Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-02-06

age to make out q chapter. To my in
creased surprise, and even something
like terror, l found that this also was
a perfect blank
Then he goes on to tell how his ser
want found her Bible blank also, and
likewise his friend, and ION pro-
ceeding further, every one was found
complaining in similar perplexity or
the same loss. Before night 1t be-
came evident that great and terrible
miracle had been wrought in the
world; that in one night, silently but
effectually, that hand which had writ
ten in terrible menace on the walls OF
Belshazzar's palace had reversed the
miracle, and had sponged out of our
Bibles every syllable they contained
and thus reclaimed the most precious
gift which heaven had bestowed and
ungrateful man abused"
He sets forth some of the effects of
the calamity on various characters.
lone old gentleman who had never
troubled the book in his life, said it
was COMPOUNDED hard to be deprived
of his religion in his old age Another
was alarmed for the morals of man.
kind, and exclaimed that the loss Of
the Bible would have a cursed bad eff
feet on the public virtue of the coun-
try. There was universally, however,
an interest in the Bible now that 1t
to II while 1t was possessed"
The dream continued on this wise:
1T was very early suggested, that
the whole bible had again and again
been quoted piece-meal in one book
or another, and that 1t had impressed
its own image on the surface of human
literature. and had been reflected on it's
course as the stars on a stream. But
alas! on investigation, it was found
as vain to expect that the CLEAN of
star light would still remain mirrored
in the water when the clouds had veil
ed the stars themselves, as that the
bright characters of the Bible would
remain reflected in the books of man
when they had been erased from the
book of God. On inspection, 1t was
found that every text every phrase
which had been quoted. not only in
books of devotion and theology, but
in those of poetry and fiction. had been
remorselessly expunged. Never before
had l any Idea of the extent to which
the Bible had moulded the intellectual
and moral life of the last eighteen CEN
turtles, nor how intimately II had inter-
fused itself with habits of thought
and methods of expression; nor how
naturally and extensively it's COM
prehensive imagery and language
had been introduced into human
writings, and most of all where
there had been most of genius.
A vast portion of literature be-
came instantly worthless, and was
transformed into so much waste paper.
1t was almost impossible to look into
any book of any merit, and read ten
pages together, without coming to
some provoking erasures and mutila-
lions which made whole passages per-
fectly unintelligible. Many of the
sweetest passages of Shakespeare were
converted into unmeaning nonsense,
by the absence of those words which
his own all but divine genius had ap-
propriated from a still diviner source.
AS to Milton, he was nearly ruined, as
might naturally be supposed. Walter
Scott's novels were filled with perpet-
ual lacunae. Some Of the most beau
tiful and comprehensive of Bacon's
aphorisTns were reduced to enigmatical
: 4 nonsense"
The curious dream, from which the
foregoing paragraphs have been ex-
tracted. wildly suggests what would
be the worlds loss if the Bible were
taken away. This dream would be a
reality If these free-thinkers could
have their way and this awful loss
would be incurred. Can we afford to
exchange the Bible for their delirious
rawlings of intellectual nightmares?
If the worlds loss would be so stu
pendous in case the pages of the Bible
were sponged clean of all that is writ
ten on them, how immense was the
worlds gain when those pages were
inscribed by Hebrew saints and seers?
Did any writers ever render mankind
a service of such unreasonable value?
Is 1T not a miracle of miracles that
such writer's springing from a small
and unlettered nation, could have pro-
duced works. which by. some unac-
countable attraction were eventually
drawn together IN one volume. and
that the resulting volume should have
finally become the supreme. authority
among the most enlightened nations
and races of mankind?
Is not the neglect of such a book
a reproach to any intelligent man? Is
not opposition to such book treason
to the best interests of humanity?
When one never reads this book does
IT not become to him virtually lost?
Does not the horrible dream of the
expunged Bible become to him sor-
rowful reality?
If the Bible were lost and it's con-
tents were forgotten by everybody ex-
cept one poor saint who knew nothing
else. but who could repeat it word for
word from the beginning of Genesis to
the end of Revelation, could the wisest
man in the earth do wiser thing than
to sit at the feet of the poor saint
and learn wisdom from hearing the
Holy Scriptures repeated? Would not
thousands and tens of thousands make
costly pilgrimages from the uttermost
parts of the earth to hear the holy
words recited?
Well, we may all secure now what
then II would require tedious and ex-
pensive Journeys TO procure. Go, dear
friends, and get the Bible. presented by
a sainted mothers hands, and read ii
once more tonight. Then kneel down
and pray again the childish prayer
which she taught your infant lips to
lisp, and fall once more to sleep in
the peace of childhood's sublime but
simple faith. There is no better light
to guide the feet of earth's poor way
farers like you and me- Let us follow
where 1t leads. for the night is cold
and dark. and we are far from home.
So long this light has blessed us, sure
il still will lead US on
Ger moor, and fen, and crag and tor
rent till the night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces
smile,
Which we have loved long since and
lost awhile.