Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1863-11-09
miscellaneous.
Reading the Bible for Hire.

of the year, If you will promise to read
two chapters in the Bible every day"
1t seems incredible that any parent
or teacher should be guilty of this IN
wisdom, and yet it is by no means of
uncommon occurrence the child, gree
dy for the reward, accepts the condl-
tons, and forever after associates the
Bible, with its sublime imagery, its
beautiful, blessed, life.giving, sorrow
soothing teachings and precepts, with f..
the idea of a disagreeable task. The
Bible is too precious a pearl to be thus
dissolved by careless fingers, and forci-
bly, swallowed without tasting; any
body who has common sense knows
that the palate rejects for food what
has once been offered as a pill /; dish
it up as you will you can never after
wards disguise its odor to the DISCUS
ted nostril.
Forbear! says tho conservative
you are treading on dangerous ground
and I ~retort, it is yow who are tread
ing on dangerous ground. 1t is you
who are making Sabbath, hsters, and
Sabbath breakers, and infdels of the
worst ssrt for there il no unbeliever
so rabid as he who, in his youth, has
been forcibly tied to the church stee-
pie, and gagged when he dared ques-
ton tn e infallibility of the creed upon
which he was spiritually nursed. 1t is
that child, who when arrived at mans
or woman's estate, snaps the finger at
the church going bsll-sees hypocrisy
under every nsckcloth in the land
runs to the farthest end of the tether
of social license, and hastens to deny
an HxistaAce which proc aims itself in
every motion of the ~curiously organized
frame : IN every little flower revelling
in its sweet day of life, content to fade
when its heavenly errand is delivered,
and. ito mission over.
Oh, what sadder. sight to see, than the
brew lifted in defiance to that God who
would draW not drive vi to his arms.
Most truly has He said that q the chill
dren of this world are wiser in their
' generation than the children OF i1gnt.
II M half the wisdom that is brought
to bear upsn worldly schemes, illuml-
mated spiritual teachings, the Bible
would not to so many be stale and
weary ~ a thrice told tale, or be gath
ering dust when it should be gathering
souls.
know two young girls: one wa
brought up in a family who thought !
r;obt RI hribe children to read the Bi
bic; whS thought it right when the,
were guilty of a fault to TO, ce them t
commit to memory an admonltor
verse or two as a penalty ; and VIII
in addition to their daily attendance
school on the present murderous al
lowance of lessons out of school, e1a
ted the presence Of those chlldr'
1T three services on a Sunday-wi
Sabbath school in the noon interim
sion. and the Bible to be read at eve
snare moment in the hsme lnterva
The very parents who exacted all Il
from restless childhood were obliged
shorten the dreariness OF Sunday .
themselves by lang maps! What ",
der that that child hated Sunday
What wonder now that she is a won
she seldom or never enters q chur
doori What wonder the Bible lies
her table unopened, and that she
q thoroughidisgust of hymn-boeks
vestry meetings.
I know another child who was
taught that the Almighty was ple'
with a long drawn face-who was
free to pluck the flowers that bloc
on Sunday as the n that blOsso
on a weekday who was never ta'
to say her prayers" although
wa. shown the prints of HIS ST
footsteps in the bright world abost
vot when she is troubled, or wher
is happy, the prayer rises as spc
neously to her young lips as the
to the sxhaling sun. God to her
father. not a tyrant ; she goes to
not at formal hours, but wheneve
heart leaps out into unstudied "
Net long since her mother
obliged to leave her for the atte'
cave her an amu'ing story book to
While she was gone. On her !
she asked, "Well, Katy, how di
like the book?
ct didn't read it, mamma