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
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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 |
/
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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
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