Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-10-17
A Knowledge Of the Bible.

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Two eminent educators in New York
city, Chancellor MacCracken of the
University of New York, and Dean
Van Amringe of Columbia, have re-
Gently delivered utterances on the SUBJ
ject of Bible study as preparation for
college life, which have attracted wide
attention and brought out much IA
vorable comment. The speakers do not
have SO much in view the promotion Of
the spirit OF reverence of religion.
though that might well be said to
be the chief aim of Bible study by, the
young, but they were considering the
knowledge of the Bible as factor in
good education. 1t is not to be denied
that a great proportion of our young
men, not only those who go to college
but those who complete their education
in the lower schools, are lamentably
ignorant of the salient features of
that they lack reverence for religious
things, or that they are deficient in re-
ligious faith, but that they have little
real knowledge of the Bible as his
torical book and as a work of litera-
turc. This is something to be regret
ted. and for which the remedy is as
simple as the need of it is manifest.
DR.. MacCracken said he had known
freshmen who were unable to tell the
name of the village where Jesus was
born, or the names of the writer's of
the New Testament epistles, and cited
the case of one student who spoke of
Joshua and Caleb as the rebuilders of
the Temple of Jerusalem. We have no
doubt that such are to be found at
many colleges; for of late years there
has been a marked decline of Bible
study. and even of Bible reading, in
most secondary schools, and many boys
Of high school age scorn the idea of go
ing to Sunday-school or church. The
result is, of course, neglect of Bible
| StuuS. Idl, do we nave Sctlu, 10 d
mentable thing from the elementary
apart from it's theological ard spiritual
significance, the Bible is of unsur-
passed Importance as history and as
literature. freshman would probably
be conditioned if not rejected, if he
were so unfamiliar with Greek history
as to speak of Pericles as the hero of
Thermopylae, if he could not tell the
name of the author of the Ilaid, or if
he did not know who was the legendary
founder of Rome. 1t seems entirely rea-
sonable to require the college matricu
liant to be as familiar with the history
of the Jews and with the facts of
Christs life and work. was with the
history of the Greeks and Romans.
The chief reason for this is probably
that college examiners have taken
knowledge of the Bible too much for
granted, just as they have taken for
granted that applicants for entrance
are amply instructed in elementary
English. 1t is to be feared that thus
they have overestimated the scholastic
attachments of many candidates. 1t is
notorious that many young men, not
only seeking to enter college, but in
college and about to be graduated from
college, are unable to write English
correctly. They are faulty in orthogra-
ply. in etymology and in syntaX, to
say nothing of rhetoric. So it is COM
ing to pass. most commercially, that
stricter scrutiny is held of candidates
preparation in English. There are many
educators who not ON sectarian or
even on religious grounds, but for the
simple sake Of education, will cordial
| " approve DIR. MacCracken's sugges-
ton that college matriculants be re-
Qured to pass an examination in the
Bible. and to show a knowledge of the
chief features of Bible history, and of
such salient passages in the book as the
Ten Commandments and the sermon on
the Mount. For these things are at
| least as essential to general secular
culture as are the Odes of Horace or
the story of Xenophon's march from
the interior of Persia to the Black Sea.
| South Harol;n &C Cbavoa