The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-07-22

l. 4
inent place as the classics of Greece
youth. Daniel Webster read the whole
Bible once year for imagery and
style, and Ruskin read the Bible from
cover to cover and when he had fin
ished the last chapter he began the
first chapter of Genesis the very next
day.
Since the inspired writings are SO
wonderful in themselves, it is not nat
ural that they should exercise an ex-
traordinary influence on other litera-
lures. They have furnished themes
for the noblest epics, such as the obi
vine Comedy" of Dante, Jerusalem De-
| livered" of Tasso, the Paradise Lost"
and Paradise Regained" of Milton.
They have exercised an unbounded in
fuence on the drama not only in the
case of such writer's as Shakespeare,
whose morality is based on the teach
ings of holy writ. Lyric poetry in gen.
eral and hymnology in particular have
drawn largely from the Bible. Ten
nyson has no fewer than 500 Biblical
illusions in his poems. The begin
nings of English literature were mold
ed to a great extent by the sacred writ
ings. Even our daily speech reflects
scriptural hues and many of our ia
miliar phrases are borrowed from Rev.
citation. For instance, the widows
mite, the fieshpots of Egypt, mess of
pottage, the strife of tongues, the pride
of life, vanity of vanities, the pearl of
great price, the powers that be, labor
of love, the salt of the earth, the light
of the world, the wings of the morning,
the foundations of the great deep,
entertaining angles unawares, misera-
BILE comforters, a land flowing with
milk and honey, etc. Scriptural diction
contains a certain dignity and majesty
which ordinary language does not pos
sess, and some of our finest lyrics are
scriptural through and through.
Nothing in the whole range of pro-
fame literature equals the description
of the Most High as found in the
Psalms. Gods throne is set in the
skies, the cloud is His chariot, the
earth His footstool, the winds are His
messengers, the thunder His voice, the
lightnings His agents of destruction ;
His glory precedeth the sun at noon
day, and the shadow of His majesty
gildeth the west at eventide; His paths
are upon the painless sea. His foot
steps on the eternal hills; He weighs
the mountains as in a balance; He
poises the earth upon his fingers. He
in rNf
hand, and in His heavenly home He is
robed in light as in a garment, while
!, angels without number are bowling be-
fore His throne and singing perpetual
hOsannas to His name. The earth is
His and the fullness thereof; the focks
of the plains are His, the cattle on q
thousand hills are His, the footless
herds of the deep are His, the pearls
of the sea are His, the diamonds of the
mine are His-they are all His, His BY
a thousand claims, His by right divine
The Bible is a deathless book be
= cause it rises above the fluctuations O.
: time and place, and because it meet!
the needs and satisfies the aspirations
of humanity. It is suited to every agt
. anu Iduh anu NSLdIS. II L6l1S the mon
: arch that he is but the servant of {
! 4 higher Monarch, and it assures the
, peasant that he is a child of the Mos
, High. 1t has voice of majesty fo
the proud, a voice Of encouragement
: for the difhdent, voice of tenderness
I for the afflicted, and voice of hop
!. for the Respondent Other books ar
L great in the degree that they approach
/ the Bible. Thus the Pilgrims PROG
T ress,'' though written by a tinker, AM
S the Imitation of Christ" though com
/ posed without much regard to style
shall live forever. Error is transient
b but truth is immortal. Glory and hon
r or, and power and majesty to Him VIII,
:. gave us that immortal book, the Bible
l. to comfort us in our exile, to chez
l. and guide us as we wend our wa
d along the dusty road of life to tn,
u New Jerusalem.