The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-30
THE APOCRYPHA.
Is II Only Mythical and Allesor'ca'
History?


To II EDITOR OF The SuN-Sir: b.
l.. L." In THE SUN Of Christmas DAY
replies to my letter regarding the apoc-
rypha and recommends that ! READ me
Apocrypha carefully, in order TO stimu.
late thought and faith ana
reverence" From the time was Ola
enough to look at a pictorial bioie !
had the real old fashioned hell nre ana
birthstone orthodox Christianity nam
mered into me so hard that sometimes
! was really afraid to go to bed IN 'he
dark. =.
! have, at IS years Of age. arrived at
q purely philosophical frame OF dnind'
I survived the allegorical and the meta.
physical stages OF mental development
and I think I can now say that Jonathan
Edwards's sermon on the condition OF a
sinner in the hands OF an angry GOO ho
longer scares me almost to deau1' ,
| have read the Apocrypha, IN iact ;
was nursed on the Bible and all tninss
connected with 1t. I believed as a youth
and young man that I was Obliged 10
believe or be forever damned. SuIne
years before his death my friend fro'
fessor Goodwin Smith OF Toronto wro.e
me a letter in relation to the narratives
Of the Old Testament, especially those
in Genesis. We had been espo
concerning the crossing OF the Red sea
by the Isrt elites. and he wrote me INA.
he was sa1lsfied In his mind tn&t nos
one grain of truth could be extrac,e.
from such narratives as were founoeo
on tradition. l agree with that dictuih'
The only things in the Bible. or In the
u%ncanonical Apocrypha. which IN any
ma appeal to my better SELF are 1ne
moral precepts. All mythical and ALE
gorical matters I have relegated 10 '"e
Junk hear of things to be forgotten.
The average human mind Is lazy ano
follows the line Of least resistance. De
liefs we accept in youth cling 10 us
unless we are fortunate enough u
throw them off. The average man IL
afraid Of new ideas and opinions, pe.
cause his opinions and beliefs formeo
in youth are founded on fear. nave
faith and reverence only In the law
that this universe is governed by law
the law giver | know nothing about. !
have no faith In the jehovah of the Old
Testament having, II my, but a myth
cal and ~allegorical existence. AS 10
''s;delights of sacred or religious MS.
tory; s~idelights on a snip AT nlsh'
necessitate a ship. sidelights or historN
necessitate real history. so that the idea
OF the Apocrypha being a sideieht OF
religious history necessitatee a know
EDGE Of what "B. l.. L." means by re
ny1ous history Is w
ter Of Genesis inspired religious MS
tory? Such stories. to my MIND are nor
conducive TO faith n reverence III
hat 'B. l.. L." calls religious history.
The Apocrypha is not a sidelight on
religious history, but n part and parce'
OF the myths and allegories of both the
New and Old Testaments. They are IN
teresting, but not as facts. As 10 com
| pairing such stories with the lives oil
Washington. Franklin and JEFFERSON
who were real flesh and blood men
worthy of more reverence to vs. Amer
| cans than any person mentioned In the
Old Testament-that indeed is sacri-
legIous. "B. l.. L." might have men
toned Patrick Henry. whose historic
words. "As for me. give me liberty or
give me DEATH are worth more to man
kind Chan anything in the Old Tesla
ment. Apocrypha included.
I believe In man. | believe man Is AT
this very moment working out his own
salvation without fear and without
trembling. and in the trenches the cry
goes out, give us liberty or give US
death" II Is no time to look back into
the Old Testament Or the Apocrypha
for faith and reverence. It Is in man
1t IL in reason. logic and COMMON sense
Man is the arbiter. As the poet Swim
burne so triumphantly sings in his
poem. Hymn TO Han: GLORY to NAV
in the highest, for man is the master
of things ARLINGTON II. CARMAN.
P~ATCHoGrE, l.. l.. December 90.