"A. M." AND THE BIBLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13586, 7 May 1906, Page 5

"A. M." AND THE BIBLE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— My former letter was intended merely to' recommend the rehiring of two or three books to "A. M.," and any other of your readers who toko an interest in tho questions that have--been discussed in your columns lately. I did not advise anyone to peruse tho Gladstone-Huxley controversy—R9 would appear from "A. Jl.'s " roply,—btrt Mmplv referred to a book in tfhioh that and other like diseufsions were reviewed. Tho suggestion that I was trying to "teanh my grandmother to suck eggs" is therefore unwarranted, and your eorrespciralent may rest assured that 110 such attempt was made to lower the. dimity of his " insignificant self." A. M.(' states that, ho has "scanned" the writings of Sir It. Anderson, and has " paid some attention to" the small pamphlet " Roger's Reasons." As to " Tho Bible by Modern Light" 110 ' has nothing to say. I havo generally found that tho enemies''of the Bible eagerly read anything written against the Old Book, but can 6eldom be persuaded to read anything in its favour, and "A. M." is evidently no exception to this ride. Your correspondent states that he always turns from amateurs like Anderson, and seeks " biology from tho biologists, geology from tho geologists," etc. Why. then, does ho not criticise my quotation from Professor Dana that, in his opinion, " the first chanter of Genesis and scieneo arc in accord"? Suoh a statement scorns to me to bo prnttv' good testimony to the scientific accuracy of what "A. M." calls " folk-lore "; and should anyone say it was only .by chance that Moses hit on the right order of tho creation of. life, tho mathematician will remind him that such a number of events can bo 6tated in no less than five thousand different ways, so that the dunces were overwhelmingly against any but an inspired writer. As to your correspondent's concluding quotation, I can only say that I prefer tho 1 open' tinbolief of Paine, Voltaire, nmd C 0... fo the veiled scepticism of the writers,of tho "Bnoyclopoedia Biblica."—l am, etc.', W. B. ,