Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-01-06
&eaaiua tst the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED By
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
forIginal.
THE BIBLE AS A SCHOOL BOOK.

tOrIsinal.1
THE BIBLE AS A SCHOOL BOOK.
The school house is the feeder of the
church. The school-teacher and the preach
er work in the same field. The former
breaks up the fallow ground and the latter
cultivates the growing crops No schools, In
dicates no churches, no morality, no religion,
no civilization. There are no other two
classes of men which do so much for the mo-
rality, for the religion for the social status OF
men, for the arts and sciences, for the COM
merce and agriculture of the world, as the
ministers of the gospel and the teachers OF
what, in contempt, are called sold held
schools" The man who teaches school for
an ordinary life time, and discharges his du'
ty, in every respect, properly, does, during
that lifetime, an amount of good which it is
impossible to estimate. His name may not
be known beyond his immediate neighbor-
hood, but his influence is worldwide. He
has nodded the sentiments of multitude OF
little boys and little girls, who will make
good fathers and good mothers, good citizens
and good Christians. He has laid the foun-
dation of civil and religious liberty deep and
strong. He has infused into the minds OF
those children, under his care, the essence OF
all law. He has taught them to obey God
and respect the rights of their fellow men,.
Now it is clear that a school book is an inn
portant thing. 1t may, with at least some
propriety, be regarded as an implement with
which the school teachers develop the intel
lectual and moral faculties of youth. Like
the tools with which the husbandman cult.
Yates the soil, if they are good, he can DO
good work ; otherwise, he cannot. The char
acteristics of good school book are these.
It should interest and instruct the intellect
and purify and elevate the sensbilities. We
do not say that these are all the characteristics
Of good school book but all may be. in
general terms, summed up under these heads.
Now we make this solemn declaration, that
there is no book in the world that is as emf
nently fitted for the purpose of school book,
as the Bible. Of course we do not claim for
the Bible that it is the best book out of which
to learn the art of calculating. There are
some things ofwhich thesBible does not treat
When we say school book, we mean a book
by the use of which children and youth may
be taught to read and think, and feel prop
erly.. ." .....
In the first place.. the Bible is, beyond con-
troversy, the most interesting book in the
world. Its history is intensely interesting.
The compilers of school books, aware Of this
fact, have made large extracts from it. Ev-
cry unprejudiced mind loves to read the Bi'
Bile. Its historical narratives are more thrill
ling than the works Of the most accomplished
novel writer. The style of the Bible, al
though it may be said to be antiquated, is
still charming. There is something in the
Hebrew idiom which remains visible in every
translation that is made, which renders the Bi-
BILE something more than merely interesting.
It is fascinating, it is enamoring. The bold
figures, the graphic descriptions, the child,
like simplicity, the tender pathos and the aw'
full grandeur of the style Of the Bible, makes
it the most interesting book to children and
youth in the world. They read it over and
over and become more interested the oftener
they read it. .,.t..'s
1t is not only interesting, but it is instruct.
i've in sense and to degree that no other
book is or can be. On its sacred pages are
recorded the early history of the human race.
II treats of the creation and fall of man. 1t
speaks of the beauty of the world before
man sinned. 1T instructs us in things con-
corning the existence and nature of devils
and men, of God and angels. The past, the
present and the future, are all unveiled and
spread before our eyes. 1t tells us facts that
none but God can reveal. 1t instructs us in
law giving US code which is absolutely per-
feet in every particular. In it we learn all
the duties we owe to God and man. 1t IN.
structs us j.: things respecting the soul, and in
things respecting the body; in things per-
tanning to ourselves, to our fellow men and to
our God. In one word, it teaches all things
that, as immortal beings, are worth knowing
and conceals nothing that we ought to know:
Again, the Bible possesses purifying and
Strengthening power. Every sentiment of the
Bible is as pure as the rays which dart from
the sun. It is pure and holy as God. As
fire cleanses the gold of the dross, so the
Bible cleanses the heart of low and mean
thoughts. 1t begets within us high and holy
sentiments. 1t influences us to break off our
sins by Righteousness, and our iniquities by
showing mercy to the poor. 1t purges our
hearts of what is vile and vicious, and begets
within US what is pure and chaste and holy.
The strengthening power of the Bible
should not be overlooked. There was q time
in the worlds history when in many houses
there was but one book, and that book was
the Bible. Those were the days when there
giants in the world Men of prodigious in.
tellects. 1t is fact, attested by all history,
that those persons who read and study the
Bible appear like mental and moral prodigies
when compared with those who, however
learned in, other books, are ignorant Of the
Bible. -
Since the Bible is pre-eminently fitted for
all the purposes of a school book, why is ii
not more generally adopted? The fault lies
at the door of parents and teachers. How
ever moral may be the tone of any Of oul
school books, all that moral tone. is borrowed
from the Bible. We are fully convinced that
we would have more learned men and fal
more moral men, if nine-tenths of the school
readers were thrown into the fire and the Bi
BILE universally introduced into our schools
Many of our school readers are sectional in
spirit, and were gotten up for no other pur'
pose but to make money, and at the same time
advance the interests of some political party
The Bible is not sectional. Its moral and
political platform is broad enough and strong
enough to contain and bear up, with perfect