THE FORM OF THE BIBLE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21919, 1 October 1934, Page 12

THE FORM OF THE BIBLE

Sir, —Ever since Archdeacon Gavin advocated a modern edition of the Bible, I have wondered that -no one had pointed out the existence of such an excellent work already. Th<3 noble appeal o:f the Governor-General for a renewal of Bible reading, in the home, and Miss Elsie K. Morton's inspiring article in the Herald, should revive the longing for the Bible in a more readable and attractive form. In Sir Arthur Q.uiller Couch's delightful lec? tares on the "Art of Reading," lie makes a strong appeal for general Bible study and its use in the university (!) as well; and at the same! time ho deplores the form in which it' is usually issued. In; lecture. DC. he complains that poetry is set out as; pros;e, long parc.gra.phs are broken up l into short vc-ises resembling little passages sot in examination papers; j then the whole is peppered over with irrelevant italics and. numerals printed in double columns with a, marginal gutter on each side pouring down ay inky flow or references and cross-j references. Now, the remedy will bo i found in Professor R. G. Moalton's j "Modern Reader's Bible," strongly i recommended by Quiller Couch. 'Moid* I ton is a Cambridge man, who later i became a professor in the University of' Chicago. He has used the text of th« : Revised Version, and has relegated al}' long genealogies and statistical mat* ter to small type footnotes. Poetry i? printed in the modern literary style,; and different speakers and their speeches are set out as in an ordinary modern English book. In short, the whole Bible is produced in the best literary structure, which makes read» ing and interpretation as interesting and a,s clear as possible. Messrs. Mao< millan are the publishers. J. C. Fusseix.