The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-25
BIBLE ANDLAW IN ENGLAND
"A LAD IN LONDON WHO MEYER
HEARD OF THE SCRIPTURES.

en- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Homes.
LONDON. June 17.-Yesterday's newspapers
recorded two incidents In London courts on
the previous day which should properly be
brasketed. The Bible was the subject OF EACH
The first dealt with the appearance OF boy Of
10 before the Coroner to give evidence. and
this is what happened:
Coroner Langham-Do you know what It means
TO speak the TRUTH my boy The little fellow gave
no answer. but looked round frightencdl Do you
60 to school2
The Boy (quickly)-Yus. sir
The Coroner-what do you 60 to school for!
Tho Boy-'Cos as to.
The Coroner-Yes. but what do they teach your
The Boy-Sums and lessons, and lots 'er hngs.
The Coroner-But don't they teach you the Biblef
The Boy-The Bible-wots that
The Coroner-Haven't you ever seen or heard Of
Che BibleH
The Boy-No. sir.
The Coroner-1 am afraid this lads evidence can
not be taken, as his education appears sadly ct
fault
At the same moment learned Judge in the
High Chancery Court was issuing decree for
bidding the Rev. Francis Marshall and other
defendants to repeat their offence OF printing
copious extracts from the Scriptures in viola
ton Of the copyright held in this country by
the Universities Of Oxford and Cambridge.
TIL" Offenders had been guilty OF publishing
manual showing the chief alterations made In
the toxt OF the Acts OF the Apostles and the
Gospel Of Luke by the revisers OF the New
Testament. Now the Universities OF Oxford
ana Cambridge hold the copyright OF tho
devised Version OF the New Testament for
which they paid. it is said. 100000 1t was
shown that out of 2.57S alternative readings
in the Gospel OF Luke the offending manual
had quoted pa. In the Acts of tho Apostles
about the same proportion of quotations had
been made. The principal defendant main
tanned before the court that the various read
ings he had quoted were matters OF common
knowledge long before the issue Of the Re-
vscd Version, which did not contain S25
worth Of original research. AS a matter OF
fact. POD Of the 234 citations given in the st.
Luke manual were readings familiar to every
student OF the Greek New Testament.
But this plea availed nothing. The Judge.
intmating that reply was unnecessary. said
the title of the plaintiffs to the copyright had
been formally proved, and had not been chal-
lenged Tho only question he had to consider
was. Had there been an infringement OF the
plaintiffs copyrightE He held that this was
not mere matter OF quantity. but rather OF
Qualitv-the editor having taken all that was
most peculiar. most material. and most i'm
Iortant in the Revised Version. 1t seemed
to him impossible to doubt that the de-
PENDANTS had deliberately and OF set purpose
without, he willing to assume, any con-
seriousness that they were doing wrong-cX-
tracted from the Revised Version and put in
their own books every single passage in the
Revised Version which they thought and con-
ceived could be OF any importance for the COM
parative study Of the old and new versions. II
that was not an infringement Of copyright, he
did not know what was. There was plain In
fringement of the copyright, and he must grant
the injunction with costs against tho defend
ants.
The effects OF this decision may easily be far
reaching. There are not twenty newly trans
lated words in the revised Gospel Of St. Luke
for instance. although there are $500 altora-
tons. All the others except the twenty had
been made by translators previous to the
makers Of the Revised Version. But II will be
impossible in England under the above ruling
for any clergyman to publish a sermon con-
tanning extracts from the Revised Version
without giving the universities OF Oxford and
Cambridge right Of action against him.
In these two incidents some OF us may find a
curious eHempliflcation OF the knowledge and
influence Of the Word OF God In Christian
England the close OF the nineteenth century.
The public mind OF England, IL one judged by
the newspapers continues to to be monopoliZed
by the situation in the Transvaal. 1t is a sig
niilcant fact, by tho way. that the grievance
which is most prominently paradcd in the
English press against the Transvaa Govern
ment is ono which might hc urged with equal
validity against the United States. This is the
fact that the Transvaal naturalization oath re-
Quircs the Kew citizen to fOreSwear by name oil
allegiance to the sovereign power to which
he was last subject. Tho oath required by the
Transvaal republic is practically Identical with
that which every one CT many thousands OF
subjects OF the Queen have taken when they
became citizens Of the United States The
Rhodcsian press Of Great Britain is denouncnG
this oath an outrageous insult to the British
sovereign and to the manhood Of the loya
Bri;ons who for certain reasons desire to oh.
tain the franchise in the BOer republic This
requirement alone. in the opinion OF many
newspapers. will Justify the British Govern.
mcnt in going to any length in order to secure
it, abrogatOH.
Although the Blue Book on South African
affairs issued this week does not contain any
important Information bearing upon the pres
ent situation, it gives q despatch from Sii
Alfred Miner which deserves attention II fol
no other reason than that 1t is remarkably
powerful State paper. Quite aside from any
interest in the subject matter. it is worth read
ing as a piece Of diRnined. moderate and vel
pathetic and indignant literature. quote tht
more telling passages:
A busy industrial community is not nat
urally prone to political unrest But they beA
the chief burden OF taxation; they constant!
feel in their business ana daily lives the effects
OF chaotic local legislation and OF incompeten
and unsympathetic administration: they hRv'
many grievances. but they believe all this coulC
be gradually removed II they had only fal
share OF political power. This is the meaning
OF their vehement demand for enfranchse
ment. Moreover. they are mostly British
subjects, accustomed to free system
and equal rights; they feel deeply the persona
indignity involved In position OF permanent
subsection to the ruling caste which owes 1t
wealth and power to their exertion. The polit
zeal turmoil in the Transvaal republic vii
never end till the permanent Uitlander popula
ton is admitted to a share in the Government
and while that turmoil lasts there will be n
tranquility or adequate progress In her Males
tvs South African dominions
The true remedy is to strike at the root o
all these injuries-the political impotence G