The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-15

colts views. owing to tho fact that
his father was ono of tho foremost
among the workers on tho Revised
Version. The father was Rov. Brook
Foss wcstcott. canon of Pcterbor-
Trinity College. Cambridge. and rccoE-
nizcd most eminent and painstaking
scholar. He was one OF the English
committee on New Testament revision.
In letter to tho London Times the
son quotes his father as having said
| that az the Authorized Version had
taken generation to gain accept
dhcc' so would II be with the Revised.
ne son, however. finds that tho Re-
vlScd Version is no more I'm popular
favor now than 1t was ten years ago.
lie might have added. with truth not
SO much so, we doubt not In dis
! cussins tho defects" of tho Revised
version and suggesting how they may
DC cured the present Canon Vest
colt says they arc due to The way in
Which the work was done. There
were he argues. too launy rcviscrs.
ihcse stood for an effort 10 achieve lit
crary results by syndicate, which can
never be successful. They hourd
themselves, he points cut bv some
nara and fast and unfortunate rules.
sucii as determination to represent one
creek word iii all cases bv one Eng
l'sh word, thing that canno, stand
analysis. This contention. tho son IN
uicates. derives all the more force
from IN" important discoveries. throw
'"s new liSht upon tho Greek text in
witch tho Scriptures were written that
nave been made since the Revised
Version was prepared.
1t now seems hopeless. tho son
'hihks, TO anticipate acceptance of the
laborlous edition OF 1851. but he suy-
gcs;s that the old might hc ,,kou =,
hahd with Il sympathctic tenderness
ana its more obvious impcrfcctions
gently aud impcrccptibly removed.
Cu bono?
IN Tar greater part the Revised
version is. after all, little moro nor
less than tcXtusl criticism. What
l'ore could revision Of the revision be.
II might prove interesting in certain
''rcctions to phloloSists and other
scholars, but it could not add one lot
OF tit'lc TO the value OF tho Scripturos
DIS mo foundation and palladium NJ
revealed religion, or, arart frn,, ~,
er'tion' to their transccndcnt /
superiority IS the worlds greatest liter
AIRY production. on the contrary. It could
p"t dctract from the value OF tho Boo,-
oi Books III the latter sphere as has bee n
uohc In numerous instances hy IN,
Revised Version, through intcrprct.
mons OF words and phrases that rob
bed these, as cmbalmcd i'm tho KIM
James Version and consccratcd IN Tho
hearts and minds OF thousands ori
readers of their unpa rallclcd hcauty
's embraced in sublime simplicity.
W fever the tcXtual imperfcctions of
INC Authorized Version, whether due
to the Massoritcs ia I.ati,
ana Greek codices, or TO TRANSACTIONS nj
'hcse that were brought into reuujsi
non by the dovotsd men who cav.
IT, l" us, In tho domain OF literature
'iohc IL Is the Erandest heritage of
me Ehslish language. This is true Of
IL both as regards tIcarncss or ~
preston and standard of DESCRIPTIVE
style Whether in The historic dircc,
ness, the lofty dramatic poetry ar ~
pSa''''onic music of the Old Testament,
NJ III Inc tender stories OF the New Il
strikes note to which tho ipto,,oo.
ana me soul and every nobler senti-
lheht of humanity respond. unco,
scionaly. rs they do 20 nothinr o1so
:" '"e world $ literature. 1t is a note
mat cannot be initiated, but which
every cultured man who ha. stua;od
the Bible feels subconsciously tho IN
llnencc OF. and echoes in though,
speech and writing
The hand that would toncb We,
ss'"r''hetic tenderness tho New Tcs-
'ain'ht narratives. in the st. james Va,
sion, IN order to cure their d,r,o,
would essay to paint the IiIy. ~
hahd that would, by tcxtual corrertio,,
improve upon the OLD Tcstam.r,.s IT.
iorlc' epic and lyrical glorlcs. as ~.
ii'"roine The version, could not bI,t ,ai,
TO aesecrate The Revised version b.s
peeh IN print for Something like ),
generation Its failure TO win its va.
TO popular favor in that linn ~
virtual re!cgation to The ljbrar, sha,,i
OF 'he student for reference merely,
justify tho conclusion tbn,l
INC proposed revision OF tho row,
sion would meet with no better. ri
as inuch, success. Both in the religious
ana the literary aspects of the oucs-
ton experience with tho Rcvisrd vor
SION accrntuates the Question, "wha,
good There would certainly seem ma
prospect that a revision of the revision
could contribute anything material to
lNo sum Of human kmoWlndrn H.. -