SABBATH DISCUSSION by Editor

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 28, 1859

SABBATH DISCUSSION.

By Editor

HAVING learned that the Discussion on the Sabbath question between Bro. Waggoner and Eld. Stephenson at Crane's Grove, Ills., in Aug., 1858, was being published, we sent for a copy which after some delay has at length arrived. It is not our province to make remarks concerning it which would anticipate or interfere with what will want to be said by those more immediately concerned in this matter; but we trust we can without doing this give utterance to our first impressions on receiving it.

Considering the advertisement we had seen of the book, and the price at which it was set, thirty-five cents, we were astonished at its size and appearance. Containing 124 pages, though somewhat larger in length and breadth than our common book page, it has neither the amount of reading matter, nor the weight, of Sabbath Tracts Nos. 1-4, or the Atonement, books which this Office sells for 15 cents. Thirty-five cents! Stephenson and Collings, publishers! Surely, we can but exclaim, are these the men who have cried "Speculation" against this Office on account of the prices put upon its publications?

But to come to the discussion itself. We find Bro. Waggoner's opening speech of one hour, occupying about a page and a quarter. This the reporter excuses from his not being on the ground at the commencement. The remaining speeches occupy on an average about 3 2/3 pages each. One remarkable feature of these is that Eld. S.'s remarks occupy from one half to a whole page more in each instance than Bro. W.'s. It may be said that this is because Eld. S. was the most rapid speaker. Those who attempt to get over the difficulty in this way, will have to explain another anomaly; thus, we always supposed that the more rapid the speech, the more imperfect the report, especially by an inexperienced reporter.

On this ground Eld. S.'s reported remarks should be the most imperfect of the two, contain the most breakages, long dashes and omissions. Is this the case? So far from it, all these imperfections seem to have accumulated on Bro. W.'s side. We merely state these facts, and leave the reader to draw his own inferences as to their cause.

We can also judge something of the fullness of the report. The reporter states that in one instance Eld. S. reached the rate of 200 words per minute. At this rate, the most that is reported of any one speech could not have occupied in utterance over eight minutes. But we will allow the speakers a rate of only 150 words per minute, at which rate what is reported of each speech would have been spoken in about ten minutes. It can be read in that time, and was probably spoken as fast, if not faster, than one would naturally peruse it. We may therefore safely conclude, the speeches being each one-half hour in length, that we have about one third of what was uttered on the occasion. A report so meager can of course furnish no adequate idea of the arguments used.

Finally, we set out to read it. By dint of patience and perseverance we succeeded in reaching the 57th page, when we found our stock of interest so completely exhausted that we had to abandon all further attempts to finish it; and there it hangs by the gills. The reader has our experience in reference to the Crane's Grove Discussion.