39 
Galileo, but I must say, considering what we have recorded in our Journal 
of Transactions, he should hardly have done that, because at our first meeting, 
when Mr. Warington read his paper on the differences between Scripture 
and science, I went into the question as raised by Mr. 0. W. Goodwin m 
Essays and Reviews, which attributed to the Scriptures the statement that the 
earth did not move, and proved that that was not true. The 93rd and 96th 
Psalms refer to the world of people, not to the physical world at all ; for t e 
word used in the Hebrew is tevel, not aretz. In the 99th Psalm you actually 
have the words, “ Let the earth be moved.” I am not going to accept so 
childish an interpretation as this 
Mr. Titcomb. — That used to be the traditional interpretation. 
The Chairman. — I do not know about that 
Mr. Titcomb.— We had to modify our interpretation in consequence of 
Galileo’s discoveries. 
The Chairman.— I am not aware of that 
Mr. Titcomb. — Oh yes ; because Galileo was at first abused as heretical. 
The Chairman— When you speak of “ we,” I object to your falling back 
on what was done by a particular Pope, or anybody else, and giving that a 
general application. If some people read the words in the Psalms impro- 
perly that is a bad argument, and should be rejected. I deny any universal 
tradition of the kind ; and you must not make too much even of Galileo s 
persecution, from this circumstance, that Copernicus published his book at 
the instance of a cardinal, and he was ridiculed in the theatres and out of 
doors, but that had nothing to do with the traditional interpretation of 
Scripture among competent authorities. But we should not let human 
interpretations get mixed up with the Scriptures 1 
Mr. Titcomb. — That is the very point I made. 
The Chairman.— But I deny the tradition, or that it was founded on 
Scripture 
Mr. Titcomb. — But you cannot do it. 
The Chairman.— Well, I hold to the context, and to the actual word 
being tevel, and not aretz. At all events, we must not let ourselves be 
frightened away from what the Scripture does say, because people have 
erroneously made it say stupid things. It certainly says not a word about 
the material world either turning round or standing still. (Hear, hear.) 
Mr. Croft. — I hope you will allow me, as a visitor, to take advantage of 
your courtesy, and say a word or two. My first regret at the termination of 
Mr. Titcomb’s paper was that we had not an opportunity of thinking the 
subject over and discussing it on another occasion. The subject is one 
which requires careful thinking over. It might be supposed that a gentle- 
man like myself, whose study is anatomy, would have the whole subject at his 
fino-er’s ends, but I have found so much else to study, that really I have 
scarcely reached this yet. We have, I think, rather lost sight of this fact, 
that the Negro does not necessarily represent the dark races. I will not go 
into the question of the curse, for it does not seem to me that even what Mr. 
Titcomb has said has implied the operation of the curse. The question before 
