Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-01-29
READING the Bible Less.

President Hall of Clark DIVERSITY has
been making observations and exper-
iements among his students and finds
still more evidence to be added to
that which he had already obtained in
other ways to show that the people Of
the present time do not read the Bible
as did those of the past generation. A
series Of questions which he had wide
Nv distributed among the high school
students of the land. and also among
Sunday school students for that matter.
give him the firm opinion, on this sub
ject which he has strengthened by an
examination of his own college boys.
He says that the young people of today.
even those who come from cultured and
Christian homes, show an amazing ig-
norance of the Scriptures, especially
the Old Testament. From this he feels
justified in his inference that the Bible
is much less read now than it used to
be, and that the number of children to
whom a fair knowledge is impaired is
steadily decreasing. The Philadelphia
Inquirer summarizes the results Of
President Halls Investigations and
makes the following very sensible COM
ments:
eff this is true it is great pity and
it becomes the duty of parents and
Sunday-schOol superintendent to study
the situation and TO do what they can
to improve it. Apart altogether from
the religion which it embodies there is
10 book SO worthy of study, no book
whose study will yield such valuable
results. DIS what is known as the au-
thorized or King James version of the
Bible. Modern scholarship has found
what it regards as errors in it's phrase
ology. but all things considered, these
errors are surprisingly rare and extrem-
ly few Of them have any substantial
consequence. ThcologianS may be able
to find an importance in the differences
which they express which is not visible
to the lay reader, but it is not too much
to say that these variations from an
absolute accuracy are safely negligible.
They never go to the truth of any doc
trinc or materially misrepresent the
fact.
Prom a purely literary point of view
they are rather regrettable than well
come. as they frequently disturb the
rhythm and destroy the beauty of IAN
Suage which is the perfection of felic-
ity and strength and grace. The die
ton of the Bible is admittedly unsur-
passed and indispensable. 1t exhibits
the very best use of which the English
tongue is capable and aspiring writer's
have for centuries been admonished to
take it as their model. 1t is well
known that benjamin Franklin used
to attribute the lucidity and simplicity
which are the salient characteristics
and the chief merits Of his style to his
Biblical studies, and among authors
who have attained to fame many more
have made the same acknowledgment.
another thing. The best of English
literature is so full Of Biblical illusions
that it can only be properly understood
and enjoyed by those to whom the al
lusions are ineligible. so that a fail
ure to read the Bible involves a grave
educational deficiency.
"It is to be hoped and it may be cX-
pected that the condition now report
eG to exist may not prove permanent.
For many reasons Il growing neglect of
the Scriptures would hardly be less
than 4 national calamity"