The Tupelo journal., 1903-11-13

ton OF the city where | live, n which
is peculiarly blessed with many
churches, Sunday schools and missions,
such a canvass was made during the past
summer, and dozens of homes were
found which did not possess a single
page of the printed Word of GCd. But
the weekday and Sunday newspaper,
the magazines and journals came into
those homes, though, while the Bible did
not have even an honored place under a
mantle of dust On the high shelf. And
within a stones throw Of the church we
found a child of nearly twelve years
who had no intelligent idea of who
Christ was. She had heard the name
used in profanity or the street. but had
never been to Sunday school and did not
know who Christ was. Think of it! Is
not the Bible neglected? we ask.
T has been said, and truthfully, that
l it is impossible to mentally, or social
ly, enslave a Bible-reading people. The
great scientist, Huxley, in declaring that
the Bible as an educational and moral
influence in a community and nation
was unsurpassed, substantiated his
claim by asking us to consider the
great historical fact that for three GEN.
turtles this Fook has been woven into
the life of all that is noblest and best
in u history, and that it has become
the national epic of our race; that it is
written in the noblest and purest Eng
ish and ahn,nle l., ov1,;c;+a }oo,t;Nc
of mere literary form; and finally, that
is forbids the veriest hind, who never
left his village, to be ignorant of the ex-
1stence of other countries and other
civilizations and of a great past, stretch
ing back to the furthest limits of the
Oldest nations in the world" John
Wesley exclaimed: "Let me be homo
unius libri Ga man of one book, and that
book the Bible" The great, the noble
Lincoln is said to have built up his en-
tire reading upon his early study of the
Bible. He was a man of one book"
and instinctively put into practice in
his lofty craftsmanship what he had
been taught from the Bible. Ruskin's
testimony of the influence and power of
the Bible upon his life is as follows:
My mothers list Of chapters with
which she established my soul in life,
and of which l learned every syllable &C
curately, were, Exodus Is and 20; II.
Sam. 1, 5, II to end; /. Kings S; Psalms
70, 30, 80, 81, 1903, 112, 119, 1879;
Proverbs. 2, 8, 8, -; Isaiah SIS; Matthew
5, 6, Z; Acts &c; l. Cor. 13, Is; James 4;
Revelation 5, g.. And truly, though l
have picked up the elements of a little
further knowledge in mathematics,
meteorology and the like, in after
life, and owe not a little to the
teaching of many people, this maternal
installation of nv mind in that proper
ty OF chapters | count very confidently
the most precious and, on the whole.
the one essential part of my education"
Gladstone declared that the men who
are called to the highest positions of
trust are men who nave built their lives
on the impregnable rock of Holy Scrip
ture." And what more need we say of
the power and influence of the Bible
upon individual lives and UPON the lives
of nations?
. UT remember that it was the read
Bible which exerted this influence.
The closed and neglected Bible is not
more potent thar so much blank paper,
binding thread and cover. There are
more Bibles in this country to-day than
ever before-millions upon millions of
them-but if they are not opened and
read of what practical good are they?
1t may be comforting for you to know
that you have a handSomely-bound
Bible on your center table, and you may
but If you look inside, if you do
not read it's message, any other book
or a plaster paris image of some god or
goddess might as well be in it's place.
To girdle the earth with Bibles, to Law
in every country on the globe a mosaic
of Bibles, will not enlighten the people
or draw them nearer to God, unless the
books are opened and read. And here
is where the Bible is neglected. Fifty.
n hundred years ago, when books
were few and costly. when magazines
were almost unknown, when the Sun
day newspaper was not even dreamed
of by even the most irreligious and un.
cody, the Bible was the one book at
least which every home possessed. And
it was read, reverently read. And not
only was it read but it was memorized.
1t was a Bible-reading people which laid
the foundations of this nation broad and
deep. Bible-reading fathers and Bible
reading mothers gave to the succeeding
generations a heritage which is still
resting as a blessing and benediction
upon us. But we have fallen upon a
day in which the Bible is neglected.
The family affairs are thrown down and
forgotten. Life is too rushing and busy.
pers and magazines which must be read
to be up to date, to find time to read
the Bible. The Word of God, the mes
sage of the Lord Jehovah to man. lies
neglected upon the table or shelf, while
the novel or essay or narrative which
man has written has the right of way
and holds the attention.
ONE of the religious journals had a
~ cartoon in a recent issue showing
a father seated with the family Bible
open upon his knee. The wife at his side
was listening to the evening prayers of
the two little ones who were bowed at
her knee, one on either side. The Word
of God has just been read and the