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About Christian herald. (Portland ;) 1882-18?? | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1884)
CHRISTIAN * tice. And when men shall every where accept it as such, ^without -addition or subtraction, we may «for thatnmtyKnnmg^ tians which ought to be the sincere desire of all who are not hopelessly wedded to sects.—' S pecimen E rrors .—The Nation al Temperance Society published some excellent books. Its testi mony in favor ôf total abstinence • and prohibition is admirable. It has made some mistakes of inter- K 1 - *K once exposed, and we are glad that it now proposes to correct them. The organ of the Society publishes the following in its last issue : “ As to the falsehoods- about the quotations in support of the unfer mented wine theory, the Committee of Publications, at a meeting helc the 19th of last month, adopted the following resolution ’*1 Sundry charges have been made that the National Tem perance Society publishes books ^which contain atrocious falsehoods and twisting of Scripture ; there fore, “ ‘ Resolved, That we invite each — and all by whom said charges are made, or who may have such char ges to make, to definitely specify protropum of Pl my “ was mustum flowing from the untrodden cluster, from the pressure of the grapes on eaeh other,” and gives this tho -first place among “ Greek and Roman unintoxicating wines.” Pliny says of it that after allowing it to finish its fermentation ( ‘ defervere”) they repened it (“ torrent ”) in the sun forty days. This would seem less favorable than Columella’s cool pond for producing Dr. Kerr’s harmless grape juice. To represent it as unfermented is plainly incor- rect. As a “ twisting of Scripture,” we may give Dr. Kerr’s words (p. 71): “ In Deut. xxxii, 33, it (wine) is called “ the poison of dragons and the cruel venom of asps.” This expo sition is plainly incorrect. “JTtTe-B^^^ Dr. Patton, we have (p. 41). “ Accor ding to Plautus, the Latin mustum signified both wine and sweet juice.” tures ” (p.95). Dr. Patton did not find it for himself in Plautus; and the fact is that the yrord mustum does not occur in Plautus at all. Dr. Patton (p. 71), quotes Plu tarch as saying that before the time of Psammetichus the Egyptians drank no wine. Plutarch makes that statement only of. the royal whichCOTT-- priest: tain the alleged falsehoods or false quotations ¿lid references, and we pledge ourselves to give a fair ex amination to the charges, and if they are proven we will strike from our publication all such passages or - quotations., -------- « It is understood that the Soeiety holds itself responsible only for the examinations of such charges, as are presented in writing, with name and address, to our Corresponding Secretary, J. N. Stearns, 58 Reads Street, New York City.” It looks a little bit lofty to re fuse to consider any printed “ char ges.” Nevertheless, we herewith give a few tpecimens of errors’ and leave the responsibility with the publishing committee of ignoring them. ■ The volume by Norman Kerr, M. D., entitled “ Wines, Scriptural and Ecclesiastical,” republished by the Society, maintains (p. 83) that the word “ drunken ” in 1 Cor. xi. 21, should have been filled or sated, as with sweet drink ; and asserts that Clement, of Alexandria, held this interpretation. Clement of Alexan dria neither gave nor held such an interpretation. Dr. Kerr says (p. 29) that the | / I « * HERALD use of unintoxicating wine at the Lords supper.” Such is not the fact. - Dr, Samson asserts (p. 454) that we have “ the direct statement ” o' Clement and of Jerome that the wine of the Last Supper was unfer mented. Such is not the fact, The same writer tells us that Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, “ direct ly states” (p. 212) and “expressly declares ” (p.453) that the wine o: the Cana miracle was like the juice in the grape. Such is not the fact The poet Plautus, says Dr. Sam son, (p. 133) “ picture's tEe" vice of wine-drinking, and compares its in fluence with that of those who drink only ‘ mustum ’ or unfermentec grape juice.” The word mustum has quotation marks as here. The woraTnascum is nowhere found in Plautus,and Plautus nowhere makes any such comparison. Dr. Samson asserts that in the Arabic- translationof thr Bible; made in the eight century, we have, in John ii, 19, not “ good wine ” but “ new wine.” Such is not the fact We.do not so much blame the Society for having first published these mis-statements as for stick ing to them when they ha ve been again and again* exposed, and for stating, in the very article quoted above, that the books- containing them have “ never been successful- ly impeached.” We are glad that revision is now considered; but several books can be corrected only by melting the plates.— N. Y. Inde pendent. Missionary Column. MISSIONARY BOARD. W. H. Adam«. Portland ?.................. President. Leo. Willis, Salam____ _______Vice-President. Mrs. Belle P. Walker. Forest Grove, Rec. Sec. I. G. Davidson. Portland---------- ... Treasurer. J. W. Spriggs, Salem.................. Cor. Secretary. All communications relating to the employ ment of evangelists, protracted meetings, co operation in securing pastoral work, etc., all pledges ol assistance with requests for the same, and all business properly coming before the Board will be addressed to the Cor. Sec retary All collections, payments of pledges, etc., will be addressed to the Treasurer. ) Minutes of the Executive Board. The Executive Board of the C. M. C, of O., met in Portland, Jan. 1, 1884. A letter from the Cor. Sec., was read, stating that the peo ple of McMinnville and The Dalles want the aid eMh» Kvangelirt, and have expressed their willingness to defray his expenses. A motion carried that the Cor. ^ lc ., 1 a - instructed to correspond with brethren at Coquelle City stating the condition of the treas- ury and ascertain the least amount that will be necessary to carry on the work there, and inquire if it would be posiible to carry it on without help from the Board. Moved that the Cor. Sec. confer with the church at Forest Grove to ascertain what prospects there are for securing funds enough to em ploy Bro. Burnett one half his time at that point, and what amount, if any, will be needed from the board to ensure the suceess of the work at that place. The Cor. Sec. was also instructed to endeavor to arrange with the Wasco county brethren for some other than the State Evangelist, Bro. Morrison or Burnett, or both to do the contemplated work there, and arrange to have the Evangelist go to McMinnville about the 1st of February. Upon motion the Board adjourn ed to meet at eleven A. M., Saturday the 26th of Jan. 1884. W. H. A dams , President. B elle W alker , Rec. Sec. —------- ♦ • ♦--------- —— , , . -. Dr. Patton, in common with many advanced temperance writers, rep resents Ulysses as -making Poly phemus drunk (“ Odyssey ” B. IX.) on unfermented winp. This is a plain misinterpretation. ---------------- e ---- •-» Dr. Nott’s “ Lectures ” (p. 114) “ O ne M ass of M isery .”—One of deal largely, like most of "ThF^gT6AreSUCSuseS”dT^nMryamdfi^"" wine writers of the National Tem the working classes is early mar perance Society, with the subject of riages. Thousands marry for what strained or filtered wine, Plutarch is called love without the least com is quoted as saying that the filter fort. The poor wife is continually w-•> ing takes away all the strength; at her wits’ end how to make both while the fact is that Pluta&ch ends meet; the care, the misery, makes a silly fellow say so in a di the Buffering she has to go through alogue, and then makes a wise man it is impossible to describe. The contradict him. Pliny reproaches family is continually living from the winebibber because they strain hand to mouth, the husband fears ed their wine in order to get down to be out of work, he cannot look more. Besides, these gentlemen the future in the face, and there is seem not to have taken into account nothing left for them but a con An Appeal for Bro. Edmund« the slight difficulty of straining the tinued struggle against poverty. alcohol out of wine. Dr. Samson Home to them is not a home ; it is Brethren: has a large discourse (“ Divine Law only a name. If the husband hap Last summer Bro. Edmunds was pens to die the wife and children as to Wines,” p. 41 and elsewhere) are left utterly destitute; nothing induced by the brethren to go to about straining fresh grape-juice so for them but the poorhouse and the Coos county, and try to establish as entirely to prevent fermentation. pauper’s grave. The very love they the cause at Coquelle City and in But no one can find a syllable of have for their children makes them other parts of Coose Co. It was allusion to such a process in any miserable. Will love make these loped that the Board would be poor people happy ? I say no. Love ancient book. can never make people happy under able to aid Bro. Edmunds in this Dr. Samson asserts (p. 216) that such circumstances. John Bright work, and relying on aid from our Ambrose, Chrysostom and Augus- says: “ It is one mass of misery missionary fund he quit his work tine “ accorded in commending the from the cradle to the grave.” at North Yamhill and Carlton and I s* «
