The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-03-23
Nv NEWMAN MATHEWS.

One of the most serious handicaps
IN the study of literature or even read
ing I'm general Is the absolute ignor-
ance of the average child OF the stor'
les and characters OF the Bible. For
instance, In a class CONSISTING %
eighth and ninth grade puphs, ~
one could explain the lines from lne
Lady OF the Lake
The tower which builders. vain
Presumptuous. piled on shlnars pia'
In the lower grades still more ap
palling conditions prevail. A sixtn.
grade pupil reading the story Oh
SANDY, the Good Smaritan, by VII
liam e. Curtis, was asked to tell why
the dog was called the good Samaritan
and admitted that the expression
meant nothing to her. The same pupil
when reading John Boyle O'Reilly =
Owing In Harness" did not know
who taught In parallels, and Inc
seed on the rock Is wasted" awoke
no slumbering memories In her nina
There IL a little poem In one OF the
school readers about the Song spar
row, one line of which, In descrlplns
the color OF the bird, reads thus: he
does not wear Joseph's coat But
the children who read II are like the
one-time king of Egypt who knew
not Joseph"
II has been said that the modern
orator does not refer TO the Bible as
frequently as did those or former
years Even II this be SO, II VIII avail
us nothing, as We are not called upon
to study from a literary point OF view
the stump speeches Of the campaign
orator, and the average child, We
/ think. is apt to give Webster more
credit than he deserves in thinking
original with him such expressions
! Tin the supposed speech OF John
| Adams). as: "One jot or title" and
May my right hand forget her Gun
ming and my tongue cleave TO the rooi
of my mouth" Equally lost to the
average grade pupil must be that fine
figure OF speech In which Webster eu
lloxizes Hamilton. He smote the rock
of the national resources and aban
dant streams OF revenue gushet
forth"
II Is common In schools now FOL
teachers to hold up 10 the pupils the
life OF Abraham Lincoln not only fol
his admirable character but his sue
cess in getting an education under
difficulty. Yet as l look over the rec
ord of his life and education, ! notice
that he read the Bible many times
as we'll as Pilgrims Progress" ant
Aesop's Fables Which Of the pupils
OF the average school have read tbs
Bible even once? Can we not say tina
at the best they are filled up witt
| WI
not attempt to describe.
The ignorance in this line can no
he laid to the schools, as, until re
Gently the reading Of the Bible IL
school was discouraged, and In som'
cases absolutely FORBIDDEN. While
believe, public feeling in this mat
ter has changed considerably, still /
has not arrived at the point wher'
Bibles are placed in the schoolroom
for reading or reference. The teaeh
err wishing to read must generall
furnish the book Even In the higl
? schools and college preparation
: schools a Bible Is not always avail
;. able. Encyclopaeulas anu uictioi
: aries, and standard works are consid
cred indispensable, but the Bible
!, which is probably without exception
: the most quoted book, is tabooed a
: undesirable and why Is this? In schoc
? life this is q storytelling age. Tn
!. popil is filled with stories from kir
y. dergarten to high school. He is toll
all the stories Of the northern an
!, southern mythologies, which are wo'
= en- from the Imagination OF ignoran
!, and superstitious peoples an
= some of which are so possible as eel
? tainly TO have no refining infiuenc
: on the mHnd. Why not take out G
I, our readers the horrible story OF Pre-
= crustes, the Stretcher, and replace
with the beautiful and far more II
teresting story OF Joseph, which hs
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