a study of bible-第39节

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f　the　religious　nature；　when　they　shall　have　suppressed　the　need　of　communication；　no　matter　how　vague；　with　a　supreme　power　in　the　universe；　when　the　ties　which　bind　men　of　similar　modes　of　thought　in　the　various　religious　organizations　shall　be　dissolved；　when　men；　instead　of　meeting　their　fellow…men　in　assemblages　for　public　worship　which　give　them　a　sense　of　brotherhood；　shall　lounge　at　home　or　in　clubs；　when　men　and　women；　instead　of　bringing　themselves　at　stated　periods　into　an　atmosphere　of　prayer；　praise；　and　aspiration；　to　hear　the　discussion　of　higher　spiritual　themes；　to　be　stirred　by　appeals　to　their　nobler　nature　in　behalf　of　faith；　hope；　and　charity；　and　to　be　moved　by　a　closer　realization　of　the　fatherhood　of　God　and　the　brotherhood　of　man；　shall　stay　at　home　and　give　their　thoughts　to　the　Sunday　papers；　or　to　the　conduct　of　their　business；　or　to　the　languid　search　for　some　refuge　from　boredom。〃＇1＇　Those　are　wise；　strong　words；　and　they　sustain　to　the　full　what　has　been　urged；　that　these　times　still　need　the　religious　influence　of　the　Bible。


＇1＇　Autobiography；　vol。　ii；　p。　570。


The　influence　of　the　Bible　on　the　literary；　moral；　and　religious　life　of　the　times　is　already　apparent。　But　that　influence　needs　to　be　constantly　strengthened。　There　remains；　therefore；　to　suggest　some　methods　of　giving　the　Bible　increasing　power。　It　should　be　recognized　first　and　last　that　only　thoughtful　people　will　do　it。　No　help　will　come　from　careless　people。　Moreover；　only　people　who　believe　in　the　common　folk　will　do　it。　Those　who　are　aristocrats　in　the　sense　that　they　do　not　believe　that　common　people　can　be　trusted　will　not　concern　themselves　to　increase　the　power　of　the　Bible。　But　for　those　who　are　thoughtful　and　essentially　democratic　the　duty　is　a　very　plain　one。　There　are　four　great　agencies　which　may　well　magnify　the　Bible　and　whose　influence　will　bring　the　Bible　into　increasing　power　in　national　life。

First　among　these；　of　course；　must　be　the　Church。　The　accent　which　it　will　place　on　the　Bible　will　naturally　be　on　its　religious　value；　though　its　moral　value　will　take　a　close　second　place。　It　is　essential　for　the　Church　to　hold　itself　true　to　its　religious　foundations。　Only　men　who　have　some　position　of　leadership　can　realize　the　immense　pressure　that　is　on　to…day　to　draw　the　Church　into　forms　of　activity　and　methods　of　service　which　are　much　to　be　commended；　but　which　have　to　be　constantly　guarded　lest　they　deprive　it　of　power　and　concern　in　the　things　which　are　peculiar　to　its　own　life　and　which　it　and　it　alone　can　contribute　to　the　public　good。　The　Church　needs　to　develop　for　itself　far　better　methods　of　instruction　in　the　Bible；　so　that　it　may　as　far　as　possible　drill　those　who　come　under　its　influence　in　the　knowledge　of　the　Bible　for　its　distinctive　religious　value。　This　is　neither　the　time　nor　the　place　for　a　full　statement　of　that　responsibility。　It　is　enough　to　see　how　the　very　logic　of　the　life　of　the　Church　requires　that　it　return　with　renewed　energy　to　its　magnifying　and　teaching　of　the　Bible。

The　second　agency　which　may　be　called　upon　is　the　press。　The　accent　of　the　press　will　be　on　the　moral　value　of　the　Bible；　the　service　which　its　teaching　renders　to　the　national　and　personal　life。　There　seems　to　be　a　hopeful　returning　tendency　to　allusions　to　the　Scripture　in　newspaper　and　magazine　publications。　It　is　rare　to　find　among　the　higher…level　newspapers　an　editorial　page；　where　the　most　thoughtful　writing　appears；　in　which　on　any　day　there　do　not　appear　Scripture　allusions　or　references。　When　that　is　seriously　done；　when　Scripture　is　used　for　some　other　purpose　than　to　point　a　jest；　it　helps　to　restore　the　Bible　to　its　place　in　public　thought。　In　recent　years　there　has　been　a　noticeable　return　of　the　greater　magazines　to　consideration　of　the　moral　phases　of　the　Scripture。　That　has　been　inevitably　connected　with　the　development　of　a　social　sense　which　condemns　men　for　their　evil　courses　because　of　their　damage　to　society。　The　Old　Testament　prophets　are　living　their　lives　again　in　these　days；　and　the　more　thoughtful　men　are　being　driven　back　to　them　for　the　great　principles　on　which　they　may　live　safely。

The　third　agency　which　needs　to　magnify　the　Bible　is　the　school。　The　accent　which　it　will　choose　will　naturally　be　the　literary　value　of　the　Bible；　though　it　will　not　overlook　its　moral　value　as　well。　Incidental　references　heretofore　have　suggested　the　importance　of　religion　in　a　democracy。　But　there　are　none　of　the　great　branches　of　the　teaching　of　the　schools；　public　or　private；　which　do　not　involve　the　Bible。　It　is　impossible　to　teach　history　fairly　and　fully　without　a　frank　recognition　of　the　influence　of　the　Bible。　Study　the　Reformation；　the　Puritan　movement；　the　Pilgrim　journeys；　the　whole　of　early　American　history！　We　can　leave　the　Bible　out　only　by　trifling　with　the　facts。　Certainly　literature　cannot　be　taught　without　it。　And　if　it　is　the　purpose　of　the　schools　to　develop　character　and　moral　life；　then　there　is　high　authority　for　saying　that　the　Bible　ought　to　have　place。

Forty　years　ago　Mr。　Huxley；　in　his　essay　on　〃The　School　Boards：　What　They　Can　Do；　and　What　They　May　Do；〃　laid　a　broad　foundation　for　thinking　at　this　point；　and　his　words　bear　quoting　at　some　length：　〃I　have　always　been　strongly　in　favor　of　secular　education；　in　the　sense　of　education　without　theology；　but　I　must　confess　I　have　been　no　less　seriously　perplexed　to　know　by　what　practical　measures　the　religious　feeling；　which　is　the　essential　basis　of　conduct；　was　to　be　kept　up；　in　the　present　utterly　chaotic　state　of　opinion　on　these　matters；　without　the　use　of　the　Bible。　The　pagan　moralists　lack　life　and　color；　and　even　the　noble　stoic；　Marcus　Aurelius　Antoninus；　is　too　high　and　refined　for　an　ordinary　child。　Take　the　Bible　as　a　whole；　make　the　severest　deductions　which　fair　criticism　can　dictate　for　shortcomings　and　positive　errors；　eliminate；　as　a　sensible　lay　teacher　would　do　if　left　to　himself；　all　that　is　not　desirable　for　children　to　occupy　themselves　with；　and　there　still　remains　in　this　old　literature　a　vast　residuum　of　moral　beauty　and　grandeur。　And　then　consider　the　great　historical　fact　that；　for　three　centuries；　this　Book　has　been　woven　into　the　life　of　all　that　is　best　and　noblest　in　English　history；　that　it　has　become　the　national　epic　of　Britain；　and　is　as　familiar　to　noble　and　simple；　from　John…o'…Groat's　House　to　Land's　End；　as　Dante　and　Tasso　once　were　to　the　Italians；　that　it　is　written　in　the　noblest　and　purest　English；　and　abounds　in　exquisite　beauties　of　mere　literary　form；　and；　finally；　that　it　forbids　the　veriest　hind　who　never　left　his　village　to　be　ignorant　of　the　existence　of　other　countries　and　other　civilizations；　and　of　a　great　past；　stretching　back　to　the　furthest　limits　of　the　oldest　nations　of　the　world。　By　the　study　of　what　other　book　could　children　be　so　much　humanized　and　made　to　feel　that　each　figure　in　that　vast　historical　procession　fills；　like　themselves；　but　a　momentary　space　in　the　interval　between　two　eternities；　and　earns　the　blessings　or　the　curses　of　all　time；　according　to　its　effort　to　do　good　and　hate　evil；　even　as　they　also　are　earning　their　payment　for　their　work？　On　the　whole；　then；　I　am　in　favor　of　reading　the　Bible；　with　such　grammatical；　geographical；　and　historical　explanations　by　a　lay　teacher　as　may　be　needful；　with　rigid　exclusion　of　any　further　theological　teaching　than　that　contained　in　the　Bible　itself。〃　Mr。　Huxley　is　an　Englishman；　though；　as　Professor　Moulton　says；　〃We　divide　him　between　England　and　America。〃　But　Professor　Moulton　himself　is　very　urgent　in　this　same　matter。　If　the　classics　of　Greece　and　Rome　are　in　the　nature　of　ancestral　literature；　an　equal　position　belongs　to　the　literature　of　the　Bible。　〃If　our　intellect　and　imagination　have　been　formed　by　Greece；　have　we　not　in　similar　fashion　drawn　our　moral　and　emotional　training　from　Hebrew　thought？〃　It　is　one　of　the　curiosities　of　our　civilization　that　we　are　content　to　go　for　our　liberal　education　to　literatures　which　morally　are　at　opposite　poles　from　ourselves；　literatures　in　which　the　most　exalted　tone　is　often　an　apotheosis　of　the　sensuous；　which　degrade　divinity；　not　only　to　the　human　level；　but　to　the　lowest　level　of　humanity。　〃It　is　surely　good　that　our　youth　during　the　formative　period　should　have　displayed　to　them；　in　a　literary　dress　as　brilliant　as　that　of　Greek　literature；　a　people　dominated　by　an　utter　passion　for　righteousness；　a　people　whose　ideas　of　purity；　of　infinite　good；　of　universal　order；　of　faith　in　the　irresistible　downfall　of　moral　evil；　moved　to　a　poetic　passion　as　fervid　and　speech　as　musical　as　when　Sappho　sang　of　love　or　Eschylus　thundered　his　deep　notes　of　destiny。〃＇1＇


＇1＇　Literary　Study　of　the　Bible；　passim。


But　there　is　a　leading　American　voice　which　will　speak　in　that　behalf；　in　President　Nicholas　Murray　Butler；　of　Columbia　University。　In　his　address　as　President　of　the　National　Educational　Association；　President　Butler　makes　strong　plea　for　the　reading　of　the　Bible　even　in　public　schools。　〃His　reason　had　no　connection　with　religion。　It　was　based　on　altogether　different　ground。　He　regarded　an　acquaintance　with　the　Bible　as　absolutely　indispensable　to　the　proper　underst