The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-23
JEFFERS0N'S BIBLE.
Public I'm General Mistaken as to Or
igin and Primrose.

WASHINGTON, May 22.-An effort was
made yesterday to rescind the action of
Congress in ordering the publication, as a
public document, of Thomas Jefferson s
Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" Familiarity
known as THE Jefferson Bible" Mr.. Lacey.
Of Iowa, offered the motion resembling the
action of the House. In explanation, he
stated that he had been informed that the
authorities of the National Museum Lii
brary had expressed a willingness to have
the volume printed by private publishers.
He asked unanimous consent to have the
action of the House in ordering the publi-
cation OF the volume rescinded. Mr. Ball.
of Texas, objected, and the action of the
House will stand. Time for resembling
the action in the Senate has expired, and
the publication of the volume as a public
document is now assured.
Since the passage of the resolution for
the publication of the book by Congress
several or the leading publishers OF the
country have been making strenuous ef-
forts 10 secure the right 10 publish the
volume. An Indianap polls firm has had rem
resentatives here for several days trying
10 secure the right. Ii is estimated that
at least LOCO 900 copies of the volume would
be sold in six months. and that profit of
70 cents volume could be made on the
publication ii sold at 81 a volume With
the publication of the volume as a public
document all publishers will have the
privilege OF issuing editions of the work
and a flood of Jefferson Bibles" is as,
sured.
The protests against the publication of
the work by Congress have aroused un-
usual interest in the volume. Congressman
HeatWole, OF Minnesota, chairman of the
House committee on printing. explains that
the opposition 10 the publication is clearly
based on "A misunderstanding of the vol
ume In discussing the matter to-day he
said:
Mr.. jefferson has been unjustly criti-
cised In regard TO this book. and in justice
to him it should be made public Repre-
sentative Lacey, of Iowa, about a year
ago FOUND this book under lock and key in
the National Museum and wrote a short
article describing il, which was printed
in many papers of the country. and the
result is that frequent requests have been
made for the publication of the book,
these requests coming largely from minis
ters or the gospel on the one hand and
people interested In the memory of Thomas
Jefferson on the other hand
Accordingly, Mr.. Lacey introduced a
publication of the work. Mr.. jefferson in
his later years was In frequent correspond
ence with John Adams and in that cor
respondence Mr.. Jefferson suggested the
preparation OF the morals of the Christian
religion colated verbatim from the four
evangelists, and in the most reverent spirit
ne has prepared this little book. The eff
feet OF ii is most excellent, and IL is one
OF the most convincing proofs of the
Christian religion.
There is but one coDv of the book in
the world. and that belongs 10 Congress.
The object of having il printed was TO lay
the book open TO the world, where il can
do nothing but good. There has been
10 the scope of this work and any criti-
ciSm upon this publication has been wholly
upon misa apprehension or lack of knowl-
edge OF what the book really contains