The Detroit times., 1908-04-23
Editorials BY the People.



To the Editor OF The Times: I no.
tire with pleasure Mrs, Farmers wtfes
reply TO my letter and note that she
SAYS she would like 10 ask me one
question.
She may consider herself at liberty
to do 80 ar any time. and l viii an
swer IL TO the best OF my ability and
understanding. l also note that sue
charges me with taking away Goo.
I defy her to show where | used ono
sentence TO take away God" in my at
tack OF Mr.. Torrey's thin and very
much lacking, OF proof, reasons for be-
lieving the bible TO be the word OF God
What ] assailed was AIR. Torreys
reasons. not God. Please reread tIat
article. Mrs Farmers Wife. and put on
your glasses tais time and thinking
AIRS. Farmers wlse seems 10 think
we must have something to lean on In
the way OF "a religious book or blblc
Well. this ma Gillette. who has just
been electrocuted for the killing OF his
sweetheart. thought so. too, and he
found il in the bible. too. l conclude
from his statement. which set forth
that ne had found Christ and that
there was not one thing left undone
which would bar him from seeing God
as me knew his sins We're forgiven.
such people may need something 10
lean on. but what in the name OF con-
sistency or common decency does n
good clean. moral man or woman like
Stanton need OF any religious book to
lean on? But II Mrs. Farmers Wife in
sists on having religious book TO lean
on. AIR. Metts' letter IN The Times OF
April Is, answers the question of where
q better one can be found very easily.
But inasmuch as Mrs. Farmers Wife
recognizes A bible as her standard. /
wonder which enc OF the various trans
lations there Is on the market she ac-
cepts as the simon pure unadulteratod
word OF God as there Is the Douay
81 60 -
Ollie church prefers: then comes King
James translation with and without
the old testament; Apocrypha, then
Alexander Campbelrs translation IN
pears: then Joseph smiths inspired
translation and the revised translation
where occasionally as high as eleven
verses arc stricken out entirely. Now.
IL she accepts any one OF these trans
lations as the Ideal. she thai moment
rejects the other five translations as
ing away bibles. We seem TO have
bibles to burn, and it's this superabun-
dance OF bibles and the peculiar twist
which They give God that causes peo-
pie who have any brains. TO use them.
To be sure. history sets forth that
man has been a religious being. but u
also sets forth that his religious or SUI
perstitious manifestations are dimin-
ishing Just in proportion as his intelli-
gence and morality increases. The
most aggressive, barbarous and blood
thirsty nations nave Deeh supefrtitiou5
or religious. while now In these days OF
free thought and reform. we are be-
ginning TO agitate the question OF set
thing all questions By arbitration, IN
stead OF war, and no religious enthusi-
asst has spoke ia more indellibie lam
guGge on this Humanitarian subject
than did Mr.. Ingersoil. the agnostic.
Mrs Farmers Wife seems to qualify
God az "a power outside OF ourselves
though seen through glass darkly OF
which we all have some Idea with no
two ideas just alike. but which she
calls God and Christ Now " these
premises are true, then what's wrong
with the so-called heather. or the man
who does not see God Just the same as
the Christian does. that thousands OF
dollars ts expended annually In trying
to convince him TO see God as we do?
y. O.. JEWELL
Gregory, Mich. April 20. 1908.