"Why not be satisfied with rapid advancement, instead of inviting retrogression in knowledge, and a double decimation in Sunday school attendance, by compelling scholars to go searching through a book as uninteresting and unfathomable to them as the Bible?"
"One great hindrance to Sunday school work is its pious and sanctimonious tendency. If the schools of the twentieth century are to be successful, we must have less of that Bible stiffness in them, and still more of an open sociability."
The worldly element and some of the Sunday school teachers were now cheering heartily. But the speaker continued:
"Instead of going to an extreme that means death to the Sunday school by advocating that an army of cold Bibles should go walking into the service, I should rather advocate a change in the other direction, for I am even opposed to the tons of cheap literature filled with cloudy opinions that are now being scattered throughout our schools. We need lesson helps that are interspersed with incidents of adventure, and startling stories that have fire and life in them. Let some publisher take the hint.
"Then the boy or girl whose daily reading may consist of that style of writing will find the Sunday school more congenial to his nature, and he will go there with a bound. In that manner you are certain to win the boy"s heart, after which you can, with tact, send the spiritual truth deeper into his soul. From such a scholar keep the Bible as far away as possible It is not even necessary to lay stress on the fact that the lesson text is, taken from the Bible.
"If the teacher can succeed in holding his respect for the Sunday school, then, in after years, when he is more matured and is better able to reason, you may bring the Bible itself more directly to his attention, and you will secure better results than are prevalent to-day in the Sunday school world."
The audience cheered l.u.s.tily. In this cheering Mr. World and his companion joined. The visitor, who was deeply grieved at the warm reception of such destructive doctrines, arose to speak, but the intolerant cried out: "Away with him! We want no more bigotry and one-hundred-years-behind-the time speeches!" At the suggestion of the chairman he was hurried from the room to appear before a commission on lunacy.
The speech had its desired effect. The great majority of the audience were convinced that the Bible was not a "drawing card," and that it should not be introduced into the cla.s.s study if it could possibly be avoided. A few pledged that they would do all in their power to effect a revolution in the present system of lesson helps.
Mr. World and Miss Church-Member left this hall and entered Hall No.
9. It was a rare privilege for them to walk through the largest Sunday school library in the world, where many committees were at work selecting books for their respective Sunday schools.
Satan had so ingeniously managed the composition of these books, and so artfully arranged them on the endless shelves, that one could scarcely discern the good parts of a book from the bad, or determine in which section of the hall the largest percentage of good books could be found. In this way committees almost invariably picked up considerable chaff with the wheat.
I looked at Blackana and sighed: "Oh! Blackana, how long will these things be? If only a conflagration would reduce the contents of that hall to ashes!"
"Ah! mortal," he coldly replied, "these things will never be destroyed, for the building is fire proof. Surely the Sunday school should get as much of its library as possible from a source so well protected."
"For what fiendish reason?" I asked as I was moved with indignation.
"Nothing fiendish about it. Satan can furnish books at less cost, and thereby be of material financial help to the Sunday school. Furthermore, he is able to furnish a larger variety and a more inviting cla.s.s of books, with more spicy fiction, and less of that deadness so generally characteristic of the books coming from the hand of a narrow-minded Christian."
"Silence, thou agent of the Devil! Thou art again dealing in falsehood.
When thou speakest to me, speak truthfully or hold thy tongue in quietness."
He rolled his eyes at me, but spoke no more.
In the early hours of the following day I saw the same two companions enter Hall No. 13 devoted to "The Best Literature for a True Christian to Read." They moved leisurely from table to table scanning and reading the books and booklets which, in great variety, lay before them.
Weariness urged them to a seat in the lecture department where they were entertained by a scholarly address on "_Choice Literature for a Christian._"
"It must not be forgotten." said the speaker in one part of his address, "that the mind can be ruined by lack of vigorous exercise. In the physical body the stomach would become weak and sickly were it not compelled, quite frequently, to digest strong foods or a great variety of them. So also the mind, in order to reach its true development, needs a wide variety of thought-food. Not alone that of a sickly-sentimental or sanctimonious kind which in its place is all right, but such a variety as will best stimulate the mind in a well-rounded, liberal education. In particular, a good Christian should peruse such literature as will inform him thoroughly concerning the enemies of Christianity. He should not spurn, but rather study infidelity, skepticism and every other hostile movement, so that he may be able the better to appreciate his own position. The Bible is not so much a book for reading, as a book of reference, and therefore a Christian"s loyalty to Christ must not be measured by his reading and studying the Bible, but by his success in locating the enemies of the cross and studying their designs, looking over their encampments, and estimating the strength of their weapons. If he becomes thus acquainted with the foe, he is in better position to order an advance, or to effect a treaty whereby much strife may be avoided."
Hall No. 16 was next visited. It offered to its patrons a happy time.
Here the work of the artist was in pleasing evidence. On beautiful walls were pictured retreats of all kinds. The games and sports, in endless variety, which make merry the park, field and glen, were the subjects of some of the paintings.
These were the t.i.tles of some of the larger wall paintings:
"A restful day under the oak."
"The campers at the midday meal."
"An hour of idle reading." "Around the camp-fire at night."
"At rest beside the bounding brook."
"Along the beach at bathing time."
"The cottage by the sea."
Nothing was said about the paintings on the wall; they were merely suggestive of the refreshment that came after toil.
The lecturer of this hall was a jolly man, an athlete of fine proportions, whose splendid appearance attracted the attention of the throng of listeners.
"We are not here to discuss the good or evil which comes from various kinds of recreation, but to tell you, from experience, what kind of reading to take with you when you go on a vacation, or a pleasure trip.
As you are seeking rest for the body so let your religious books have a rest. Leave them all at home, except the Bible, and prayer book,--you might take them along to be used in case of sickness or accident. Then put in your "grip" some humorous books, such as will make you merry.
Besides these place therein some other very light reading, such as will rest the mind from the more serious things of life.
"As a father delighteth to see his children roam and romp in glee over the meadows after the time of faithful toil, so the Heavenly Father delighteth to see _his_ true children lay aside the seriousness of prayer and Bible study, and go forth in joyful rest to the seash.o.r.e, or to the quiet glen in the fastnesses of the woods. If you follow these directions, you will get the cream of pleasure and profit, and return to your secular or religious work with renewed vigor."
I saw many ministers, of the gospel in the audience, but not all seconded the words of the speaker. Mr. World and his confiding companion were surprised after entering Hall No. 27 to find on exhibition a copy of all the periodical publications of the world. This was a large hall and had sub-divisions, each devoted to a distinct cla.s.s of literature.
One department contained all non-sectarian religious publications; another the sectarian; still a third was devoted to daily newspapers, partisan and non-partisan; yet another contained all trade journals; another all the scientific periodicals, and thus the plan was continued throughout.
This was the busiest place of all, for some of the periodicals had their offices in this hall, while others had representatives there, so that countless thousands thronged the sub-departments daily. Each sub-department had its own corps of lecturers.
Many editors, before entering into active service, take the entire series of courses offered by this hall, and are thus taught to prevaricate, abbreviate, and exaggerate, or do ought else to attain the end in view.
I saw Mr. World and Miss Church-Member pa.s.s by one sub-department after another. They were not pleased with the excitement that prevailed.
They had intended however to pause at the department devoted especially to the Sunday newspaper question, and tarried at the door long enough merely to catch these few words from one of the speakers:
"I am a member of the church myself, and bear an honorable name therein; but I am unwilling to be cla.s.sed with a set of bigots who would rob us of our personal liberties and, if possible, place all kinds of restrictive measures about our inalienable rights. I stand for liberty first of all, and tyranny never. Why should one dictate to me what I shall read on Sunday? I look at my Bible more than one hundred times a year, and read a Sunday newspaper only fifty-two times. It was a happy change that started the regular press of the country to yield seven issues a week, and thereby send forth additional rays of enlightenment to a people who are in sad need of all that they can get to increase their intelligence.
"According to my opinion there are so many practices that are worse than reading a Sunday newspaper that Satan must surely be annoyed to see a man engaged in such a harmless pursuit. Happy, indeed, would we all be if the---"
The two companions pa.s.sed on and heard no more, until they left this hall and paid a brief visit to Hall No. 38 devoted to "_The Best Way of Conducting a Religious Newspaper_."
There were very few editors present, but the debate amongst them was vigorous and, at times, very contentious, much to the interest and enjoyment of the spectators.
The question being discussed was: "_How Can We Best Increase the Circulation of the Church Paper?_"
After a few exchanges of opinions, the chairman of the meeting advocated, with grave dignity, that all religious newspapers should be more conformed to the tastes and the level of a hungry world. "There is too great a contrast," said he, "between the mental condition of the laymen and the high, cold tone of the average religious paper. Let the editor of a church paper do as did his Master Jesus Christ,--come down to the level of the world, where he can reach the heart and the ear of the common people of whom the ma.s.ses are composed. No paper should be so holy that it cannot adapt itself to the development of the natural as well as the spiritual part of man."
These remarks were warmly applauded.
Next an editor of a religious paper arose, and spoke with decision:
"I want to be as liberal and broad-minded as G.o.d would have me be. I came to this hall with doubtful steps. I cannot say that I have profited thereby. My mind is at variance with the chairman of this meeting. He says: "All religious papers should be more conformed to the tastes of the hungry world." Let me ask, with all honesty, what is the taste of the hungry world? Is it not a terribly perverted taste, a hungering for the black sins of death? I contend that it is the work of a good paper to be a beacon light, even though it shines from a lofty light-house. It may thereby shine out farther and wider. Away with the doctrine of devils that would pervert the truth and send with merciless fling----"
At this juncture the speaker was seized by an officer who came running in at the ringing of a bell and arrested the editor on the charge of "disturbing the peace," which, the chairman declared, was due to a diseased state of his mind.
Miss Church-Member was freightened from the hall by this episode, and was followed by her less fearful companion.