Copies of the Newest Bible.

booksellers Still Overstocked with
Copies of the Newest Bible.
Those who remember the enormou:
sales which attended the Introduction
Of the revised version Of the holy scrip
lures will be not little surprised al
the general collapse which has gradu
ally made this publication a drug on
the market Over sixteen years age
the first edition of the revised New
Testament was published by the Ok,
ford Press, and at the time so strenu
Gus were the efforts made to obtain ad-
vance sheets Of it that one house alone
offered $4,000 for single copy without
success. When the revised version of
the entire Bible was published, four
years later, the run on the Oxford
University Press warehouse was un-
precedented, upward of 100000 cop
and the next midday. At the New
York branch of the Oxford Press, in
Bleeker street. the office was besieged
The night before publication, and spe-
cial detectives were placed around the
building to prevent over-eager purchas-
rs from obtaining copies, even by de-
posting their money.
1t is estimated that 100000 copies
were sold in this country during the
hrst three weeks after the publication.
Such a sale had never before been
known, and several American firms,
including Harper Bros, D. Appleton &
Co., Dodd, Mead & Co., and Porter &
Coates of Philadelphia, issued Amer
lean editions in large quantities to meet
the demand.
The collapse was experienced less
than two months after the first appear
ance of the new version. The total loss
to the American firms interested has
been variously estimated to be between
$5CO,000 and 100000. From that date
until now the sales have been extreme
ly small, less than eight copies being
sold to 100 Of the King James version.
That the revised version will ever
supplant the King James version seems
extremely doubtful from the present
outlook. AS is we'll known, the new
version is never used in either the Ro-
man Catholic or Protestant Episcopal
church in public worship, and can new
er be- unless authorized by those in
power, which is extremely unlikely to
occur, owing to the origin Of the re-
vised version. The Douay Bible is at
present used almost exclusively among
English-speaking people of the Roman
Catholic church, and the King James
Bible in the Protestant Episcopal
church. In churches of other denomi-
nations the revised version has made
little or no headway, and the regular
Scripture reading for the day is rarely
taken from it.
AS a textbook, however, it is con-
sidered almost invaluable, and is used
by clergymen of all de-
and in many Sunday
schools. Its superiority in technical
accuracy is everywhere recognized. It's
lack of popularity in public worship
seems to grow out of loss of senti-
ment, which is found to so large a de-
gree in the authorized version. One of
the passages which has evoked the
most unfavorable comment is the
translation of the Lords prayer, which
In Matthew vi, 9-14, is made to read
as follows:
"Our Father which art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done, as in heaven
so on earth. Give us this day our daily
bread. And forgive us our debts as
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And bring us not into tempta ton, but
deliver us from the evil one." The
of ''the evil one'' for "eyil' |
brought forth flood of criticism.
Another passage which has attract
I'd attention is the translation of "Glor-
a in EXcelsis.'' Instead of GLORY be to
God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will to men," the revised version
las it: "Glory to God in the highest,
md on earth, peace among men in
whom he is well pleased
These two passages, perhaps. alone
lave decided the fate Of the new YER
ion as book appointed to be read in
New York Times