mitted when he was a Sunday School youngster; and we know of no reason why the reward should not have been rewarded as no qualifications guarded the proposition. These mnemonics have been published in this magazine. (Vol. II, 487, 531.) Deacon Henry W. Herrick of the same church informed the editor that had he been present at the time they would have heard from him with the same mnemonics. The second episode referred to above was reported in the press at the time. The Ministerial Association of this city is composed of the evangelical clergymen wh meet fortnightly to discuss religious questions pertaining to the welfare of the city; also to read essays and papers on biblical topics, after which questions are asked and discussions follow. On this occasion they met in the Young Men's Christian Association parlors, and the question turned on a quotation purporting to be from the Bible. The interrogator appealed to the text and the essayist consented to suspend further discussion till the chapter and verse should be examined. A thorough search of the Y. M. C. A. library and adjoining rooms failed to unearth a copy of the Bible to settle the question. Hence a committee of one was self-appointed to retire to a neighboring bookstore to purchase a Bible to settle the issue that the discussion might go on. Thus much for criticism on the use of the name of Jesus or Christ. It is now used for a front name by several nations. In fact, the following personages were Christs, or Messiahs, as the Hebrew word is (translated Christos), to the several peo ples to whom they were " a bright and shining light," as Jesus was: Enoch, Hermes, Zoroaster, Moses, Elijah, Buddha, Confucius, Apollonius (the Tyanan), Ahmed, and others. They revealed truth. Their disciples will be saved the same as Jesus'. Now as to the pamphlet mentioned in the April, 1899, number, "Was Jesus Christ a Democrat?" The sub title is "The Reviewer Reviewed." Prof. S. B. Brittan's "Christianity of Jesus." Reply by W. F. Jamieson. Boston, 1874. Any one would do well to read Webster's definition of "Democracy,' and then read the discussion, and criticise afterwards. THE DIAL OF AHAZ. The question on the "Dial of Ahaz' which our correspondent "EBENEZER" desires discussed is one. of many sides, if we may judge from the very interesting dis cussion which has taken place in Popular Astronomy for 1898 and 1899 by the correspondents of that popular monthly. The best we can do now is to give an index to the articles, writers, page, etc, and advise "EBENEZER" to procure the ten numbers of that year and read and digest the whole subject. The articles are just enough for a good Sunday's lesson and all are comprehensive to the average mind. Here is all there is in the Bible relative to the Dial of Ahaz: "And Isaiah said: This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, and the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? "And Hezekiah answered: It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; nay, but let the shadow turn backward ten degrees. "And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord; and he brought the shadow to go down ten degrees backward by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz. II Kings xx, 9∙II. "Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun-dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down." Isaiah xxxvii, 8. "The Sun Dial of Ahaz," by J. Morrison, M. D., Vol. VI, PP. 537 549 (13 pages), Dec., 1898. Illustrated. Criticisms, pro and con, and non commital, followed rapidly in the same periodical as follows: Vol. VII, Jan., p. 51, Mar., p. 167, 1899, Lewis Swift; Feb. p' 102, Herman S. Davis; p. 108, R. R. McLeod; March, p. 166; R. M. McCreary; p. 167, Lewis Swift; p. 167, Jeseph H. Earp April, p. 206, S. S. Saunder; May, pp. 242, 277, Burton Scott' Easton. Replies by J. Morrison: Feb, 1899, pp. 102, 103' July and August, p. 368. Mr. Morrison, after giving his quite elaborate explanation and mathematical demonstration, concludes: "There was, therefore, no miracle but simply an ordinary astronomical phenomenon, which at certain times snd under certain circumstances can happen anywhere. This is not the only astronomical phenomenon alluded to in the Bible, capable of a scientific explanation, but we cannot discuss them now." Mr. Swift, after expressing his interest in Mr. Morrison's ingenious interpretation of these mysterious and obscure passages of scriptures, says: "Taken as a whole, it is an instructive paper, but his conclusions that no miracle was performed, but simply the shadow of the gnomon going backword, a phenonemon of daily occurrence, is in my opinion both unscriptural and untenable." Mr. McCreary, after complimenting Mr. Morrison as an accomplished mathematician, says: "When he is told that the theory he promulgates to explain the alleged miracle is a very lame attempt to explain the unexplainable by an improbable hypothesis based upon an rantable assumption." unwar Mr. McLeod, after sharply criticizing Mr. Swift's "event of tremendous import," as he called the miracle, says: "The fact is that such evidence as we have for this occurrence would not warrant any jury in convicting for petty larceny. Neither the composer of the Books of Kings or of Chronicles is known, and their work was written long years after Hezekiah reigned even in the Babylonish captivity. The brief mention in the Book of Isaiah proves nothing for we know beyond question that there were at least two authors, and we do not know how many more trifled with it as they copied it." Mr. Earp, who has made special study of Old Testament criticism, and also of astronomy, protests against the introduc tion of critical dogmatics into the realm of astronomy. He says: "Astronomy, like Archæology, has been a beautiful handmaiden to true religion, and is in itself one of the surest means of ascertaining the truth or error of traditional statements. Let it not be fettered by the voice of that unscientific spirit which goes far beyond the good Pope in its air of infalibility." Mr. Easton considers only the mathematical question as to a function 0. He says: "When the shadow moves forward ✪ increases for the sun to the west of the meridian in general, and if the shadow retrogresses must decrease for the sun to the west. Or what is the same thing: If the shadow retrogresses must have a maximum value." Mr. Morrison says this function does not admit of the treatment for determing a maximum. Mr. Easton says that it does not, and that that is just the difficulty. Mr. Sander criticizes Mr. Morrison's meaning of the words, "the shadow of the style," in his demonstration. He called Mr. Morrison's attention to the requirements of a maximum value of in order to substantiate his demonstration in a private letter soon after the publication of Mr. Morrison's article. Mr. Davis calls attention to the fact that Nonius the Portuguese astronomer (1492-1577) had demonstrated a "method how the shadow of the style on a sun dial may go backwards without a miracle." (See Hutton's edition of Montucla's Ozanam's "Recreations in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy;" London, 1803.) To all these critics Mr. Morrison gracefully replies in a quite lucid manner. "EBENEZER UP." (Vol. XVIII, p. 97.) A correspondent asks for the origin of "He got his Ebenezer up." If you will refer to I Samuel vii, 12, you will get the origin, but not as to a "ruffled temper," but to an act of praise. Ebenezer means a stone of help." Hence the allusion in the hymn given, setting up a help-stone of praise, and worship, in the heart. CALCHAS, Bryant's Pond, Me. "Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us." THE WANDERING JEW. LITERATURE. (Vol. VI, 357; XVI, 156; XVII, 23.) Here are two more titles: The Wandering Jew. Lecture by Isaac M. Wise, Cincinnati. The Wandering Jew. By Rev. B. Felsenthal. A statement to a Christian audience, by a Jewish view of Judaism. "THE MAN OF TWO LIVES." A narrative written by himself. Boston; Wells and Lilley, Court Street, 1829 ; pp. 324. The real name, and other clews as to the authorship of this book is wanted by A. E. Giles, Hyde Park, Mass. "Edward Syndenham," occasionally used in the narrative, and subscribed on its last page, was probably assumed to conceal the author's identity. The quality of the paper and print was the best then in Boston. BENJAMIN FAY MILLS, formerly of Boston, and erstwhile an evangelistic revivalistic throughout New England, was inaugrated minister of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, Calif., on March 18, 1900. His address on that occasion closses with the words of Theodore Parker, which words are very opportune as being a summary of the whole discourse : the Church universal "The coming Church Whose creed shall be all truth Whose ritual shall be works of love and usefulness; Whose constant aspiration shall be to be perfect as God." WHO WROTE "THE COW CHACE"? from a new correspondent " HILLSIDE." "Allibone's Dictionary of Authors." This question comes We answer this from Major John Andre, a talented and amiable young British officer, well known for his unfortunate end, having been executed as a spy, October 2, 1780, during the Revolutionary war of the United States of North America. He was the author of "The Cow Chace," an heroic poem in three cantos, published in London, in 1780. "It was originally published in Rivington's Royal Gazette, New York, in the morning of the day on which Andre was taken prisoner. The last stanza, intended to ridicule Gen. Wayne, in his failure in an attempt to collect cattle for the army, is this: And now I closed my epic strain; I tremble as I show it, Lest this same warrior-drover WAYNE |