The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-09-23
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
Az ELOQUENT DISCOURSE BY THE
REV. JOHN BALLOON SHAW. o. D.
SUBJECT The Ash-Can Bibie-History Of
Volume of Holy Writ That d. Unique
In Church Misunderstanding Against .
Common Type Of family Deterioration

titled The Ash-Can Bible" His text
was: The word OF God which lyeth and
sbldeth foreyer-l Peter l:23.
This book, rather than the words have
read from II, j. my text. Not the Bible IN
general as theme 20 be discussed. but this
/ particular Bible consisting OF paper. piint.
lng and binding, Is an object lesson 70 lie
taught.
This Bible has a history. II was a gift
10 the church under the uniquest condl-
tions.. Indeed doubt if there is another
church IN the whole world that came by
its pulpit Bible IN the same OF IN anything
ike a similar way.
Ih.s Is ITS history. One morning last
spring woman. a pewholder. but not a
member OF this church, came into the mn.
is,er Office, where | was keeping the pas
ioral hour and handing me a package
neatly wrapped and tied ked me ii |
could make use or ITS contents IN any way
Opening the package and finding this beau
tiuIly bound Bible inside, i, of course, an
swered afhrmauvely, and suggested tha;
hand IT on 10 some mission church or
poor, struggling congregation, for Use as q
/ pulpit Bible.
She then told me its story. That morn
lng upon coming out OF the apartment
\ where she lived she spied an elegantly
bound book on the top of the ash-can tha:
stood awaiting the coming OF the garbage
cart. Feeling 70 was a shame 10 allow 50
Tine book 10 be disposed of in that way
she went TO the ash-Can and turned It's title
round toward her. What was her ,maze-
ment, her horror, her sense of desecration
to hnd II was copy of the Holy Bible.
She opened II and found that several leaves
between the Old Testament and the New
had been cut out, and the explanation
came 10 her al once an explanation wAicn
the Janitor afterward fully confirmed
IL seems that a family, apparently IL.
spectacle and well disposed, had moved
away from the apartment house the day
before, and desiring 10 throw away every
thing Tor which they had no use and which
increased the bulk Of their effects. mad
seized upon the family Bible which had
been IN their home for years. as thing
that could be a. easily got along without
as anything else, had cut out the family
record that IL might not be lost, and sent
the book down TO the ianitor as rubbish TO
be thrown away. He. either because he
had failed 10 recognize II or because he
had low estimate of the Bibles value,
had deposited IL In the ash.can, and was
looking for the citys cart TO come az any
moment and take II away.
A new interest Immediately attached IT,.
selt TO the Bible l put it into the minis
ter's room to await some providential op-
portunity 10 dispose of IT. That opportu-
nlty was not long IN coming. When tins
new pulpit was set IN place upon my re-
turn II was found that not one of the
three pulpit Bibles that had been previous
~ presented TO the church would NJ its
book board. / then went to the minister's
room and brought out this ash-can Bible
IL was Just the thing. Besides being of
the right size, its gold edges and richly EN-.
bossed covers made IL peculiarly suitable
10 mount this pulpit, and here II will stand
as itself mcmorlal-the ru! pit n memorial
10 family who loved the Bible, guided
their lives for fifty years IN this commu-
nlty by ITS counsels and sent forth into II
streams OF Christian influence that viii
never run dry; the Bible which rests upon
this pulpit speaking to us Of a family who
fitted into this neIghborhood, and after
restless sOlOurn OF a few months, more
probably Of not more than a few weeks
fitted out again without having done any
thing 10 help It, and who thought so little
OF God and goodness desired so family
not only to hght the road heavenward for
others, but TO have II lighted for them
selves, that they threw away their family
Bible and moved on to drag down the re-
hglous tone and temperature of some other
community.
Robert Browning in his great poem
The Ring and the Book tells the story
al finding a rare book at a stall IN the
Square OF Florence. and, after reporting its
contents be gives rein to his poetic mus
lngs upon the life. character and history
Of the persons figuring within its narrative,
punCtuating with marks OF exquisite
strength and beauty the lessons OF their
lives
This strangely discovered book starts no
poetic strains within mel have no such
strings TO vibrate--but il does set my SOU
20 musing and those musings seem 10 me
10 take the path OF hkeest fact and truth
They carry me back over the earlier his
tory OF this book. 1t may have been, IT
doubtless was, wedding present. given
probably by a plous father and mother
long since among the sainted dead. II
had been in the home through all the years
of their family history, and had become as
familiar an object az the silver on their
table or the pictures upon their walls
Again and again they had gone 10 IT
through the passing years to inscrIbe with
IN ITS sacred pages the records of their
home. With the daintest touch they had
put IN their own names while the honey
moon was still on. Later when that 1t
tie hfe came to them, their first born and
the glow OF parentbood flushed their souls
as with baptism from heaven, they
dipped the pen as II into some love fluid
and wrote out with pride the dear little
ones newly chosen name.
A few years passed and the angel came
and took the sweet soul away. The fun
eral over. the father one evening when
they were alone and the house was silent,
went through into the parlor. unknown to
his wife, and put in the record, leaning
over the open book tln the tears began 10
soil the page. and then turning over few
pages into the book that adjoIned the rec
ord, ne read over and over again those
dear and holy words. Suffer little chill
drel 10 come unto Ne. and forbid them
not, for Of such u the kingdom Of heaven"
and those other words 20 inseuarabiy assO-
ciated with them, Their angels do
always behold the face OF Ny Father 1t
vas the Bible, too, out Of which the minis
ter had read al the little ones funeral,
and IN this and a hundred other ways 1T
had taken on a halloweduess and built IL
sell into the whole life II the home
But i've years ago the family moved into
New York. and the decay OF their home
life began. Sentiment. ASSOCIATION, mem
CRY. though sacred and tender, could not
run a race with the eyanesceni, migratory
llie o. the metropolis. They had moved
often. and every time they moved they
had left something OF their home life be
hind them. Age ceased 10 give anything
Its value, 70 was the ease with which u
could be transported which determined
that. Their religious lIie had declined
and they never opened the Bible Of late
They had even neglected to record the last
death that had taken place IN the family
They had been wca-ed from the church
through frequent removals. and reIgi ious
thought and feeling bad become strangeTs
20 their hearts
Their coascencos bad been dusled. and
what had once seemel impossible % them
was now second uatsJe IAey used 20
think they could never allow the Sunday
paper ~ their home. lat now they read IL
themselves and allowed their children TO
read i without the least qdalr Of con