, 1899-05-26
REVISED VERSION A DRUG.
booksellers Still Overstocked with
Copies of the Newest Bible.

Copies of the Newest Bible.
Those who remember the enormous
sales which attended the introduction
Of the revised version of the holy scrip
lures will be not a little surprised at
the general collapse which has gradu-
ally made this publication a drug on
the market. Over sixteen years ago
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.
n sheets of 1t that one house alone
offered $4,000 for a single copy without
success. When the revised version OF
the entire Bible was published, foul
years later, the run on the Oxford
University Press warehouse was un-
~precedented, upward of 100000 cop
les being issued between one midnight
and the next midday. At the New
York branch of the Oxford Press, In
Blocker street, the Office was besieged
the night before publication and spe-
cial detectives were placed around the
building to prevent over-eager purchas-
ers fsom obAAA copies, eEsS
posting their
1t is estimated that 100000 copies
were sold in this country during the
| first three weeks after the publication
| Such a sale had never before been
known. and several American firms,
including Harper Bros, d. Appleton q
Co., Dodd, Mead & Co., and Porter d
| 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 v~ariously estimated to be etWee
$500, 600 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 evel
supplant the King James version seem;
extremely doubtful from the present
outlook. AS Is well known, the new
version is never used in either the Ro
man Catholic or Protestant Episcopa
church in public worship, and can new
er be, unless authorized by those In
power, which is extremely unlikely t(
occur, owing to the origin of the re
vised version. The Douay Bible is a
present used almost exclusively among
English-speaking people of the Roman
Catholic church, and the King james
Bible in the Protestant Episcopa
church. In churches of other denomi
nations the revised version has mad'
little or no Roadway, and the regula
Scripture reading for the day is rarel.
taken from 1t.
As a textbook, however, II is con
sldered almost invaluable, and Is USE
extensively by clergymen of all de
nominations and in many Sunda,
schools. It's superiority in technica
accuracy is everywhere recognized. 1t
lack of popularity in public worship
seems to grow out of a loss of sent
ment, which is found to so large a de
gree in the authorized version. One o
the passages which has evoked tn
most unfavorable comment is tn
translation of the Lords prayer, whic
In Matthew vi, Ola, is made to rea'
as follows:
"Our Father which art IN HEAVIER
hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdoI
come. Thy will be done, as In heave
so on earth. Give us this day our dali
bread. And forgive us our debts q
as we also have forgiven u debtor
And bring US not into temptation, bJ
deliver us from the evil one" TIL
substitution Of "the evil one" for "eyii
brought forth a food Of criticism.
Another passage which has attrac
ed attention is the translation of "Glo
la in Excelsis." Instead of GLORY be
God in the highest, and on earth peac
good will to, men," the revised versio
has It: "Glory to God in the highes
and on earth, peace among men
whom he is well pleased"
These two passages, perhaps, alor
have decided the fate of the new We
sion as a book appointed to be read
churches. New York Times