Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-29
REV. KINGS STORY TELLS WHY
HOLY BIBLE ISN'T READ MORE
ShoWS HoW Magazines, Best
Sellers, Newspapers and In
nOcem AmuSementS" CrOwd
Out Study of the Word

a recent issue of the Christian En-
deavor World prints an article by the
J lSeV. Harry b. King, pastor of Paxton
presbyterian church, PaXtang, which
deals In an intensely interesting and
readable way with the pledges taken
by young Christian Endeavorer who
is IN business, even as YOU and /, and
who imagines himself living up to
, those pledges One of these pledges
is: To read the Bible every night"
which he does. but oh! how lacka-
daisically, and oh! how easy it was
for this young man to manufacture
excuses even as you and l. We take
the liberty of reprinting the article
IN full. 1t will profit you to read 1t
thorough.
He was a livewi-e in the Christian
Endeavor Society with a little of
the insulation worn off by some of the
innocent amusements of the day) at
any rate, he held an office, and was
really active. So after going home
Sunday night he did read chapter
fairly long one, too-out of his Bible,
partly because his pastor had preached
on The Bible in Christian life" and
partly because his mother had cleared
the library table and carried the Sun
day paper down to the cellar. And
since 1t was long chapter-twenty
three verses!-he felt he had done
work of supererogation.
Monday morning was gloomy. and
ne oversight so had to rush to be at
the office on time. II was a busy day
and nothing doing until he got the
evening paper. He spent thirty-five
minutes reading about what he had
heard the boys talking about at the Of
hce, and was none the wiser. And that
night, when he turned I'm, he read the
one hundred and twenty-third Psalm
Tour verses, twenty-one lines, ten
seconds, sort of hundred-yard spIr-
itual dash.
Dcvours Sporting Page
Tuesday morning he sat on the
porch till breakfast was ready, and de-
Voured the sporting page of the Morn
ing News, getting all the runs, strikes,
put-outs, of the local and National
leagues-twenty minutes: and he
knew the percentage and standing of
the teams and men-a lightninS read
Justment of the lineup. And he took
the paper along with him, and read all
the way down town, ten minutes solid
cramming of the worlds news into his
head.
On the way home he bought a Cos
mocluncy, and read three short stories,
eleven pages. And before he got into
bed he opened his Bible, and read the
one hundred and nineteenth Psalm
section Mem, eight verses, beginning,
% how love ! thy law!" and because
ne mad no sense of humor he kept a
sober face, and fell peacefully asleep.
Nhiling Away the Time Reads Papers
And Wednesday evening he hurried
nome atter prayer meeting, because it
was a wet night, and because Brown
had lent him the latest OUT so he got
an hour and half of intense pleasure
ana enjoyment reading about kings
that never lived, and castles that were
never built, and lands that never were
on any map, and felt when he was
through that he had been in touch
with literary genius of the day and
was some judge of books.
And because the newspaper had
FALLEN across his Bible, and hid it from
slsht, he forgot all about his Christian
Endeavor pledge until almost asleep,
ana endeavored to salve his conscience
by repeating the twenty-third Psalm
as best he could. And his sleep was
undisturbed.
Thursday the firm sent him on a
trip. 1t took four hours to go and
four newspapers to while awav the
time. When he couldn't doze. or was
tired of trying to make out the blur of
passing scenery. he read-murder-
-diVorce-political blackmail--
-peace--internation complica-
uons - municipal manipuIations = ct
cetera al nauseam: and, when he
grew tired of the news, he read the
ads and the theater programs, the
Lost and Pounds" and Wants and
Deaths to kill time.
1t is true he did wish he had brought
pocket Testament to look over the
Christian Endeavor topic for the next
meeting, for he was to be the leader. |
But he hadn't any, hadn't been able to
buy one; it would have cost the price
of five movies.
Six Verses
Then on the way home the eyperi- |
ence of the morning was repeated. On |
reaching home he was tired and dusty. !
and would have gone to bed instanter
If his open Bible had not looked at him |
so accusinGly; so he read Psalm 1926. |
just six verses. 1t seemed so ridicu-
lously short that he added the one |
hundred and twenty eighth, same size. |
and straightway forgot what manner
of reading 1t was. But he was an En- |
deavorer. and kept his pledge.
And Friday was much like other
days, except when he went to read his !
Bible. Because he had no method, |
neither reading a book through chap |
ter by chapter, nor the daily readings !
on the Sunday School lesson. nor any |
other method, he spent seven minutes