The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-10-10
CONVENTION PROVED
MOST SUCCESSFUL.

N'onuhued trom Rage Eight.
anthropists, but merely Bible school
aiming ever 10 create a permanent inter
est in the Bible, 20 store the mind with a
multitude Of important texts. 20 train in
the adoption of truth TO life
To know the Bible we must he intimate
ly acquainted with e. Familiarity with
truth does not breed contempt dis
tant view may inspire superstition, but
IL does not develop knowledge Children
must own a good Bible and handle II as
they study ~. A quarterly Is not a Bible
A Biblelsss Bible school Is as senseless
as bookless library. A good newspaper
has many references 10 books, but it is
far from being book. The essential
characteristic of a valuable book IS its
permanence the best daily is candi-
date for the waste basket I'm less than "a
hours. The Bible IN from the distant past
and is for all eternity, and II is a great
misfortune 10 study II I'm such form that
when a quarter closes IL il a back num-
ber Have you ever seen the look OF dis
gust on child's face when. In looking
for his quarterly, he comes on an out-of-
date copy ana exclaims; "oh. that Is the
last quarter" Have you never felt IL
yourself
! intend no modification OF my oft ex-
pressed admiration for the perfection Of
modern lesson helps. There Is nothing
in the -educstio work or !n the re-
ligious field more suggestive or exhaust
i've than these, but they are helps, and TO
allow them TO suppIant the Bible In the
hands of the child Is like pulling up the
vine TO exhibit the beautiful treills Let
us see To II. first OF all. that every child
In the Sunday school has "A good Bible as
soon as he can read t. and that this
be presented by the church. with the
child's name in guilt upon the outside.
and the fact of its presentation appropri-
q falx Ina De-.
fant class might well be soemnized or
celebrated by such a public gift. Some
churches give Bibles at the age OF seven
10 the children who have been baptized
In infancy. The probability is that these
are the children who have least need Of
the gift, Is there any reason why the
church should nor make such a present
10 every child who comes from the i'm
fant department into the main school.
and on Children's day to every older child
I'm the school who has no good Bible OF his
own? III you raise the question OF cost
read again Ruskin's commentary on ap-
probation of books. 1t would be diff
cult to lind greater absurdity than tn
talk of magnifying the Importance of
the Bible 10 those who are not the pos
SCISSORS of a good copy Of the Scriptures.
MEMoRIZING TEXTS.
Not second even in Importance to the
the memorizing OF many OF the essential
texts and several chapters, Psalms. and
other selections. This has been said of
ten, but 10 little effect. No other work
done I'm or by the Sunday school relieves
IL Of the charge of gross iuefficiency.
where there Is no regular and persistent
memorizing and frequent public recting
Of vital passages until they are as reliable
part of the mental equipment as the
Lords prayer. The social prayer SER
vice and the sunday morning service Of
worship should occasionally have con-
cert Escital OF such portieHs-ef the Scrip
lures az have been memorized I'm the sun
day school. One OF our great denomina-
tions at its annual conference calls each
pastor by name. and his character and
standings as a minister Is not passed until
he rises and reports that certain collec-
tion has been duly taken I'm his church
aud the allotted amount raised Why
would IL not be well 10 refuse 10 pass the
character and standing OF any church.
pastor, and superintendent whose Sunday
school had not withkn the year memoir
ICED and publicly repeated often enough
TO secure permanently few important
texts and paragraphs of Scriptures not
hitherto learned in that school7
Does some one say that IL Is difficult for
some pupils 20 memorize? That may be,
nut no one. not feeble minded. lacks the
all necessary selections 1t may require
little earnest. attention and some little
time. but II the truth of God Is not worth
all the effort II requires 10 memorize e.
then ID is not worth all the talk we
make about a.. Let us measure our esti-
mate of II by the effort We make 10 learn
n and IN have the pupils memorize IL. IN
81 were necessary, as IN is not. would N
not be better 10 omit for one or more
SUNDAYS the entire lesson, as at present
taught. I'm order 90 furnish ti,e mind for
all time with important portions Of the
Scriptures
third ESSENTIAL II a universal and nt-
mate knowledge of 50 much Of the patri-
archal, priestly. and prophetic conditions
a. are necessary for the intelligent ap-
probation and Interpretation OF the
truthE OF the Scriptures.
There are tens Of thousands OF teach
ers. pupils and students In America who
live i'm the hope that they may see Bos-
aa-and Vicinity some time. Why That
they may see warehouses. bark build
ines. temples palaual homes. parks and
boulevardsr Nv no means. They come
rather 10 see the place where the Boston
massacre took place. the rusty old North
church. from whose beifry the famous
lantern sianaied raul Revere. the home
" old South church. which dehes the
fabulous bids Of commerce that " NAV
keep ever sacred the room IN which sam