THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1897.
5 w e a rin g .
for which they » receive • pay.
*
It shell,
with hut little chance to
Dr. Buckley said: “I am sorry
seems as though the orthodox change them; they are hound as to disagree with my friend Curtis.
Theodore 1 ark»*r once shocked preachers wished the people to with an iron hand to their
I don’t believe in the infallibility
orthodox Christians by saying in recognize their exclusive right to do organization, therefore progression
of the English version of the bible,
one of his sermons that ordinary w hat cursing and swearing is done to them comes very slowly; now mv
and I think there are scarcely four
profanity was not necessarily —only for emphasis and effect, grandmother (not meaning to speak
men in this meeting who do.”
wicked, but, at worst, was merely probably—and to have the monop­ irreverently of her, for she was
There was a gasp, a groan, aeon-
an exhibition of bad taste in the oly of all the paid work done on concientious and well developed
fused hum of voices and then a
use of language.
He said men Sunday, except such work as con­ morally, hut had one of the
swore without any thought of dis­ veying them and the people to ami organizations I have described, chorus of protests, hut Dr. Buckley
respect to God, merely to emphasize from church, providing meals, etc. with large firmness and self esteem, waited for quiet and then went on
to point out what he declared to be
their expressions, but that oaths
I protest that no class should be and small causality) was tdu- the many glaring inconsistencies
lose their force and effect by too piivilrdged to <lo all the swearing, cated
to have a supeisti- in the English translation even in
frequent use in ordinary unimpas­ to have the whole advantage of em­ tious idea of things, not having a
its revised form. When he sat
sioned conversation. When Wash­ ploy ing a certain kind of rhetoric to chance to even hear a word about
dow’n the storm broke.
ington, cool, self-possessed, and give force to their language, nor be the laws of nature. A preacher
Clergyman after clergyman arose
unaccustomed to use superflous exempt from compulsory Sabbath once said he wished there was no
words gave vent to his emotions, observance, if such observance is such thing as the laws of nature, and in somewhat nr.clerical heat
denounced toe \iewsof I)r. Buckley
under strong excitement, with an imposed by law upon other classes. when a friend of mine was arguing
and Dr. Lyman Abbot. Dr. Shaffer
oath, or when Andrew Jackson, as But we must remember that there with him; so my grandmother,
of Newburg and Dr. Leonard of
fir’ll as a rock in resisting wrong, was a time when the church and its not knowing anything about
thiseily were the leaders in the
swears “by the Eternal” that he clergy did whatever they chose, and these
law a,
instilled
her discussion. l)r. Buckley declined
will never recede from his position, obedience to them was demanded feelings ami
aspirations into fervent appeals to retract his words
there is something in the rhetoric on penalty of imprisonment, tor- her son, my
dear
father, and demand a vote on the question
which challenges admiration and ure and (hath.
The privileges and having instilled her religious of the infallibility of the bible.
increases respect for the man.
which they now have or expect are sentiments so thoroughly into him,
“If .you doubt the infallibtlity of
For presenting this view’ of pro­ few and small in comparison, and he naturally followed the example
the bible,” cried Dr. Shaffer “ we
fanity, Parker was detested and they are still “growing smaller by she had set, and, being a very1
can very well get along without
denounced in unmeasured terms by degrees and beautifully less.’’
conscientious, honest man, with you and all like you.”
the clergy as a blasphemer and an
B. F. U nderw ood .
large
sympathies,
he
felt
“ You’re afraid to have a vote
infidel.
it to be his duty to do all in his taken,” responded Dr. Buckley.
R eligious E xperience.
Some years afterwards, a profes­
power to save his dear family and “ Ido not preiend by this to question
sor read a paper before the Ameri­
[B y M. J. O lds .]
¡riends from that everlasting pun­ the infallibility of the bible as it
can Scientific Association
at
To the Editor: I have heretofore ishment, which awaits those who was written in the Hebrew’ and
Saratoga on “Consonantal Expres­ spoken of my good old grandmother do not ami cannot believe the Bible the Greek, but I do question parts
sions of Emotion,” in which he having a great influence over mt to be divinely inspired and of it as it w’as written in English,
said that the words employed to while 1 was quite young. It proves do not live up io it teachings, and I want a vote taken.”
express strong emotions contain to me how a child’s mind can be lie thought that unbelievers
Those who believed in the infall­
strong consonantal sounds—those bent for good or evil, while ver\ must go down into everlasting ibility of the English version of
known as palatals, sibilants, and young and the great necessity of punishment, where the worm dieth the bible w’ere to rise and be
aspirates. He inferred that there instilling into it the law’s of not and the tire is not quenched. counted. Only one man arose, Dr.
was some profound and subtle con­ nature in order that they may es­ He therefore became a minister of Shaffer. The other clergymen,
nection between emotion and these cape the penalty of violated law. the gospel and labored very hard however, said they did no’t consider
sounds, and that words commonly which is causing so much suffering to save all the souls from this eter­ such a vote authorized.
used in profanity having for the and unhappiness now in the world. nal punishment. But think of the
It may well be doubted whether
most part consonant sounds, are Nature says, if we sin, we must suf­ words, he that belie vet h not shall be
there is a single intelligent, well-
but natural expressions of deep fer the penalty of violated law. damned eternally,and the smoke of informed individual, minister or
emotion. According to this view’ a So it stands us in hand to search their torments shall ascend up day layman, who really believes in the
man who, under the pressure of the scriptures of nature (not the and night, forever and ever. Only infallibility of any English version
strong excitement, indulges in orthodox bible) that we may learn to think, for ever and ever! A just, of the Bible. The most they can
w’hat is called profane language, be happy. Now’ as w’e have our loving and merciful God; a God aver is, like Dr. Buckley: “I do
merely gives consonantal expres­ hereditary tendencies to contend who had all knowledge and all not pretend to question the infalli­
sion to his emotion.
with, and also the influences which power; knew the weakness and bility of the Bible as it was written
A point to be remembered is that are thrown around us day by day frailty of the children he had made in Hebrew and Greek.”
the frequent repetition of these ex­ which are perhaps all against the yet did his work so imperfectly. A But this leads to a peculiar pre­
pressions from mere habit, when laws of nature and have a power­ perfect God, think of it, to make dicament. Where will they find a
they are prompted by no corres­ ful tendency to warp the young such a botch of his work; then copy of that “Bible as it was writ­
ponding feeling, weakens speech „in­ mind, and get it so deeply impreg­ when he saw w’hat a bad job he ten in Hebrew and the Greek?”
stead of giving it force, and such nated with wrong ideas, that if con­ had dune, it grieved him to the I he books that have been copied
profanity detracts from the dignitv tinued until the child arrives at heart; and possessing all power to and recopied, transcribed and re-
of the speaker and at the same mature age, it is very hard to coun­ save all his dear children, he does transcribed- -and retranscriptions
time offends the good taste of the teract the false education it lias re­ n<»t do it. Dear me, I think he retranscribed, ad libitum, by care­
hearer. The force of language is, ceived for so many years. If one must be terribly out of balance in less or willfully erroneous copyists,
like physical force, along the line has large firmness and perhaps his organization.
who amended, revised, altered and’
interpolated, until nobody knows
of least resistance, and profanity large self-esteem, it makes him feel
( to be continued .)
what remains as it was “originally
impairs the effectiveness of an ex­ a great deal of confidence in him­
written in Hebrew and the Greek”—
In fallib le Bible.
clamation or declaration unless self and in his opinion of things;
are these to be taken, and believed
there is a state of mind, a tone of while firmness being large would
Dr. ,J. M. Buckley, editor of the in as infallible? But, if not, where
voice and some exigency that fits the make him stick to his opinions
is the infallible Bible to be found?
New York Christian Advocate, the Echo answers: Where?
words to the occasion. Ordinary, and the way hp had been raised.
official organ of the Methodist
There is no known infallible
habitual profanity is folly.
It is very hard to get new ideas into Church, created a sensation at a Bible in existence-whether Hebrew,
The teaching of the clergy that the mind provided it has small
meeting of Methodist ministers by Greek, English, or in any other
swearing (except by themselves and causality and if this is small, it’s
asking the question: “Is the English language or tongue—and if the
in their pious, clerical way) is an bard to reason from cause to effect
were as honest and fear­
version of the bible infallible?” ministers
less as they are learned, they would
insult to God and a damning sin, and from effect back to the cause
and answering it in the neg­ admit the fact. Noteven the famed
is in keeping with their foolish and the mind will still persist in
ative. The 300 clergymen present Polychrome Bible, with all the
preaching about the great sin of staying in the old rut.
were indignant at his position and trained and fearless scholarship en­
“Sabbath breaking”—-working or
So we can see that some are out of angered still more by his declaring gaged in its preparation, can claim
playing on the “Lord’s day’’--on balance in their organization, they the great majority of them agreed to be infallible. Nor is there any
Bible that is known to be “as it was
which they do most of the W
’ork are unlucky, shut up as it were in a with him.
originally written.”—Ex.