Omaha daily bee., 1910-08-14
HOT BATTLE OVER A COMMA
Curious Controversy I'm Church of
England Sheds Consider
able Ink.

A curious controversy RACES among Eng
llsh churchmen, and 80 bitter has 1t become
that statesmen have been drawn into It,
and It threatens to provoke debate upon
the floor of the House of Commons. II
has to do not with the coronation oath nor
with any other important matter of faith
and creed, but with the punctuation OF the
LoId's prayer Should there be a comma
In the sentence beginning THY will be
done,' and, II so, where should it go7 In
other words, which of the following forms
is correct7
Thy will be done in earth as It is in
heaven.
Or
Thy will be done. in earth as 1t is in
heaven.
Or
Thy will be done in EARTH as It is In
heaven.
To understand the controversy, 1t must
be remembered that In England the privi-
lege Of printing the Bible and the Book OF
Common Prayer Is a monopoly conferred
by ancient statute upon the kings printer
and the oxford and Cambridge university
presses. In this COUNTRY any printer is
free to publish an edition OF the Bible and
to make any changes in the text. that he
desires to make, but not so among the
English. A London Gutenberg who sought
to invade the monopoly Of the three presses
mentioned would see his Bibles seized and
destroyed by the police, and, in addition,
he would probably get six months in jail
for his pains. The idea is that the monopoly
safeguards the purity of the sacred text.
Not long ago some one discovered, in an
English library. a manuscript prayer book
bearing date Of 1862, and soon afterward
Representatives OF the three presses met
to examine this manuscript and to CON-
pare 1t with the prayer book of today for
the purpose of rectifying any errors or
corruptions that the latter might reveal.
This work accomplished, a new edition OF
the prayer book was issued and at once
a number of argus-eyed readers discovered
that a comma appeared, for the first time
in the passage mentioned above. In pre-
vious editions there had been no comma
at all in the sentence, but now there was
one after the word done"
Thus the row began, with a loud protest
from DR.. H. Q. Beeching, canon of West.
minister Abbey. DR.. Beeching protested
that the comma destroyed the traditional
rhythm Of the sentence and thus outraged
every English Christian. Going further. he
showed that there was no justification foI
It in the seventeenth century manuscript
that the representatives of the three presses
had examined. for in that manuscript
though a comma actually appeared in the
sentence, II was not after dome" but after
EARTH" A flood Of letters denouncing and
defending the invading comma then began
to appear in the newspapers and one day
Lord Hugh Cecil, that tower Of orthodoxy
arose in the House of Commons and de
handed that Winston Churchill, who, al
home secretary, is officially the secular
hesd of the Anglican church, explain the
sacrilege Mr.. Churchill gingerly side
stepped. And 30 the controversy continues
with great emission of abuse and many
letters in the newspapers. The foes Of the
comma threaten to take the matter to th'
courts, and even talk Of besieging Parlia'
ment with q monster petition for redress
signed by millions OF the orthodox. And
meanwhile the friends of the comma defend
II, alleging that II improves not only tht
rhythm, but also the sense OF the disputed
passage. baltimore Sun.
I