The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-25
Dr. Simpson Told Of Book of.
 Books Al the Literary Club

The Bible in Litefature' was the sub ject of an eloquent address made at meeting of the Clionian Club by pr. R. N. Simpson, pastor of the First Christian Church, of this city.
 In presenting the claims of the book of books to a literary club Dr. Simpson spoke of it not only as the inspiration of the best literature of the ages, but also as the one greae book of life.
 Because the address win be of especial interest to readers of the church page, the following excerpts from it are pub- lished today. To an interested audience Dr. Simpson said, in part:
 Tn the legends of an ancient people there is the story of a man who learned from an old magician the habitat and uncanny worth or magic flower. Fol lowing carefully the aged wizards direc- tions, he came to a preeipitous wall of rock wherein were no Assures no visible caverns, but which was solid wall of masonry with ledge laid upon ledge by the mighty hand of God. There were many common flowers in the plain at the base of the rugged cliffs primroses with their. roots deep In the dust of dead leaves, upholding the glory of their tribe; wild honeysuckle casting it's blos- sons; tulips dipped in richest dyes, heavy on their tubular stems, and yellow | crocuses like cast-off crowns of deposed fairies
 | But none of these was the magic flow CT the traveller sought and he was or the point of abandoning his quest when his nostrils caught strange sweet fra grance, and his eyes found the magic flower. It's petals were white and its stem stout and red with life, and it's fragrance like rarest perfume spilled from an alabaster cruse Remembering the words of the old magician. he broke the flower from it's stem close to the soil, and holding it high against the wall of rock, waited to see if the wizards word would come true.
 "A door of massive rock opened on noseless hinges, and he peered into the semi-darkness of deep cavern. As he stepped sforward the rock door closed again, but the flower made the Interior l light and he found himself in a cave ot l great dimensions. A long corridor stretched out before him like the hail | way of giants castle, and it's walls were pierced with great doorways tc rooms of mystery. Entering the first ol these rooms the traveller found a treas. ure-store of precious gems, and, knowing their worth in the markets of the world he filled his pockets, and as he passed out into the corridor a voice from be | hind him said, Don't forget the flower. i, "In another room he found gems more precious He wished for bag to hoic such treasures, but he had not dreamed of such good fortune. He emptied hii pockets of the inferior gems and filled them with the richer treasure, and as he passed out with bulging pockets an filled hands. the voice repeated the ad nlonition, Don't forget the flower
 Thus he went through that uncann, place, from one room to another, alway. finding more precious jewels, and makine I the wise exchange, until at last he fount room of diamonds and knew. when h. had gathered those, he had made himsel the richest of men. As he returned to ward the entrance the voice came agaiI 1 in more piaintive tones of entreaty, Don forget the flower,' and for the first tim' he realized that he had left behind hin the magic blossom that had been the key l to the treasure cavern. He turned bael to look for it. when suddenly he founf himself on the outside, with the wall Q rock before him, and no sign of it | strange entrance. At his feet was tn stalk from which he had broken the flow CT His pockets were empty, his hand: bleeding from feeling his way along th' rough inner walls and his treasure gone He had forgotten the flower
 | "Sometimes it seems as if we had for lgotten the magic flower that has opene' for us the treasure chambers of the rich est literary possessions, And those lit lerary treasures are valueless--empt' phrasings. paragraphs as lifeess as dea' petals and leaves pressed between book covers, unless they clothe in the dress o idecent speech the progeny of royal pre- lcepts cradled in the sacred writings
 :. ."Sone of the books of the Bible meal more to us than others. but all of then constitute the most wonderful elan Q books from the loins of literature. Cho sen of God has been the glory of a ger ltafn people as the channel of a poten |civilization through which 10 irrisate tn
 wastes of a pagan world. Chosen of Go'
 has been the glory of a certain land fror
 whose mountain summit of Zion shout
 stream forth law and from whose hill slope of Calvary should flow forth Re demption unto the uttermost rim of tn world Chosen of God has been the glof
 of certain book. as the channel O
 truth through which to overcome tn aridness and barrenness of decadeI
 ideals That is the Book of the Ages the Book of the Nations. the Book c
 Books.
 ~perhaps our childhood reverence ID the Book grew out ,'f our parents Il esteem for the sacred volume. Ther
 was an unwieldy copy of it that ha'
 a place of honor in the best room and there was another smaller usabl l edition well worn by grandmother hands. But bye and bye we made tn
 discovery in our reading of the classic Iof rnanv-nations fhas there were fig iires of sreech akin In sentiment an
 s'r-ilar in phraslng to much that W 'ad heard a- cur mothers knee i ! .-~fs of scripture.
 "sva4 Raieieh's History of the worl : with the ciamminessi. i.f the nrison eel