Readers Write

Northern Advocate, 28 May 1940, Page 4

Readers Write

Please permit me to compliment you upon “Timely Topics” No. 1, “Knowledge of the Bible.” An overhaul of such knowledge

KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE.

is long overdue. William E. Glad-

stone on one occasion was asked by an Indian Prince: “What is the foundation of England’s greatness?” The old gentleman, with that serenity which was his, opened a drawer in the desk at which he sat and drew from it a Bible. Handing the much-thumbed volume to the questioner he said: “This.” A short time ago, a test was made in some high schools not very far away, and the results were staggering in their revelations. Of 18,434 students who attempted to answer 20 questions the average grade was 46 per cent. Twelve thousand of the examinees were Sunday school scholars of regular attendance. Out of the 18,434, 16,000 could not name three books of the Old Testament; 12,000 couid not name the four Gospels; 10,000 could not give the names of three of the Disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. !

Surely this is appalling. i Dean Inge, writing in the “Atlantic | Monthly,” goes on to say, relative to? England, and the same is equally true I of other countries, “Protestarffism is I suffering from two causes of®weak-t ness. Firstly, the collapse of Bible $ study by the masses of the people, and | secondly, the decadence of the old pa-| rental discipline.” § Captivated and bewitched by the? subtleties of higher criticism, a great* bulk of preachers and people have* lost faith in the Bible as a valuable? contribution to national and moral i grandeur. God give us grace to take* the Book as the “Light to our path”! and as the "Man of our counsel.”—* JAS. ALEXANDRE LAWSON.