The banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1844-1847, 1846-09-30
FUR THE BANNER J
Inc Thumb papcr-Its Use.-The Bible
Its Influence,

It's influence.
Mr.. Editor Il am truly gratificd
that you have hitherto manifested so
much llberality and independence as
editor of public journal 1t was my
fortune (perhaps public opinion might
call it my misfor,une) to be educated (if
at all at a period when there were very
few newspapers in circulation. NV
object in making this statement, is by
no means to claim for myself or cotem-
porarles, any thing like an equality in
point of scientific or literary acquire
ments, but rather to point out the me-
thod or manner by which we made out
to get along through the world without
newspapers. Perhaps l NAV extort a
smile when 1 state that we had thumb
papers. These Cike newspapers) were
OF different dimensions, but their princi-
pal use was to mark or keep the place
where we left off reading, and point to
where new lesson began. We had
few books to read in families and com.
mon schools; l believe 1 NAV safely
say, those who read any, generally read
more in their Bibles than any other
book. In those days it was the custom
for the Puritan Fathers (as thew are de-
servedly cailed) to call the family toge-
ther, open the Bible, directed by the
thumb paper to the chapter or verse
where he left off the morning or eve-
ming previous; and have heard many
times, during this exercise, very appro-
pirate and pertinent remarks made by
him that led the exercise, which usually
closed by song of praise and prayer.
The thumb paper was also used, and
useful IN other respects, by enlarging it
to the size of the page we were reading
after we got able to scribbIe, after asccr
tanning from our teacher the definition
OF word or the purport of sentence,
we could, and frequently did, read it, ad-
ding few remarks of our own. 1
have examined Walker, but cannot find
the word Thumb-paper, and it is proba-
BILE it may be reputed vulgarism.
lind manuscript, note book !" and is it
not probable that as Princes have fire.
quently had their derivation from Pea
SAINTS, that manuscripts" or "note
books" which believe are now pretty
generally in use by lawyers, statesmen,
and now and then by clergyman in
the sacred desk, had their origin in
thumb-paper2 This being granted,
may it not be affirmed that newspapers
for the most part, are nothing more than
thumb-papers on an enlarged scale. In
the literary department. of DR.. RAmsEy's
history of South Carolina, alIuling to
the period when thumb papers were in
use, he remarks Having but little to
read: they read that little we'll. Their
Bibles, when carefully studied, and one
part made to expound the other, by the
help of marginal references, open an
extensive view of the origin of the world,
and the great revolutions it has under
gone-of ancient nations, and particu-
larly Of the real state Of human nature,
in every cline and age. No history was
ever better written than that of the Jews,
by their own Moses. And there is
more knowledge respecting the first half
of the whole period that has elapsed,
since the creation Of man, to be obtained
from the Bible, than from any other
source. On page 333 +" There was no
Grammar school in South Carolina, pri-
". W 1'oo, oAS0pt tHo Eiec SCllo"I Ill
Charleston. From 1880 till 1866 there
were not more than four or FIVE, and all
in and near Charleston from all of
which it is manifest, although we la
boured under many and great disadvan-
tages, compared with the present en-
llghtened, improved and improving age
of the world; yet, blessed be God, we
had the radius, we had the germ, of all
that ever was, or now is, or ever will
be, great, good or excellent. We had
the Bible, and from the very circumstan
ces in which we were placed, we who
then enjoyed the privilege of such schoo.
ling, as could then be obtained Git was
far from generaD had to become ac-
quainted with the Bible at the Anniver-
sary meeting of the Abbeville auxiliary
Bible Society. In lS45. had the pIea.