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Oct. 6 I860] The &atii?*dai/ Anabjst and...
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Nitw Wohks,—Wo uiKlorstund that Mr. .Jnm...
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CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITS.* BOOKS associate...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The Wink Question: ^ The Teetotill/L-Eus...
their literary remains ; which we arc not sure that we do not . If on the contrary , tradition is wrong , how shall avo account ¦ for the wide prevalence of teetotal doctrine amorig-st the early Christians immediately after the . apostolic age ? Such doctrines and jji'actiees niust have had some root and authority . _ Our doubts are critical as well as historical . On glancing- at the New Testament , and even at the original of one of the texts cited bv the Dean himself ( 1 Peter iv . 7 ) , we find the most distinct and emphatic " suggestion " and " recommendation " of Teetotalism . So tar as words and phrases gu ,. nothing ; can be . plainer . '' lie ye therefore sober ( "in mind ) , and . ( in body ) abstinent { nepxate ) unto
prayer . " Now , mark , wo do not aftirm that St . 1 ' cter at all means what he says ; our argument at present against the Dean is , that the Apostle certainly wr y * Avhat the Teetotaler means—" drink not . " Paul , in a parallel passage ( 2 The * , v . G ) , uses the monor word for i < : « f < : h in the souse of sobor-in-mind , and , like 1 eter , adds—" drink not . Let us ircrf ,-h find abstain : let us , who are ( sons ) of the clay , drink not ( nepho / nct ) ; " and this was m direct connection with drinking ... " Those that are drunken are drunken by night" ( 2 Peter v . S ) , is , if possilile , still mqre-oxplieit . old Sehrcvelius to Bretsch
Turning to all our Lexicons—from . - neider , and from Donnegan to Scott and Liddel . l—we find the word Xeepho defined as " vi-no-abstuieo , " —to abstain from wme . llutarch , and Porphyry , explain it as " wineless ; " and Josephtis , who wrote the same " kind of Greek , and at the same time rus the Apostles , actually uses the identical word of Paul ( ncephomen ) , to express the absfhiowe ott \\ c Priests in the Tcmple-soi-vice . . Ihe Avord , as every tyro may see , is a compound of ne " not , ' an & ji . ' i'v "to drink . " " \ Ve have seen it somewhere alleged that in . the Apostles' days this meaning had become obsolete ; but an induction' -of usao-e shows that such was ' not the case . What augments
the absurdity of the supposition that the original and proper meaning of the word—so conspicuous on the face of it—had , become rare , or obsolete , in the age of the Apostle , is the fact that from the times of Pythagoras and Epicurus , to that of the Kssones or Therapeuta ? , the pracli' -e veal ' opinion expressed by the word had become more pervading , and more closely associated , with conceptions of jnoral purity and religious duty . The argument , therefore , amounts to-this—that as the fact became more deiimlw and distinct to the mind , ¦ the / V / mSY- grew more lax and vague in its signification . .. ,, to from the
On the seventh page the Dean endeavours rescue Teetotalers , Paul's hypothetical declaration of his willingness to riveUp flesh , or wine , or anything whereby his brother stumbleth ( itoin . xiv . 21 ) . The letter of the argument is not worth iollowing ; but the motive is vital . As Professor Jowett says , I aul s method of dealing with Jewish scruples " maybe described as absorbing the loiter in the xpirilJ" The Dean ' s , as it seems to us , consists in eliminating the spirit , ami making the letter useless , by transferring- it to the iufipplioablo circumstanoe . s of the past . Finally , on " the tenth page , the Dean asserts that abstinence is a Mohammedan device , while he searches the ^ c \ v Testament" in vain , for any such inculcation of thedoctriue of total abstinence . Wo Imvfi ox-m-Dssed our candid opinion , that there are at least a
dozen texts win oh have a singular look of Teetotalisin , whatever tho wm ' e intended by tho writers may have been . Of that sense all men , who know the history of opinion in that ago , arc equally competent to judge . So fur tho Dean'ri logic is invalid ; and we should like to seo him attempt anew venture , better adapted to tho facts and philosophy of tho question . Voltairo , iu his " Spirit of Nations , " observes that * ' it was from tho Maji and their Januat that Mohammed firBt took his idons of a Paradise . The prohibition , of tho drinking of wine was ihj new thiii // " ( I . p . «¦>) ¦ It should bo romembcrod , howcA'er , that Mohammed did not prohibit (( II Avinc , but only tho intoxicating species , a point which Mr . Lane has made abundantly evident iu his notos to tho " Arabian Nights . Mohammed , in sill probability , hud uccess to the Now Testament through some of the Monks on the Ambiun border ; and for ourselves , notwithstanding tho Douu ' s very positive statement , avo cannot ignore a strong resemblance iu thought tmd language botwoen tho following fragments : — .
o Tim . ii . 12 ( 5 . The Koran , v . / , " And tliey bocumiiKf tuber " O true believers , siu-cly itifuin out of the ftnerri' of flic iviuc and lots ivro an abouunaiJei'fl , who arc taken captlvo at tion , n snare < i /' Satan , thoroforo his will . " avoid thorn . Satan scclrcfft to 1 Peter v . > S . sow dissension and hatred by " Drink not , bo watchful , for mean * ij /' tcinn and lots ; Avill yo your advorsary , ///<" 7 >/ v 7 , wullc- not , therefore , abstain IWm oth about ticd ' tny whom ho thorn ?" may < frink- < 1 ( jn > n .
In oonolusion , lotus rooommond tho clergy to moot tho question of tompornnoo upon its own intrinnio morits , iimtoiul of putting up \ big'uuuH Scrlpturos in peril by a forced contliot witli woionoe . JiOt tliym , by asoicntilic and Jogioiu trout ment of nil iioAvquontions , wliothoi of toimponuioo or ethnology , avoid tho norrowful ' jni « tnkuM of tho ( Jhuroh in past agow , ns illuHtrntod in tho liifitorioH of Astronomy , Modioine , and O oology .
Oct. 6 I860] The &Atii?*Dai/ Anabjst And...
Oct . 6 I 860 ] The & atii ?* dai / Anabjst and Leader . 847
Nitw Wohks,—Wo Uiklorstund That Mr. .Jnm...
Nitw Wohks , —Wo uiKlorstund that Mr . . Jnmos lUuolcwood Iuih tlio following works in preparation i—" Tho Biehop ' a Daughter ; cv Stoi-y of t | io . Park Agos . " Bythonuthov of "Squironand Pni'Boni } . " "Tho Adventuros of M " r . Ambiguous Law , nn Artiolod Olorlc j" being notoe nnd . akotohOB foimdod upon flvoM " . lflnocli i or tho Wohb of Q-od and 1 ? ho Sono of Mon . " By l * rofoB 8 or 3 lobort » un , Dublin .
Contemporary Portraits.* Books Associate...
CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITS . * BOOKS associated with personalities , must necessarily be attractive ; and our chance associations with individuals fre-<| uently bring the whole personality out in a manner scarcely to be described , but Avlucli must have been frequently felt . The book before us . consists of both these relations . The writer ( a lady ) records the impressions which she has received from accidental acquaintance with celebrated characters . There arc two doxeu of these , according to the table of contents , but many more are incidentally drawn in under each specific heading . Our authoress claims credit for her fidelity to the truth of fact in her sketches .. It i . s impossible , how ever , biit in such notices as these errors luust abound . Indeed , we detected several on a mere cursory glance . Thus , for instance , she states the late Rev . Edward Irving to have been ail extempore preacher . The statement is most explicit ;
" He preached quite extempore * - without any notes ; and considering- this—the variety of his language , embellished as it was by the choicest and most prodigal imagery , was as extraordinary as the rushing-continuous torrent of words which flowed from his lips . " Now at the time referred to , Mr . Irving wrote his sermons out at full , Inserted them between the pages of his large Bible , read them with studied and elocutionary action , and afterwards published them in successive volumes , which appeared soon after their delivery . Enthusiastic persons subsequently recommended him to extemporize , as the oiily AA'ay to be really efficient ; , and , avIicii the gift of tong-ues' delusion took place , Mr . Irving- gave up the practice of writing-, and trusted to . the inspiration of the moment . Ouiauthoress ; also , heard him under these altered circumstances ; and then mark the difference in her tone . The scene is in .
Newman-¦ street : — .. ¦ . . ' . . _ ¦ " Irving preached , but not as in . the olden " . timer .. There was ; i vagueness and want of coherence in his sermeju—a rambling confusion and discursiveness , quite different from his original style . ¦ Even the wonderful force and vigour existed no longer . At intervals tliey Would flash out , but at no sustained length . He was like some grand ruin ; and if the mind had becoihe shatterecl in the conflict he had passed through , the bodily frame . . showed iilike the / deva , s-( at . iii | g trace of its ravages . *' The simple Tact is , that Mr ; . lrving-iuj ver . became a g-ood cxteinpoi . e
preacher or speaker . -His platforni exhibitions were . always failures . Our lady contemporary had mistaken . on earlier occasions , a theatrical delivery for extempore ' power , and not noticed the manuscript papers ,-floating between the leaves of the book . These being loose we have known ¦ more than Once to have been displaced by an accidental pufi ' of wind . To secure them , Mr . Irving was accustomed to keep them down with the forefinger of his right hand . This habit necessitated the characteristic action of the left arm , which Mr . Canning' regarded as a grace , and imitated soon after iii his great speech , in which he said that he " had called in the New World to riiiht the balance of the Old . " Indeed , actors and orators
will find it of immense advantage to cultivate the use and action of the left arm . A similar error avc note in the lady ' s account of Mr . Sheridan Knowles . She tells us that he had written " The Wrecker ' s Daughter" ( which she confesses she has not road ) , for the debut of one of his pupils , a fine Avoman named Miss Elphmstone , who became afterwards , by marriage , Mrs , Sheridan Knowles . " It was Mm . Warner who appearerl in " The Wrecker ' s Daughter . " The piece written for Miss Elphinstono was called " The Maid of Mariandorpt . " _ . . . ..,..,
In such bool ; s as these , however , mistakes of this kind will occur ; tho authors , trusting too nU \ ch to recollection , not being always thoroughly acquainted with the works of tho celebrities whom thn . y cnsmilly meet , and not boing disposed to make the needful references . Perhaps , also , there is a certain chavm-m the fact of these blunders occurring . They suggest forcibly to flic mind the real character of tho intercourse between tho reminiscent and the celobrity , and thin : nut the reader on his guard against implicit reliance , and indues liiin to make allowance for occasional and unavoidable misapprehen-Oae of the host sketches in these volumes is that of tho Duko of Wellington .. He is taken in two very different and contrasted views . These are exceedingly interesting . Take the first—the Iron Duke in a bad temper .
' My iViond , when so unusual and important an event whs to take place as a visit to the world ' s greatest living hero , had taken especial pains with her toilette—which , on this occasion , wns in faultless taste , and of costly material . Who really looked no bewitching , that I told her , ub wo drove along ; , that 1 was sure the Iron Pul < o would find her iiTesiistiblo , and surrender a ready accordance to her petition . " We arrived at his woll-known residence nt the exact moment , intimated—hnIt-past nine in tho morning—and were shown into u large , of courao hundHomol . y-fun » ishod , room , into which , an it wiis tho depth of winter , sundry domoaticH woro constantly entering to attend to and replenish the fire . Hudi time the door oj » onod wns . i trinl of nerve to my poor young friend , us sho iiniigimirl i ( nslicrod in tho r >\ ikv . AlU-r ' avu hud waitod what , hccmuccI to our linimtioimo ji coiirtideniblo time , unannoundod , unattondod , tho Ht'i-n of » ntorloo
Hiiddt'iily stood bulore uh , ' „ n > ' 'Tho nbvuntnofw of his vntrutico rumuh-ti-h y » ' ^\ "'" J ' . '' tfuiml , inul , l uxclahnod aloud , very htupMiy w > w I ¦ Hunk , It i » tho . ' " YlJwns ' dvoHBod in i \» U uniform , hh ho was ahoutto proofletUi ) some Court or military oorum » iiinl . I '"' W ^ wliiHi , liold tha | ( Uiy Uoiu . ny « ContcMiijiormvi « Volu . HiipsI iiiiO IH . irKi'it .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 6, 1860, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_06101860/page/7/
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