Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1891-05-01
DECLINE OF REVERENCE.
Sainful Indications of FIippancy as Il
Sacred Things.

:"
I Sacred Things.
1t sometimes seems almost thing Of
the past Reverence for parents, for
teachers and persons in exalted positions
used to be observed with the strictest
care, but at the present day nothing
evlnces the lax rule which obtains in
many families of good standing as the
utter lack Of respect or Difference paid
by the young 10 those who are older and
wiser than themselves. Deplorable as
we hold 1t to be- that the old time code
, of manners and decorum is so rapidly
passing away, there is yet far more i'm
portant consideration connected with
the general lack of reverence prevailing
with reference to sacred matters.
We read the other day: ut is very
easy to lower our standard Of reverence
for anything We have only to speak OF
/ IT habitually in a light way. There Is
nothing like it to take the life out of the
most precious text of Scripture. We
may repent of such sin with bitter weep
| ing, but those words can never be to US
again what they were before. We may
/ have cut down "a bridge we shall some
day vainly long to cross" We must
confess TO having listened with astonish-
ment to what were considered clever
conundrums asked by protesting Chris
tians, and made by twisting and turning
some Bible verse in the most ludicrous
manner, and so making it serve to an
swer the laughable question.
Years and years ago, in the thoughtless
years of childhood, "A companion much
older than ourself repeated portion of
the Lords Prayer, making the sweet,
simple sentence TO rhyme with silly, ir-
reverent line, and long after maturity
had been reached the foolish rhyme
would force itself into the mind when
striving with all reverence TO repeat the
pure and hallowed prayer. And just so
there comes to be verse after verse which
has been travestied and made the sub
ject of riddle, until as the eyes fall upon
IL in the sacred volume or as the min
lister reads it from the sacred desk, invol
unfairly into the mind darts the queer,
grotesque use which has been made of
the verse. Shame that it ever should be
so. And great pity it is that any one
protesting love for the word of God
should be willing to repeat even a very
so-called cute conundrum, made by
misapplying a text of Scripture capable
of serving double meaning.
We believe that the Testaments of the
Bible are the invaluable legacies by the
study of which the life can be ennobled,
and through acceptance Of their teach
ings the soul can be saved. They come
TO us from God the Father and his son,
Jesus Christ. What would be thought
of a man or woman who would bc will
ing 10 take the sayings or precepts of "A
good parent and make fun, not exactly
of them, but out of them? What right
minded person would regard other than
with contempt such really contemplate
lack of reverence and respect, such lack
of delcacy, of filial feeling and regard?
The trouble is that 1.-THE standard of rev.
erence," as before quoted, has been low
cred by allowing these things to be
spoken of repeatedly, If not habitually,
in "a light way.
A believer in the precious truths of
the Bible should remember two things
in this connection: First, loose, light
application of IA Scriptural verse is gen
orally the work of some one who is no
lover of the precepts themselves or of
him who gave them; and again, there
comes a time when no other promises
than those of the Bible can sustain the
fainting, dying heart, no other words
comfort and support the spirit when the
dark valley of the shadow of death is
reached. And yet some of the most sol
emn words of the Bible have been used
time and again to make the thoughtless
laugh, and so cause them TO forget or
overlook the real, intense meaning of
the literal sense. We must sometimes
hear such things, but they never need be
repeated.
Parents, especially, who wish their
children TO grow up with an idea of rev.
erence for the Bible and for sacred
things should never allow themselves
TO speak lightly of texts of Scripture, or
of all things 10 repeat witticism based
on some verse of the Bible. No one can
afford to make light of the lifeboat
which offers the only chance of ever
reaching the shore in safety. When the
time comes to lean hard on the rod and
staff which alone can comfort and sup
port, it will be bitter thing to reflect
that when in health and strength all
thought of coming dependence was cast
10 the winds, while the helpful verse
was perverted to serve double mean
ing and cause a careless laugh.-Harriet
A. Cheever in Christian at Work.
Slightly Sarcastic on Robert l. Smear"