Salt Lake Telegram | 1923-11-18 | Page 4 | Most Significant Story in Years-Van Loon's Version of the Bible

MOST SIGNIFICANT STORY IN YEARS YEARS- VAN LOONS LOON'S V VERSION OF THE BIBLE BIBLES By JAMES W. W D DEAN N Story Van Yan Loons Loon's The ible B few few weeks of the of the Bible within a probably will be the mo most t discussed book in America Indeed Van Loon says says his book bookIs Is a strange piece of work and I that he is afraid of It I h have ve patiently read all of Of the modern Bibles ible he says sas and the almost endless childrens Bibles' Bibles of the last thirty years and none satisfied me mo for for formy my own needs or for those of my sons Van Loon sits down to write the story of the Bible as he heh h has s memorized it it f from om many read read- logs Ings lIe He addressed It Dear Boys and then proceeds to tell the story a as a a. patient parent would seeking familiar words and phrases to bring the children Into an intimate touch with BibI Biblical ical characters This sense of Intimacy Is heightened heightened heightened height height- ened further by drawings which Van Loon drew They are are very simple things like the crude drawings drawings draw draw- ings Roosevelt made to Illustrate his letters to his children Undoubtedly Van Loons Loon's story will b be analyzed and through this scrutiny will come charges that he has colored certain passages to meet his own interpretations Others Others Oth Oth- ers will say that Van Loo Looi has made an honest effort to tell teU a ast astory st story ry unaffected by any cant or creed To this reader it seems that Van Loon must be taken talen at his word He is telling the story of the Bible In the way way which he believes will bring a better understanding to his boys It If his story contains any propaganda it is propaganda for forthe forthe forthe the reading of the Bible The first reaction on reading his tale is to turn to to the Bible Itself to make comparisons of certain passages Probably no passage in the Bible presents so vivid ld a picture to a aboy's aboy's boys boy's mind a as slaying of ot Goliath Goliath Go- Go Hath by by David In the the twelfth chapter of f Samuel It Is Is' Is written in his And David put his hand bag and took thence a stone and ana slang It and smote the Philistine in hi his forehead that the stone sunk into his forehead and he fell upon his face to the earth So David prevailed over the Philistine le a a sling and nd with lb a astone astone astone stone the Phi and slew him and there was no sword in the hand hard o ot of David Therefore David ran ran and stood upon the Philistine and took his swo sword d and drew it out of the tle sheath thereof and slew him and cut of off his his his' head therewith And when he he Philistines saw their cham champion pion was dead they Tied fled led But a small pebble from Davids David's sling hit him right In the eye by the he blow Gol Goliath ath stumbled stumbled tum- tum tumbled I bled and fell and dropped his weapon Quick as I lightning David was I upon 1 Him h I He lie grabbed tho the giants giant's sword I II I He ha hacked ked at him with unexpected unexpected I violence With a single blow he cut off oft the monstrous headlie head He lie picked it up and carried it back to the Jubilant soldiers I doubt if it Van Loons Loon's description Is nearly so EO effective as the nal The Impression has prevailed since boyhood that David put all his power Into the slinging of that stone and crashed his foe to earth Now Van Loon would have me believe e that it was only a small p pebble that David cast and lUst just through fortuitous circumstance it struck Goliath In the eY eye causing the big fellow tellow to stumble Any small boy might take talce a n chance chanco shot with a small pebble and hit a big brute in the eye That is only a matter of luck lucIe But David according to to the Bible bravely went forth to meet his towering adversary There was precision and force In the slinging of a stone of ot sufficient size to knock the tho big fellow u unconscious That is a matter mattel of her heroism Van Loon robs David of ot the tho romantic that has encompassed him for centuries Even en Van though Loon has lessened lessened les les- les the noble attributes of some of ot the Biblical characters he has at the same same sames time lessened the vices of other others Lots Lot's wife for instance didn't look back rep repeatedly She peeped Just once And of Josephs Joseph's affair with wIfe he ho says sas she Rhe thought him him l p i. i better company than her own dull Egyptian husband hus bus band and discreetly adds that Jo Joseph Jo Joseph seph kept at a respectful dis dis- dis- dis tance Ho lIe charitably refers reters to Rahab as one who was not particular particular particular par par- in her choice of ot friends The chief importance of Van Loons Loon's story ft it seems ems to me is that he incites incites- Interest in the I Bible Ills His book i Is hot not written for Protestants Catholics or Jews It ItIs Itis Is written for IOV boys and for the tho parents of ot boys bos Considered 11 t that at atUt attitude do It i Is probably the post most sl story that has appeared In Ia America In j 4 N yea years ears rs I i i 1 y I I f I 1 ff i i J. J j 1 if I I I Van Van Lo Loons Loon's ns ow own sketch of f David bringing back Goliaths Goliath's head