The sun., 1896-10-25

The widespread and deplorable ignorance
OF the Bible which exists in the United
States is the subject of an article in our
Boston religious contemporary, the Watch
man. 1t says that even churchgoing people
and Sunday school youths are unfamiliar
with the contents of the sacred book:
"A generation ls growing up In our sunday.schoois,
which is practically unacausinted with the bible.
Literary men OF high standing deploro the popular
Ignorance OF she Scriptures ministers say they can
no longer take II for granted that the simplest bbli
cal alus will be Understood by some OF the men,
bers OF their congregations who have spent ten
years or moro in the Sunday. SCHOOL, the religious
press teens with conn laints that Christian
people do not know their Bibles; tho daily
papers during the last two or three years,
have repeatedly emphasized the unfamili.
aFity OF the people with the Scriptures: and edu.
catonal Institutions have found It necessary make
special provision for acquaintng their pupils with
the Bible. dcemng II at least reproach to an edu.
Gated person to he unfamiliar with the Bible. II any
one doubts the extent of popular ignorance OF the
Bible among the young people even or Chrstlan fani
hes let him test an average class OF boys or girls and
afew questions will convince the most skeptcal"
We are surprised at the breadth Of these
statements. They are surely broader than
they ought to be.
Yet since the remarks Of the Wdtchmdn
NtIC pIIuttu, llICIl liItH iltS ptcu
by many Of our other religious contem-
poraries, who quote the declarations of
clergymen in support OF them. Even
foreign periodical, the Quarterly Rcrtelc of
London, refers in its last number to the
prevalent American ignorance Of the Bible.
If the Wutchmun's statements nre trust
worthy, il they are founded upon sufficient
knowledge, we, too, say with the Watch
man that this ignorance is deplorable.
Yet we learn from the eightieth
annual report of the American Bible
Society that the yearly sales of the
Bible in the United States are large
enough to give the entire population
the opportunity of possessing it. The
copies issued in the year covered by the last
report amounted to l,75o,as3, and al
though about one-half OF them were dis
trbuted in foreign countries in languages
other than the English. we yet have the
better part of million copies left for the
United States. That is for single year
During the eighty years of the society's ex-
istence the number of Bibles printed by
it has been very nearly 62,O00,O0O, and.
even II we allow less than one-half
OF them for our own country, that number
Is great enough to furnish Bible for every
family in the land. Besides, the publica-
tion OF the Book in the United States is not
confined to the American Bible Society, and
we must add to its issues those that are
made by other societies and publishing
houses as well as those Bibles TINT are i'm
ported from England, large number.
Is 1t, then, that the owners OF the Bible
In our community do not read it' 1t is our
opinion that there is n great deal more Bible
reading than the IFdtchmdn has been led to
believe there is. We know but few men
OF intelligence who are unncquainted
with the Book We see it in the homes
OF our friends 1t is to be found in
all libraries. 1t is often referred to in
conversation, even in that of people who
are not very religious Many of its texts
are familiar, we may say, To everybody.
There is not any other book with which the
people at large are 50 well acquainted. How
can churchgoers be so Ignorant Of it when
they listen to the reading of 1t, or to SER
mons upon passages OF it every time they
60 to church How can the multitudes
of Sunday school children be SO ignorant OF
1t when it is the subject OF their study
every Sunday How can preachers say
that members of their congregations are
unable to understand biblical illusions
il seems to us that the assertions of the
|Idtchndn az to the extent OF the popular
ignorance of the Bible are far too large.
The early Puritans of New England were
readers OF the Bible, as were the Dutch OF
this State. and the Quukers OF Pennsyl-
vania, and the people OF Virginia, the Caro-
linas, and Georgia So that the present gen
Grafton of Americans have inherited knowl-
edge of the Bible, and have added to their
inheritance, The Bible is bound up with
our country's history. 1t has entered
into the country's life. 1t is tho chief
moral power in the United States. Who
does not know the Ten Commandments OF
MosEsf Who has not rejoiced in the sounds
of the Psalms' Are not the prophets yet
alive' Where is there a Christian, however
unlearned, who is ignorant of the Gospes'
With the Wdtchmdn we would join in de-
ploring the decay OF the Bible; but, behold!
1t spreads itself like green bay tree.
"
A Monarchy Against Republic.