New-York tribune., 1918-02-03


This writer voiced a plea for discrimina-
ton in the reading of the Bible, which he
held to be "about tho most dangerous
book" if considered as can absolutely in
errant book historically, ethically and re-
ligiously." He argued that ''it would do
the people no harm to know the truth
about the Bible'-that it might, on the
contrary. "do them a great deal Of good"
For instance, ''it would be instructive and
useful to show them what strange and
half savage ideas people used to have
about God and His kingdom, and how,
little by little. they have been led away
from these ideas and up to higher
morality and purer spiritual faith
The most significant, however, of the
writer's contentious was that, accepted as
a work whereby society may rightcously
seek inspiration, the Bible sanctions war,
barbaritles-all the thousand and one
horrors which the world has been called
upon by Germany to countenance "Those
who hold the theory that whatever the
Bible anywhere enjoins and permits must
be accepted as in accordance with the
Divine will find it easy "by explicit quo
tations from the Bible to justify all these
dogmaS of militaristic nationalsm and
all the cruelties and atrocities which grow
out of them" The writer boldly asserted
that in his opinion the Church has be-
haved in a really infamous manner "The
Bible" he declared, has been used by the
Church to darken the minds and foment
{bo hot
way as to keep alive and perpetuate
the militaristic nationalism which is the
immediate cause of war" And he added
that "it is the fault, the crime of the
Church that the Bible has been used in
this way"
About week after this resume had
appeared The Review received from Miss
Frances jenkins Olcott of Brooklyn, a
letter in which she protested against the
conclusions drawn by "W G"-against
his interpretation of the Bible She de-
Tended the Old Testament, taking for text
the words of Christ Search the Script
ures for in them ye think We have eternal
hfe, and they are they which testify of
me- She discussed Wellhausen's theory
that the ancient Hebrews were a savage
and poytheistic race. She quoted several
authorities, including Professor A. H.
sayce and Dr.. Fritz Honlmel, of the Uni
verslty of Munich. In word, Miss o.
colt, in her communication, which was
printed in The Review January 13, con-
tended that the Bible was to be accented
from cover to cover" as the saying goes.
Now comes to hand another letter d.
rectly bearing upon the subject This
letter is from Mr.. Albert Z. Grubb, of
New York City, and it expresses the opin-
ION that Miss Olcott's letter "was hardly
fair reply to the very interesting arti-
Gle on the Bible by 'W c." He proceeds
as follows:
by quoting the opening paragraph of Pro.
fessor Sayce's book The Higher Criticism
and the Verdict of the Monuments,' without
giving any of the context, your correspondent
undoubtedly led many to suppose that the
distinguished Oxford Assyriologist is averse
to scientific investigation of the sacred text
Such, however. is not the case, though Pro
lessor Sayce is careful to explain that the
so-called higher criticism is mainly depen
dent upon the lower or textual criticism
one being pathological in its scope while the
other is an inquiry into the nature origin
rHu Odtc VI Itc documents. as we'll as into
the historical Value and credibility of the
statements which they contain As for the
results obtained:
There are narratives and statements r
the Old Testamen. as to which the skepticism
of the critic has been shown to be justified
The Judgment he has passed on the so-caled
historical chapters of the Book of Daniel has
been abundantly verified by the recent dis
coveries of Assyriology. The same evidence
and tho ,,hic
strated that the skeptcsm of the "highe,
criticism" was hasty and unfounded in Ger
tain instances have equally demonstrated thai
1t was we'll founded in others. We cannot
accept the evidence in one case and refuse
to accept it in the other opp. 27-28.)
Miss Olcott further denies that the an
ccnt Hebrews were savage and cruel like
other nations of the period. When the writer
in The Christian World said that there are
portions Of the Bible which, if accepted
would justify the Germans in their bar
barism' he undoubtedly had in mind suct
passages Deuteronomy Xxx, 10-17 ane
Numbers XXI, I'll, 17-1s. Would Mis-.
olcott have us believe that these atrocities
were sanctioned approved by Christ? THAI
israel practised espionage is manifest from
Numbers xiii, 1920, and other passages, while
the attitude of Germany toward Belgium ant
Luxembourg in the period Immediately prcced
ing the is closely paralleled by the con
ditons described in Numbers xxi, 21-24.
FINALLY, nothing could have been NOR.
exact than the statement by w. G. that mo
one in ten of the people in the Protestant
evangelical churches or Sunday schools o.
America to-day knows the truth about thu
Bible The ability to quote texts by whole
sale is encountered everywhere, but the g
norance of the average church member re
garding the origin and authenticity of it.
various books, the difference between the