a study of bible-第28章
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n's continued to be the smoothest； easiest style in our English literature。 He also was a Hebraic spirit； but of the gentler type。 Mr。 Chapman calls him the Elisha to Carlyle's； Elijah； a capital comparison。＇1＇ Ruskin is one of the few writers who have told us what formed their style。 In the first chapter of Praeterita he pays tribute to his mother。 He himself chose to read Walter Scott and Pope's Homer； but he says： 〃My mother forced me by steady daily toil to learn long chapters of the Bible by heart； as well as to read it； every syllable aloud； hard names and all； from Genesis to the Apocalypse about once a year； and to that discipline patient； accurate； and resoluteI owe not only a knowledge of the Book which I find occasionally serviceable； but much of my general power of taking pains and the best part of my taste in literature。〃 He thinks reading Scott might have led to other novels of a poorer sort。 Reading Pope might have led to Johnson's or Gibbon's English； but 〃it was impossible to write entirely superficial and formal English〃 while he knew 〃by heart the thirty… second of Deuteronomy； the fifteenth of I Corinthians； the One hundred and nineteenth Psalm； or the Sermon on the Mount。〃 In the second chapter of Praeterita he is even more explicit。 〃I have next with deeper gratitude to chronicle what I owed to my mother for the resolute persistent lessons which so exercised me in the Scripture； as to make every word of them familiar in my ear as habitual music； yet in that familiarity reverenced as transcending all thought and ordering all conduct。〃 He tells how his mother drilled him。 As soon as he could read she began a course of Bible work with him。 They read alternate verses from the Genesis to the Revelation； names and all。 Daily he had to commit verses of the Scripture。 He hated the One hundred and nineteenth Psalm most； but he lived to cherish it most。 In his old Bible he found the list of twenty…six chapters taught by his mother。
＇1＇ English Literature in Account with Religion。
Not only was Ruskin well trained in the Bible； but he was a great teacher of it。 In his preface to the Crown of Wild Olives he answers his critics by saying he has used the Book for some forty years。 〃My endeavor has been uniformly to make men read it more deeply than they do； trust it； not in their own favorite verses only； but in the sum of it all； treat it not as a fetish or a talisman which they are to be saved by daily repetition of； but as a Captain's order； to be held and obeyed at their peril。〃 In the introduction to the Seven Lamps of Architecture he urges that we are in no danger of too much use of the Bible。 〃We use it most reverently when most habitually。〃 Many of Ruskin's most striking titles come straight out of the Scripture。 Crown of Wild Olives； Seven Lamps； Unto this Lastall these are suggested by the Bible。
It is almost superfluous to speak of Robert Louis Stevenson。 John Kelman has written a whole book on the religion of Stevenson； and it is available for all readers。 He was raised by Cummy； his nurse； whose library was chiefly the Bible； the shorter catechism； and the Life of Robert Murray McCheyne。 He said that the fifty…eighth chapter of Isaiah was his special chapter； because it so repudiated cant and demanded a self…denying beneficence。 He loved Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress； but 〃the Bible most stood him in hand。〃 Every great story or essay shows its influence。 He was not critical with it； he did not understand it； he did not interpret it fairly； but he felt it。 His Dr。 Jekyll and Mr。 Hyde is only his way of putting into modern speech Paul's old distinction between the two men who abide in each of us。 They told him he ought not to work in Samoa； and he replied that he could not otherwise be true to the great Book by which he and all men who meant to do great work must live。 Over the shoulder of our beloved Robert Louis Stevenson you can see the great characters of Scripture pressing him forward to his best work。
Not so much can be said of Swinburne。 There was a strong infusion of acid in his nature； which no influence entirely destroyed。 He is apt to live as a literary critic and essayist； though he supposed himself chiefly a poet。 His own thought of poetry can be seen in his protest in behalf of Meredith。 When he had been accused of writing on a subject on which he had no conviction to express （〃Modern Love〃）； Swinburne denied that poets ought to preach anyway。 〃There are pulpits enough for all preachers of prose； and the business of verse writing is hardly to express convictions。〃 Yet it is impossible to forget Milton and his purpose to 〃assert Eternal Providence； and justify the ways of God to men。〃 Naturally； most poets do preach and preach well。 Wordsworth declared be wanted to be considered a teacher or nothing。 Mrs。 Browning thought that poets were the only truth…tellers left to God。 But Swinburne could not help a little preaching at any rate。 His 〃Masque on Queen Bersaba〃 is an old miracle play of David and Nathan。 His 〃Christmas Antiphones〃 are hardly Christian； though they are abundant in their allusions to Scripture。 The first is a prayer for peace and rest in the coming of the new day of the birth of Christ。 The second is a protest that neither God nor man has befriended man as he should； and the third is an assurance that men will do for man even if God will not。 Now； that is not Christian； but the Bible phrases are all through it。 So when he writes his poem bemoaning Poland； he needs must head it 〃Rizpah。〃 At the same time it must be said that Swinburne shows less of the influence of the Bible in his style and in his spirit than any other of our great English writers。
We come back again into the atmosphere of strong Bible influence when we name Alfred Tennyson。 When Byron died； and the word came to his father's rectory at Somersby； young Alfred Tennyson felt that the sun had fallen from the heavens。 He went out alone in the fields and carved in the sandstone； as though it were a monument： 〃Byron is dead。〃 That was in the early stage of his poetical life。 At first Carlyle could not abide Tennyson。 He counted him only an echo of the past； with no sense for the future； but when he read Tennyson's 〃The Revenge；〃 he exclaimed； 〃Eh； he's got the grip o' it〃； and when Richard Monckton Milnes excused himself for not getting Tennyson a pension by saying his constituents had no use for poetry anyway； Carlyle said； 〃Richard Milnes； in the day of judgment when you are asked why you did not get that pension； you may lay the blame on your constituents； but it will be you who will be damned！〃 Dr。 Henry van Dyke studied Tennyson to best effect at just this point。 In his chapter on 〃The Bible in Tennyson〃 are many such sayings as these： 〃It is safe to say that there is no other book which has had so great an influence upon the literature of the world as the Bible。 We hear the echoes of its speech everywhere； and the music of its familiar phrases haunts all the field and grove of our fine literature。 At least one cause of his popularity is that there is so much Bible in Tennyson。 We cannot help seeing that the poet owes a large debt to the Christian Scriptures； not only for their formative influence on his mind and for the purely literary material in the way of illustrations and allusions which they have given him； but also for the creation of a moral atmosphere； a medium of thought and feeling in which he can speak freely and with an assurance of sympathy to a very wide circle of readers。〃
I need not stop to indicate the great poems in which Tennyson has so often used Scripture。 The mind runs quickly to the little maid in 〃Guinevere；〃 whose song； 〃Late； Late； so Late；〃 is only a paraphrase of the parable of the foolish virgins。 〃In Memoriam〃 came into the skeptical era of England； with its new challenge to faith； and stopped the drift of young men toward materialism。 Recall the fine use he makes； in the heart of it； of the resurrection of Lazarus； and other Biblical scenes。 Dr。 van Dyke's 〃four hundred direct references to the Bible〃 do not exhaust the poems。 No one can get Tennyson's style without the English Bible； and no one can read Tennyson intelligently without a fairly accurate knowledge of the Bib
