The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-02-08
Entered at the postofice at Laurens,
S. G, as second class mail matter.
LAURENS, S. c., Feb. s, 1905.
Bible Study in Laurens.

The results of Supt. B. l.. Jones'
Bible examination of the school chill
dren, printed in THE ADVERTISER last
week, has aroused a great deal of in
terest in the State and favorable COM
ments arc numerous. We believe that
it will be the cause of a general awak-
ing of interest in Bible study in the
public schools. The News and Courier
of Friday contained the following edi-
torial under the caption "The Bible in
Laurens'':
elsewhere is reproduced from The
Laurens Advertiser a o p of a circular
issued to the patrons of the city schools
of Laurens by the superintendent, Mr..
b. l.: Jones, with regard to the Bible
training of the young in Laurens. Mr..
Jones examined the higher grades of
his school, composed of children be-
tween thirteen and sixteen years old,
IN their knowledge of the Bible. Twenty
simple questions were presented for the
test, and h average percentage made
by ~forty-two girls was 37.71 and for
twenty-four boys 42.41.
M Jones draws this inference: 1t
is evident chat the children Of our town
are not receiving, thorough instruction
Al viz DipiS NiSIS lle ldulC lies re-
mains for the parents to discover.
Hereafter the Bible will be taught in
our schools moro than it has been in
the past" Mr.. Jones adds the inter
esting statement that out of $40 white
pupils enrolled in the city schools, only
I'D attended the Sunday Schools of the
town on Sunday, January 22d. "This
was an ideal day." he declares, and
Sunday School,"
Surprising hat a percentage of so
be required in the schools for a child to
be promoted from a lower to a higher
grade it appears that a considerable ma
jority of the youths of Laurens would
fail on the English Bible. We do not
discuss now the di%sputable question of
the propriety of teaching the Bible in
the common schools but we believe
that, with rare exceptions, intelligent
people will agree that every man and
woman should have some knowledge of
the Bible, Apart from it's religious
bearing, it will be conceded that no
person is equipped with the rudiments
of an education until he has some UNI
Outstanding of what the Bible is and what
1T teaches. Even an intelligent Atheist
would assent to the truth of this propos-
ition.
while the results of the examine
tions in Laurens are not creditable to
the schools boys and g~irls-and, mira
bile dictu-the girls are excelled by the
boys-it is only fair to them to say that
there is no certainty that their fathers
and mothers could have done better.
Moreover, we doubt if the average of
Laurens, would be exceeded materially
by the young or old of other communi-
ties.
"However, it is encouraging that the
superintendent of the Laurens schools
has given this examination. We are
glad to observe and to direct attention
to the active interest that he is show
ing in Bible education. We are sure
that it wouldbe helpful to the people of
the State and prove an incentive to the
study of the Bible, if all the school SUI
perintendents of South Carolina should
follow his example. Once it is discov-
cred that the familiarity with the BIZ
bic that characterized the people
of the State if we go back some
three or four generations, it is safe to
safe to say that they will arouse them
selves to the wisdom of renewing their
acquaintance with the Book of Books"