a study of bible-第35部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


nes　have　been　trained　in　the　Bible。　If　they　feel　any　religious　influence　at　all；　it　is　the　Bible　influence。

This　has　been　a　long　journey　from　Shakespeare　to　Whittier；　and　it　leaves　untouched　the　great　field　of　present…day　writers。　Let　the　unstarred　names　wait　their　time。　Among　them　are　many　who　can　say　in　their　way　what　Hall　Caine　has　said　of　himself：　〃I　think　I　know　my　Bible　as　few　literary　men　know　it。　There　is　no　book　in　the　world　like　it；　and　the　finest　novels　ever　written　fall　far　short　in　interest　of　any　one　of　the　stories　it　tells。　Whatever　strong　situations　I　have　in　my　books　are　not　of　my　creation；　but　are　taken　from　the　Bible。　The　Deemster　is　a　story　of　the　Prodigal　Son。　The　Bondman　is　the　story　of　Esau　and　Jacob。　The　Scapegoat　is　the　story　of　Eli　and　his　sons；　but　with　Samuel　as　a　little　girl；　and　The　Manxman　is　the　story　of　David　and　Uriah。〃　Take　up　any　of　the　novels　of　the　day；　even　the　poorer　ones；　but　notably　the　better　ones；　and　see　how　uniformly　they　show　the　Scriptural　influence　in　material；　in　idea；　and　in　spirit。　What　the　literature　of　the　future　will　be　no　one　can　say。　This　much　is　as　sure　as　any　fact　in　literary　history；　that　the　English　Bible　is　part　of　the　very　fiber　of　great　literature　from　the　day　it　first　appeared　in　our　tongue　to　this　hour。



LECTURE　V

THE　KING　JAMES　VERSIONITS　INFLUENCE　ON　ENGLISH　AND　AMERICAN　HISTORY

THE　King　James　version　of　the　Bible　is　only　a　book。　What　can　a　book　do　in　history？　Well；　whatever　the　reason；　books　have　played　a　large　part　in　the　movements　of　men；　specially　of　modern　men。

They　have　markedly　influenced　the　opinion　of　men　about　the　past。　It　is　commonly　said　that　Hume's　History　of　England；　defective　as　it　is；　has　yet　〃by　its　method　revolutionized　the　writing　of　history；〃　and　that　is　true。　Nearer　our　own　time；　Carlyle's　Life　of　Cromwell　reversed　the　judgment　of　history　on　Cromwell；　gave　all　readers　of　history　a　new　conception　of　him　and　his　times　and　of　the　movement　of　which　he　was　the　life。　After　the　Restoration　none　were　so　poor　as　to　do　Cromwell　reverence　until　Carlyle's　BOOK　gave　him　anew　to　the　world。

There　are　instances　squarely　in　our　own　time　by　which　their　mighty　influence　may　be　tested。　They　are　of　books　of　almost　ephemeral　value　save　for　the　student　of　history。　As　literature　they　will　be　quickly　forgotten；　but　as　FORCES　they　must　be　reckoned　with。　There　is　Uncle　Tom's　Cabin。　It　would　be　absurd　to　say　that　it　brought　the　American　Civil　War；　or　freed　the　negroes；　or　saved　the　Union。　It　did　none　of　those　great　things。　Yet　it　is　not　at　all　absurd　to　name　it　among　the　potent　powers　in　all　three。　It　is　not　to　our　purpose　whether　it　is　true　or　not　as　a　statement　of　the　whole　fact。　Doubtless　it　was　not　true　of　the　general　and　common　circumstances　of　Southern　slavery；　but　everything　in　it　was　possible；　and　even　frequent　enough　so　that　it　could　not　be　questioned。　It　pretended　no　more。　But　its　influence　was　simply　tremendous。　In　book　form　it　became　available　in　1852；　and　within　three　years；　1855；　it　was　common　property　of　English…speaking　people。　No　other　book　ever　produced　so　extraordinary　an　effect　so　quickly　in　the　public　mind。＇1＇　It　held　up　slavery　to　judgment。　It　crystallized　the　thoughts　of　common　people。　The　work　of　those　strenuous　years　in　the　'60's　could　not　have　been　done　without　the　result　of　that　book。　It　made　history。　Come　nearer　our　own　day。　We　could　not　be　long　in　London　without　feeling　the　concern　of　the　better　people　for　conditions　in　the　East　End。　A　new　social　impulse　has　seized　them。　To　be　sure；　it　lacks　much　yet　of　success；　but　more　has　been　done　than　most　people　realize。　The　new　movement；　the　awakening　of　that　social　sense；　traces　back　to　the　book　of　Gen。　William　Booth；　In　Darkest　England　（1890）。　It　has　helped　to　change　the　life　of　a　large　part　of　London。


＇1＇　Rhodes；　History　of　the　United　States；　vol。　i；　pp。　185…303。


On　this　side；　the　new　concern　for　city　conditions　dates　from　the　book　of　a　newspaper　reporter；　Jacob　A。　Riis；　How　the　Other　Half　Lives。　It　thrust　the　Other　Half　into　such　prominence　that　it　has　never　been　possible　to　forget　it。　Marked　advance　in　all　American　cities；　in　legislation　and　life；　goes　straight　back　to　it。　Name　one　other　book　still　in　the　field　of　social　service；　even　so　unpleasant；　so　terrible；　so　obnoxious　a　book　as　Upton　Sinclair's　The　Jungle。　It　started　and　sustained　movements　which　have　unsettled　business　and　political　life　ever　since　it　appeared。　It　made　some　conditions　vivid；　unescapable。

Do　not　misunderstand　the　argument。　No　man　can　tell　what　will　be　said　in　the　histories　a　century　from　now　about　these　lesser　books。　We　can　never　go　beyond　guesses　as　to　the　whole　cause　of　any　chain　of　events。＇1＇　As　time　passes；　incidental　elements　in　the　causes　gradually　sink　out　of　sight　and　a　few　great　forces　take　the　whole　horizon。　Whatever　the　histories　a　century　from　now　say　about　the　relative　place　of　such　books　as　we　have　named；　it　is　certain　that　they　have　influenced　the　movements　mightily。　The　literary　histories　will　say　nothing　at　all　about　them。　They　are　not　great　literature；　but　they　were　born　of　a　passion　of　the　times　and　voiced　and　aroused　it　anew。


＇1＇　MacPhail；　Essays　on　Puritanism；　p。　278。


When；　therefore；　it　is　urged　that　the　English　Bible　has　influenced　history；　it　is　not　making　an　undue　claim　for　it。　When　it　is　further　urged　that　of　all　books　in　English　literature　it　has　been　most　influential；　it　has　most　made　history；　it　has　most　determined　great　movements；　the　argument　only　claims　for　it　the　highest　place　among　books。

And　it　would　not　be　surprising　if　it　should　have　such　influence。　It　is　the　one　great　piece　of　English　literature　which　is　universal　property。　Since　the　day　it　was　published　it　has　been　kept　available　for　everybody。　No　other　book　has　ever　had　its　chance。　English…speaking　people　have　always　been　essentially　religious。　They　have　always　had　a　profound　regard　for　the　terms；　the　institutions；　the　purposes　of　religion。　Partly　that　has　been　maintained　by　the　Bible；　but　the　Bible　in　its　turn　has　been　maintained　by　it。　So　it　has　come　about　that　English…speaking　people；　though　they　have　many　books；　are　essentially　people　of　one　Book。　Wherever　they　are；　the　Bible　is。　Queen　Victoria　has　it　near　by　when　the　messenger　from　the　Orient　appears；　and　lays　her　hand　upon　it　to　say　that　this　is　the　foundation　of　the　prosperity　of　England。　But　the　poor　housewife　in　the　cottage；　with　only　a　crust　for　food；　stays　her　soul　with　it。　The　Puritan　creeps　into　hiding　with　the　Book；　while　his　brother　sails　away　to　the　new　land　with　the　Book。　The　settler　may　have　his　Shakespeare；　he　will　surely　have　his　Bible。　As　the　long　wagon…train　creeps　across　the　plain　to　seek　the　Western　shore；　there　may　be　no　other　book　in　all　the　train；　but　the　Bible　will　be　there。　Find　any　settlement　of　men　who　speak　the　English　tongue；　wherever　they　make　their　home；　and　the　Bible　is　among　them。　When　did　any　book　have　such　a　chance　to　influence　men？　It　is　the　one　undisturbed　heritage　of　all　who　speak　the　English　tongue。　It　binds　the　daughter　and　the　mother　country　together；　and　gathers　into　the　same　bond　the　scattered　remnants　of　the　English…speaking　race　the　world　around。　Its　language　is　the　one　speech　they　all　unde