Evening star., 1932-08-28

- HE business OF the bloie Is Sai'atiou.
It's outlook as whole, therefore, Is
upon death and the hereafter. It's
prime preoccupation is with sin and
its cure.
In the old Hebraic sense and. in
deed in the later sense of the Puritan, book
of dread prophecies and priestly admonitions,
exhoreations condemnations and damnations.
Dark with shadows and gloom Beauty snare,
pleasure seduction, happiness on earth wicked
unfealty to the heavenly hope. Holy Writ IN
effect forswore the genius of its own substance.
That is until very recent times, when, maybe
some pagan poet, timorous yet with adventure
in his veins wandering here and there through
the bitterness Of warfare against SHINING
world came upon beauty. Came suddenly and
surprisingly upon the beauty of poetry ard
song upon story and idyl, upon adventure IT.
self upon the sheer lovelineSs Of the world OF
nature. Modern too. in form as well as IN
substance That would be true, since beauty
must wear its own garments. And these do not
go out of fashion
Books began to be written about the great
discovery made by the poet, the poets. The
discovery of the Bible THE Greatest Book IN
the World" according to Edward Newton, de-
voted book hunter. James O'Donnell Bennett
makes clear that the Bible brought to perfec-
ton the shcrt story from which all the o
Henrys have gained so richly and from which
they have so richly given. 1t may safely be
mated that most modern turn of literature. free
verse Nowadays, in both England and Amer
lea, Whitman is proclaied the father OF free
verse But he took it from the Bible. And 50
did Heine and Goethe and Blake and Milton
George Saintsbury, master critic, points to
'The Song of Solomon" eighth chapter, sixth
and seventh verses, as the best example known
of absolutely perfect English prose. Look it
up What about it?
But, let us get along to the interesting fact
nat Charles Muir Washington lawyer, has
given us here an absorbing outlook upon the
Bible from the glamorous viewpoint OF romance.
A treasure chest, In which, under the main
purpose of spiritual advice and command, lies
many song of beauty. many a tale of love
and adventure. Intended, primarily. no doubt,
to push the lessons Of eternal life. Diverted to
secular uses by these worldly pilferers.
No doubt as a lad, young Muir rummaged
that chest pretty thoroughly. For his father
was preacher, pastor of church in the Cap
ital for many years. Chaplain of the United
States Senate for the last seven of his working
years. So the boy must have gained many a
covert respite from the pure teachings of the
Bible by lingering over some new-found story,
while precepts of morality and righteousness
were uppermost en- the table. That is, he did
this if he were boy And it turns out that he
was. A boy and some besides.
And here is the book. Outlined it offers
three parts One, the romance of the Old
Testament Two, the romance of the New
Testament. Three, the romantic influence of
the Bible. So much for the orderly mind of the
man.
The next impression is that of the writer's
simplicity of habit. This becomes clear in his
approach to his subject, in his straight course,
in his friendly and unpretentious way with
words. Since his theme Is romance, he begins
right there. Most would have been roundabout
in reaching it by way Of learned theories con-
cerning this, that and the other of source,
notifications and so on and so on. In a min
tfse we are all with him, picking out good ro-
mances from the Big Book. Jacob and Rachel,
Bcaz and Ruth and the others. Along with
this pleasant quest Of romance, historical facts
nudge in, but they never obtrusive. They
never block the game of story finding.
Here spreads the splendor of Babylon. and
its danger. Seems a bit like New York and
Chicago our own Babylons; they, too, maybe
not SO safe. And the prophets, "the uncanny
prophets" thunder against Babylon they
would do, they do do.
And the Psalm, the hymn book of the Jews
300 years in the making. covering the whole
period Ct Jewish national life Many Of them
sung by temple choirs, to the tuning of the Tyre.
Homesick exiles in Babylon used to sing them
Mothers would chant them to their children.
Find them and read them. For they appeal to
us. I'm them each sees his own soul. its joy,
its grief, its dependence On the Almighty"
Here is a great lawyer. And here is the
greatest letter writer" You know the latter
that modern man Paul, that go-getter who
upset the world" according to a book only
few weeks off the press. And with Paul we
find out how the New Testament got its start
And from this engaging study we find out be-
sides, any number of helpful homespun things
shut away from us by the formal ritualistic use
of the Bible to which we are accustomed.
Then, the spirit and manner of the book arc
truly beautiful and friendly. Illuminating and
stimulating. To go back to the Bible in new
.auest will, without doubt, be the first reaction
t5 The Romance of the Bible"
1t is easy to say that book Is great. Not so
easy to prove since so much of greatness as of
goodness and many another mess" lies in its
effect upon the individual. So. in this case.