Thatisacomparativelylatefeeling。Itissuespartlyfromthefactthatthisisascientificage,whensciencehashaditsattentionturnedtotheneedsofhumanity。
Anotherresultofourscientificageisthemagnifyingofthenatural,whiletheBiblefranklyassertsthesupernatural。NoefforttogetthesupernaturaloutoftheBible,inordertomakeitentirelyacceptabletothemanwhoscoutsthesupernatural,hasthusfarprovedsuccessful。
Ofcourse,thesupernaturalcanbetakenoutoftheBible;butitwilldestroytheBible。Noristheremuchgaininplayingwithwordsandinsistingthateverythingissupernaturalorthateverythingisnatural。Thereisadifferencebetweenthetwo,andinanagewhichinsistsuponnatureornaturallawsorforcesoreventsasall-
sufficientitisalmostinevitablethattheBibleshouldloseitshold,atleasttemporarily。
Regardingallthistherearesomethingsthatneedtobesaid。Foronething,this,too,isapassingcondition。Asamatteroffact,menarenotcreaturesoftime。Theyactuallyhaveeternalconnections,andthegreatoutstandingfactswhichhavealwaysmadeeternityofimportancecontinue。Thefactisthatmencontinuetodie,andthatthemenwhoareleftbehindcannotavoidthesenseofmysteryandawewhichisinvolvedinthatfact。Thefactalsoisthatthehumanemotionscannotbeexplainedonthelowerbasis,andtheonlyreasonmenthinktheycanbeisbecausetheyhaveinthebackoftheirmindstheoldexplanationswhichtheycastintothelowerforms,deceivingthemselvesintothinkingtheyarenewideaswhentheyarenot。
ItoughttobeaddedthattheBiblehasgreatlysufferedinallitshistoryatthehandsofmenwhohavebelievedinitandhavefoughtinitsbehalf。Manyofthecontroversieswhichwerehottestwereneedlessandinjurious。Allthefollyhasnotbeenononeside。Someonereferredtheotherdaytoalistofmorethanahundredscientifictheorieswhichwereproposedatthebeginningofthelastcenturyandabandonedattheendofit。Scientificmenarefeelingtheirway,manyofthemreverentlyanddevoutly,someofthemratherblatantlyandwithareadinessforpublication,whichhastensthemintonotoriety。Buttherehasbeenenoughfollyonbothsidestomakeeveryonegocautiously。IthasbeenremarkedthatinDr。
Draper'sbookTheConflictBetweenScienceandReligionhemakesscienceappearasastrong-
limbedangelofGodwhereasreligionisalwaysagreatass。Thetitleofthebookitselfisnotfair。Innoproperunderstandingofthewordscantherebeanyconflictbetweenscienceandreligion。Therecanbeaconflict,asDr。
AndrewD。Whiteputsit,betweenscienceandtheology。Therecancertainlybecontestbetweenscientistsandreligionists。Scienceandreligionhavenoconflict。
Itisinterestingtoobservehowfarbackmostofthesupposedconflictsactuallylie。Thereisnowarfarenow;and,whileourfathersoneortwogenerationsagofeltthattheymustflytothedefenseofreligionagainsttheattacksofscience,nomanwasteshisstrengthdoingthatto-day。
Thatperiodhaspassed。Thetroubleisthatsomegoodpeopledonotknowit,andarejustfondenoughofabitofatussletokeepupthefightinginthemountain-passeswhileoutintheplainthemainarmieshavelaiddowntheirarmsandarebusytillingthesoil。
Theperiodofconflictispast,partlybecausewearelearningtodistinguishbetweentheBibleasitreallyisandcertainlong-establishedideasabouttheBiblewhichcamefromothersourcesandhavebecomeattachedtoituntilitseemedtosustainthem。TheproperdoctrineofevolutionisentirelycompatiblewiththeBible。ThegreatDr。HodgedeclaredthattheconsistentDarwinianmustbeanatheist。Forthatmatter,Shelleydefendedhimselfbysayingthat,ofcourse,"theconsistentNewtonianmustnecessarilybeanatheist。"Butfiftyyearshavemadegreatchangesinthedoctrineofevolution,andtheoldscarehasbeenoverforsometime。Newtonishonoredinthechurchquiteasmuchasintheuniversity,andDarwinisnotanametofrightenanybody。UnderstandingevolutionbetterandknowingtheBiblebetter,thetwodonotjangleoutoftunesobadlybutthatharmonyispromised。
ThedoctrineoftheantiquityoftheworldisentirelycompatiblewiththeBible,thoughitisnotcompatiblewiththedateswhichArchbishopUssher,inthetimeofKingJames,putattheheadofthecolumns。Thatissowithotherscientifictheories。Anyonewhohasreadmuchofhistoryhasattendedtheobsequiesofsomanytheoriesintherealmofsciencethatheoughttoknowthatheiswastinghisstrengthintryingtobringaboutaconstantreconciliationbetweenscientificandreligioustheories。Itishisparttokeepanopenmindinassuranceoftheunityoftruth,anassurancethatthereisnofactwhichcanpossiblycometolightandnotruetheoryoffactswhichcanpossiblybeformedwhichdoesnotservetheinterestofthetruth,whichtheBiblealsopresents。TheBibledoesnotconcernitselfwithalldepartmentsofknowledge。
Sofarasmistakeshavebeenmadeonthesideofthosewhobelieveit,theyhaveissuedfromforgettingthatfactmorethanfromanyotheronecause。
Ontheotherhand,ithassometimesoccurredthatbelieversintheBiblehavebeenquitetooeagertoaccommodatethemselvestopurelypassingphasesofobjectiontoit。Themattermentionedamomentago,theexcisionofthesupernatural,isacaseinpoint。Theeasyandglibwayinwhichsomehavesoughttogetarounddifficulties,bytalkinginlargetermsabouttheprogressivenessoftherevelation,asthoughtheprogresswerefromerrortotruth,insteadoffromhalflighttofulllight,isanotherillustration。Thenimblewayinwhichwehaveturnedwhatisgivenashistoryintofiction,andallowedimaginationtoroamthroughtheBible,isanotherillustration。OneofourlaterwriterstellsthestoryofJonah,andsaysitsoundslikefiction;whynotcallitfiction?AnothertellsthestoryoftheexodusfromEgypt,andsaysitsoundslikefiction;whynotcallitfiction?
Well,certainlytheobjectionisnottothepresenceoffictionintheBible。Itisthere,openly,confessedly,unashamed。Fictioncanbeusedwithgreatprofitinteachingreligioustruth。Butfictionmaynotmasqueradeintheguiseofhistory,ifmenaretobeledbyitormasteredbyit。Ifthewaytoberidofdifficultiesinanarrativeistoturnitintopiousfiction,thereareotherinstanceswhereitmightbeusedforreliefinemergencies。ThestoryofthecrucifixionofChristcanbetoldsothatitsoundslikefiction;whynotcallitfiction?CertainlythestoryoftheconversionofPaulcanbemadetosoundlikefiction;whynotcallitfiction?
AndthereishardlyanybitofnarrativethatcanbemadetosoundsolikefictionasthelandingofthePilgrims;whynotcallthatfiction?Itistheeasywayout;thedifficultiesareallgonelikeAlice'scat,andthereisleftonlythebroadsmileofsomemorallessontobelearnedfromthefiction。Itisnot,however,thecourageousnortheperfectlysquarewayout。Violencehastobedonetotheplainnarrative;historicalstatementhastobemadeonlyamask。Andtheonlyreasonforitisthattherearedifficultiesnotyetcleared。Asforthecharactersinvolved,CharlesReade,thenovelist,callinghimself"aveteranwriteroffiction,"declaresthattheexplanationofthesecharacters,Jonahbeingoneofthem,byinventionisincredibleandabsurd:
"Suchaman[ashimself]knowstheartificesandtheelementsofart。Heretheartificesareabsent,andtheelementssurpassed。"Itisnotuncommonforonewhohasfoundthiseasywayoutofdifficultiestodeclarewithawaveofhishand,thateverybodynowknowsthatthisorthatbookintheBibleisfiction,when,asamatteroffact,thatisnotatallanadmittedopinion。TheBiblewillnevergainitsplaceandretainitsauthoritywhilethosewhobelieveinitarespinelessandtoppleoveratthefirsttouchofsomeone'sobjection。ItcouldnotbeagreatBook;itcouldnotservethepurposesofaraceifitpresentednoproblemsofunderstandingandofbelief,andallshortandeasymethodsofgettingridofthoseproblemsarecertaintoleaveimportantelementsofthemoutofsight。
AllthismeansthatthechangesofthesetimesratherpresentadditionalreasonforarenewedholdontheBible。Itpresentswhatthetimespeculiarlyneed。InsteadofmakingtheinfluenceoftheBibleimpossible,thesechangesmaketheneedfortheBiblethegreaterandgiveitgreateropportunity。
AddthreenotablepointsatwhichthesetimesfeelandstillneedtheinfluenceoftheBible。
First,theyhaveandstillneeditsliteraryinfluence。
Sofarasitsideasandforcesandwordsareinterwoveninthegreatliteratureofthepast,itisessentialstilltotheunderstandingofthatliterature。ItremainstruethatEnglishliterature,certainlyofthepastandalsoofthepresent,cannotbeunderstoodwithoutknowledgeoftheBible。TheYaleprofessorofliterature,quotedsooften,says:"ItwouldbeworthwhiletoreadtheBiblecarefullyandrepeatedly,ifonlyasakeytomodernculture,fortothosewhoareunfamiliarwithitsteachingsanditsdictionallthatisbestinEnglishliteratureofthepresentcenturyisasasealedbook。"
FromtimetotimethereoccurpainfulremindersofthefactthatmensupposedtoknowliteraturedonotunderstanditbecausetheyarenotfamiliarwiththeBible。Someyearsagoacollegepresidenttestedaclassofthirty-fourmenwithascoreofextractsfromTennyson,eachofwhichcontainedaScripturalallusion,noneofthemobscure。Therepliesweresuggestiveandquiteappalling。Tennysonwrote,inthe"SupposedConfessions":
"MysinwasathornamongthethornsthatgirtThybrow。"
Ofthesethirty-fouryoungmennineofthemdidnotunderstandthatquotation。Tennysonwrote:
"LikeHezekiah's,backwardrunsTheshadowofmydays。"
Thirty-twoofthethirty-fourdidnotknowwhatthatmeant。Themeaningoftheline,"ForIhaveflungtheepearlsandfindtheeswine,"
wasutterlyobscuretotwenty-twoofthethirty-
four。Oneofthemsaiditwasareferenceto"goodopportunitiesgivenbutnotimproved。"
Anothersaiditwasequivalenttothecounsel"nottoexpecttofindgoldinahay-stack。"
Eventheline,"AJonah'sgourdUpinonenight,andduetosuddensun,"
wasutterlybafflingtotwenty-eightofthethirty-four。Oneofthemspokeofitasan"allusiontotheuncertaintyofthelengthoflife。"Anotherthoughtitwasareferenceto"theoccasionofJonah'sbeingpreservedbythewhale。"Anothercountedit"anallusiontotheemesisofJonahbythewhale。"Anotherconsidereditareferenceto"theswallowingofJonahbyawhale,"andyetanotherconsideredthatitreferredto"thingsgrand,butnotworthyofworshipbecausetheyareperishable。"ItisamazingtoreadthatinresponsetoTennyson'slines,"FollowLightanddotheRight——formancanhalfcontrolhisdoom——
TillyoufindthedeathlessAngelseatedinthevacanttomb,"
onlysixteenwereabletogiveanexplanationofitsmeaning!Thelinesfromthe"HolyGrail"
wereequallybaffling:
"PerhapslikeHimofCanainHolyWrit,OurArthurkepthisbestuntilthelast。"
Twenty-fourofthesethirty-fouryoungmencouldnotrecallwhatthatmeant。Onesaidthatthekeepingofthebestwineuntilthelastmeant"waitingtillthelastmomenttobebaptized!"
Allthatmaybesolelythefaultoftheseyoungmen。ProfessorLounsburyoncesaidthathisexperienceintheclass-roomhadtaughthimtheinfinitecapacityofthehumanmindtowithstandtheintroductionofknowledge。VerylikelyearnestefforthadbeenmadetoteachtheseyoungmentheBible;butitismanifestthattheyhadsuccessfullyresistedtheefforts。
IfTennysonweretheonlypoetwhocouldnotbeunderstoodwithoutknowledgeoftheBible,itmightnotmattersomuch,butnoonecanreadBrowningnorCarlylenorMacaulaynorHuxleywithentireintelligencewithoutknowledgeofthegreaterfactsandforcesofScripture。
Thevalueoftheallusionscanbeshownbycomparingthemwiththoseofmythology。NoonecanreadmostofShelleywithentiresatisfactionwithoutaknowledgeofGreekmythology。ThatisonereasonwhyShelleyhassomuchpassedoutofpopularity。WedonotknowGreekmythology,andwehaveverylargelylostShelleyfromourliterarypossession。ThechiefpoweroftheseothergreatwriterswillgofromuswhenourknowledgeoftheScripturegoes。
Thedangerisnotsimplywithreferencetothegreatliteratureofthepast。Thereisdangeroflosingappreciationofthemoredelicatetouchesofcurrentliterature,sometimesofacompletemissingofthemeaning。Anoratordescribingpresentpoliticalandsocialconditionsusedafinephrase,that"itistimethenationcampedforaseasonatthefootofthemount。"OnlyaknowledgeofBiblehistorywillbringasaflashbeforeonethenationinthedesertatSinailearningthemeaningandpoweroflaw。Yetanintelligentman,hearingthatremark,saidthathecounteditafinefigure,thathethoughttheredidcomeinthelifeofeverynationatimebeforeitbeganitsascenttotheheightswhenitoughttopauseandcampatthefootofthemountaintogetitsbreath!AfterLincoln'sassassinationGarfieldstoodonthestepsinNewYork,andsaid:"Cloudsanddarknessarearoundabouthim!GodreignsandthegovernmentatWashingtonstilllives!"Yearsafter,someonereferringtothat,saidthatitwasabeautifulsentence,thatthereferenceto"cloudsanddarkness"wasabeautifulsymbolism,butthatGarfieldhadagreatknackinthebuilding-upoffinephrases!HelackedutterlythebackgroundofthegreatPsalmwhichwasinGarfield'smind,andwhichgivesthatphrasedoublemeaning。
IfwegobacktoTennysonagain,someonehasproposedtheinquirywhyheshouldhavecalledoneofhispoems"Rizpah,"sincetherewasnooneofthatnamementionedinthewholepoem!
When,someyearsago,abookwaspublished,TheChildrenofGideon,oneofthereviewerscouldnotunderstandwhythattitlewasused,sincenooneofthatnameappearedintheentirevolume。AndwhenMrs。Wharton'sbook,TheHouseofMirth,cameoutsomeonespokeoftheironyofthetitle;butitistheironyoftheScripturesandthebookcallsforaScripturalknowledgeforitsentireunderstanding。
Takeevenanencyclopediaarticle。WhocanunderstandthesetwosentenceswithoutinstantknowledgeofScripture?"MarloweandShakespeare,theyoungDavidsoftheday,triedthearmorofSaulbeforetheywentouttobattle,thenwiselylaiditoff。""Arnold,likeAaronofold,standsbetweenthedeadandtheliving;
but,unlikeAaron,heholdsnosmokingcensorofpropitiationtostaytheplaguewhichhefeelstobedevouringhisgeneration。"[1]Thatisinanencyclopediatowhichyoungpeopleareoftenreferred。WhatwilltheymakeoutofitwithouttheBible?Inawidelydistributedschoolpaper,inthequestion-and-answerdepartment,occurstheinquiry:"WhocomposedtheinscriptionontheLibertyBell?"Theinscriptionis,"Proclaimlibertythroughoutallthelandtoalltheinhabitantsthereof。"[2]Itistobehopeditwasaveryyoungpersonwhoneededtoaskwho"composed"thatexpression!
[1]NewInternationalEncyclopedia,art。onEnglishLiterature。
[2]CurrentEvents,January12,1912。
Thisappliestoallthegreatclassics。Therehascomeabouta"decayofliteraryallusions,"
asoneofourpaperseditoriallysays。Inmuchofourwriting,eitherthetransientorthepermanent,mencannolongerriskeasyreferencetoclassicalliterature。"ReadersofAmericanbiographymustoftenbestruckwiththeimportantpartwhichliteraryrecollectionplayedinthelifeofaculturedpersonagenerationortwoago。ThesemenhadreadHomer,XenophonandVirgil,Shakespeare,ByronandWordsworth,Lamb,DeQuinceyandColeridge。TheywerenotafraidofbeingcalledpedantsbecausetheyoccasionallyusedaLatinphraseorreferredtosomegreatnameofGreeceorRome。"
Thatisnotsocommonlytrueto-day。EspeciallyistheredangeroflosingeasyacquaintancewiththegreatBiblereferences。
Therearefamiliarreasonsforit。Foronething,therehasbeenagreatincreaseofliterature。
Oncetherewaslittletoread,andthatlittlebecamefamiliar。Onewouldhavebeenashamedtopretendtocultureandnottoknowsuchliteraturewell。Nowthereissomuchthatonecannotknowitall,andmostmenfollowthelineofleastresistance。Thatlineisnotwheregreatliteraturelies。Oncetheproblemwashowtogetbooksenoughforafamilylibrary。Nowtheproblemishowtogetlibraryenoughforthebooks。
Magazines,papers,volumesofallgradesoverflow。
"TheBiblehasbeenburiedbeneathalandslideofbooks。"TheresultisthatthegreatestliterarylandmarkoftheEnglishtonguethreatenstobecomeunknown,orelsetobelookeduponasofantiquarianratherthanpresentworth。ThereourPuritanfathershadtheadvantage。
AsPresidentFaunceputsit:"ForthemtheBiblewasthenormandgoalofallstudy。Theyhadachievedtheconcentrationofstudies,andtheBiblewasthecenter。TheylearnedtoreadthattheymightreadtheliteratureofIsrael;theirwritingwasheavywithnobleOldTestamentphrases;thenamesofOldTestamentheroestheygavetotheirchildren;
itswordsofimmortalhopetheyinscribedontheirtombstones;itsMosaiccommonwealththeysoughttorealizeinEnglandandAmerica;itsdecaloguewasthefoundationoftheirlaws,anditsprophecieswerealightshininginadarkplace。Suchaunificationofknowledgeproducedaunifiedcharacter,simple,stalwart,invincible。"
Itisverydifferentinourownday。
Asso-calledliteratureincreasesitrobsgreatliteratureofitsconspicuousoutstandingcharacter,andmanymenwhopridethemselvesontheamounttheyreadwoulddofarbettertoreadathousandthpartasmuchandletthatsmallerpartbegood。
AnotherreasonforthisdecayoftheinfluenceofliteraryknowledgeoftheBibleistheshallownessofmuchofourthinking。IftheBiblewereneededfornothingelseinpresentliterarylife,itwouldbeneededforthedeepeningofliterarycurrents。Thevastfloodofflotsamandjetsamwhichpoursfromthepressesseldomfloatsonadeepcurrent。Itissurfacematterforthemostpart。Itdoesnottakeitselfseriously,anditisquiteimpossibletotakeitseriously。Itdoesnotdealwithgreatthemes,orwhenittouchesuponthemitdealswiththeminatriflingway。
TomeninterestedchieflyinliteratureofthiskindtheBiblecannotbeofinterest。
Thatisapassingcondition,andoutofitiscertaintocomehereandthereamasterpieceofliterature。Whenitdoesappear,itwillbefoundtorevealthesameinfluencesthathavemadegreatliteratureinthepast,issuingmorelargelyfromtheBiblethanfromanyotherbook。
ThatisthemainpointofabitofcounselwhichProfessorBowenusedtogivehisHarvardstudents。ToformagoodEnglishstyle,hetoldthem,astudentoughttokeepnearathandaBible,avolumeofShakespeare,andBacon'sessays。Thatgroupofbookswouldenlargethevocabulary,wouldsupplyastoreofwords,phrases,and,allusions,andsavethenecessityofransackingameagerandhide-bounddictioninordertomakeone'smeaningplain。ColeridgeinhisTable-Talkaddsthat"intensestudyoftheBiblewillkeepanywriterfrombeingVULGARinpointofstyle。"SoitmaybeurgedthatthesetimeshaveandstillneedtheliteraryinfluenceoftheBible。
Addthatthetimeshaveandstillneeditsmoralsteadying。Everyageseemstoitsownthoughtfulpeopletolackmoralsteadiness,andtheytendtocompareitwithotherageswhichlooksteadier。Thatisavirtuallyinvariableopinionofsuchmen。Thecomparisonwithotheragesisgenerallyfallacious,yetthefactisrealforeachage。Manythingstendinthisagetounsettlemoralsolidity。Someofthemarepeculiartothistime,othersarenot。ButoneofthegreatinfluenceswhichtheBibleisperpetuallytendingtocounteractisstatedinbesttermsinanexperienceofHenryM。Stanley。
ItwasonthatjourneytoAfricawhenbefoundDavidLivingstone,undercommissionfromoneofthegreatnewspapers。Naturallyhehadmadeuphisloadaslightaspossible。OfbookshehadnonesavetheBible;butwrappedabouthisbottlesofmedicineandotherarticlesweremanycopiesofnewspapers。Stanleysaysthat"strangestofallhisexperienceswerethechangeswroughtinhimbythereadingoftheBibleandthosenewspapersinmelancholyAfrica。"HewasfrequentlysickwithAfricanfever,andtookuptheBibletowhileawayhishoursofrecovery。
Duringthehoursofhealthhereadthenewspapers。
"Andthus,somehoworother,myviewstowardnewspaperswereentirelyrecast,"whileheheldloyaltohisprofessionasanewspaperman。ThisisthecriticalsentenceinStanley'stellingofthestory:"Asseeninmyloneliness,therewasthisdifferencebetweentheBibleandthenewspapers。TheoneremindedmethatapartfromGodmylifewasbutabubbleofair,anditmademeremembermyCreator;theotherfosteredarroganceandworldliness。"[1]
Thereisnodenyingsuchanexperienceasthat。
ThatispreciselythemoraleffectoftheBibleascomparedwiththemoraleffectofthenewspaperaccountsofcurrentlife。Democracyshouldalwaysbehappy;butitmustalwaysbeserious,morallysteady。Anythingthattendstogivemenlightviewsofwrong,tomakeevilthingshumorous,tosetouttheridiculoussideofgrosssinsisperiloustodemocracy。Itnotonlyisinjurioustopersonalmorals;itisboundsoonerorlatertoinjurepublicmorals。ThereisnothingthatsopersistentlycounteractsthattendencyofcurrentliteratureasdoestheBible。
[1]Autobiography,p。252。
Fromanethicalpointofview,"theethicalcontentofPaulisquiteasimportantforusasthesystemofSchopenhauerorNietzsche。TheorganizationoftheNewEnglandtownmeetingisnomoreweightyfortheAmericanboythantheorganizationoftheearlyChristianChurch。JohnAdamsandJohnHancockandAbrahamLincolnareonlythenaturalsuccessorsofthegreatHebrewchampionsoflibertyandrighteousnesswhofacedPharoahandAhabandputtoflightarmiesofaliens。"ButasidefromthedefiniteethicalteachingoftheBiblethereisneedforthatstrongimpressionofethicalvalueswhichitgivesinthecharactersaroundwhichithasgathered。TheconceptionoftheBiblewhichmakesitappearasasteadyprogressionshouldaddtoitsauthority,nottakefromit。Thedevelopmentisnotfromerrortotruth,butfromlighttomorelight。ItissometimessaidthatthestandardsofmoralityofsomepartsofScripturearenottobecommended。ButtheyarenotthestandardsofmoralityofScripture,butoftheirtimes。TheyarenottaughtinScripture;theyareonlystated;andtheyaresostatedthatinstantlyathoughtfulmandiscoversthattheyarestatedtobecondemned。Whendiditbecometruethatallthatistoldofagoodmanistobeapproved?ItisnotpretendedthatAbrahamdidrightalways。Davidwasconfessedlywrong。Theymovemuchofthetimeinhalf-light,yetthesumtotaloftheimpressionoftheirwritingsisinevitablyandinvariablyforamoresubstantialmorality。ThesetimesneedthemoralsteadyingoftheBibletomakemen,notcreaturesofthedayaridnotcreaturesoftheirwhims,butcreaturesofalltimeandoffundamentallaws。
Addthethirdfact,thatourtimeshaveandstillneedthereligiousinfluenceoftheBible。
Nodemocracycandispensewithreligiousculture。
NobookmakesforreligionasdoestheBible。Thatisitschiefpurpose。Nobookcantakeitsplace;noinfluencecansupplantit。
MaxMullermadelifelongstudyoftheBuddhistandotherIndianbooks。HegavethemtotheEnglish-speakingworld。YethewrotetoafriendofhisimpressionoftheimmensesuperiorityoftheBibleinsuchtermsthathisfriendreplied:"Yes,youareright;howtremendouslyaheadofothersacredbooksistheBible!Thedifferencestrikesoneasalmostunfairlygreat。"[1]WritinginanIndiapaper,TheKayesthaSamachar,inAugust,1902,aHinduwritersaid:"IamnotaChristian;buthalfanhour'sstudyoftheBiblewilldomoretoremodelamanthanawholedayspentinrepeatingtheslokasofthePurinasorthemantrasoftheRig-Veda。"IntheearlierchaptersoftheKoranChristiansarefrequentlyspokenofas"peopleoftheBook。"Itisasuggestivephrase。IfChristianityhasanyvalueforAmericanlife,thentheBiblehasjustthatvalue。ChristianityismadebytheBible;ithasneverbeenvitalnornationallyinfluentialforgoodwithouttheBible。
[1]Speer,LightoftheWorld,iv。
Sometimes,becauseofhisstrongwordsregardingtheconflictbetweenscienceandtheology,thevenerableAmericandiplomatandeducator,Dr。AndrewD。White,isthoughtofasafoetoreligion。Noonewhoreadshisbiographycanhavethatimpressionhalfanhour。Nearthecloseofitisaparagraphofsingularinsightandauthoritywhichfitsjustthisconnection:
"Itwill,inmyopinion,beasaddayforthisorforanypeoplewhenthereshallhavecomeinthemanatrophyofthereligiousnature;whentheyshallhavesuppressedtheneedofcommunication,nomatterhowvague,withasupremepowerintheuniverse;whenthetieswhichbindmenofsimilarmodesofthoughtinthevariousreligiousorganizationsshallbedissolved;whenmen,insteadofmeetingtheirfellow-meninassemblagesforpublicworshipwhichgivethemasenseofbrotherhood,shallloungeathomeorinclubs;whenmenandwomen,insteadofbringingthemselvesatstatedperiodsintoanatmosphereofprayer,praise,andaspiration,tohearthediscussionofhigherspiritualthemes,tobestirredbyappealstotheirnoblernatureinbehalfoffaith,hope,andcharity,andtobemovedbyacloserrealizationofthefatherhoodofGodandthebrotherhoodofman,shallstayathomeandgivetheirthoughtstotheSundaypapers,ortotheconductoftheirbusiness,ortothelanguidsearchforsomerefugefromboredom。"[1]
Thosearewise,strongwords,andtheysustaintothefullwhathasbeenurged,thatthesetimesstillneedthereligiousinfluenceoftheBible。
[1]Autobiography,vol。ii,p。570。
TheinfluenceoftheBibleontheliterary,moral,andreligiouslifeofthetimesisalreadyapparent。Butthatinfluenceneedstobeconstantlystrengthened。Thereremains,therefore,tosuggestsomemethodsofgivingtheBibleincreasingpower。Itshouldberecognizedfirstandlastthatonlythoughtfulpeoplewilldoit。
Nohelpwillcomefromcarelesspeople。Moreover,onlypeoplewhobelieveinthecommonfolkwilldoit。ThosewhoarearistocratsinthesensethattheydonotbelievethatcommonpeoplecanbetrustedwillnotconcernthemselvestoincreasethepoweroftheBible。Butforthosewhoarethoughtfulandessentiallydemocraticthedutyisaveryplainone。TherearefourgreatagencieswhichmaywellmagnifytheBibleandwhoseinfluencewillbringtheBibleintoincreasingpowerinnationallife。
Firstamongthese,ofcourse,mustbetheChurch。TheaccentwhichitwillplaceontheBiblewillnaturallybeonitsreligiousvalue,thoughitsmoralvaluewilltakeaclosesecondplace。ItisessentialfortheChurchtoholditselftruetoitsreligiousfoundations。Onlymenwhohavesomepositionofleadershipcanrealizetheimmensepressurethatisonto-daytodrawtheChurchintoformsofactivityandmethodsofservicewhicharemuchtobecommended,butwhichhavetobeconstantlyguardedlesttheydepriveitofpowerandconcerninthethingswhicharepeculiartoitsownlifeandwhichitanditalonecancontributetothepublicgood。TheChurchneedstodevelopforitselffarbettermethodsofinstructionintheBible,sothatitmayasfaraspossibledrillthosewhocomeunderitsinfluenceintheknowledgeoftheBibleforitsdistinctivereligiousvalue。Thisisneitherthetimenortheplaceforafullstatementofthatresponsibility。ItisenoughtoseehowtheverylogicofthelifeoftheChurchrequiresthatitreturnwithrenewedenergytoitsmagnifyingandteachingoftheBible。
Thesecondagencywhichmaybecalleduponisthepress。TheaccentofthepresswillbeonthemoralvalueoftheBible,theservicewhichitsteachingrenderstothenationalandpersonallife。ThereseemstobeahopefulreturningtendencytoallusionstotheScriptureinnewspaperandmagazinepublications。Itisraretofindamongthehigher-levelnewspapersaneditorialpage,wherethemostthoughtfulwritingappears,inwhichonanydaytheredonotappearScriptureallusionsorreferences。Whenthatisseriouslydone,whenScriptureisusedforsomeotherpurposethantopointajest,ithelpstorestoretheBibletoitsplaceinpublicthought。InrecentyearstherehasbeenanoticeablereturnofthegreatermagazinestoconsiderationofthemoralphasesoftheScripture。
Thathasbeeninevitablyconnectedwiththedevelopmentofasocialsensewhichcondemnsmenfortheirevilcoursesbecauseoftheirdamagetosociety。TheOldTestamentprophetsarelivingtheirlivesagaininthesedays,andthemorethoughtfulmenarebeingdrivenbacktothemforthegreatprinciplesonwhichtheymaylivesafely。
ThethirdagencywhichneedstomagnifytheBibleistheschool。TheaccentwhichitwillchoosewillnaturallybetheliteraryvalueoftheBible,thoughitwillnotoverlookitsmoralvalueaswell。Incidentalreferencesheretoforehavesuggestedtheimportanceofreligioninademocracy。Buttherearenoneofthegreatbranchesoftheteachingoftheschools,publicorprivate,whichdonotinvolvetheBible。ItisimpossibletoteachhistoryfairlyandfullywithoutafrankrecognitionoftheinfluenceoftheBible。StudytheReformation,thePuritanmovement,thePilgrimjourneys,thewholeofearlyAmericanhistory!WecanleavetheBibleoutonlybytriflingwiththefacts。Certainlyliteraturecannotbetaughtwithoutit。Andifitisthepurposeoftheschoolstodevelopcharacterandmorallife,thenthereishighauthorityforsayingthattheBibleoughttohaveplace。
FortyyearsagoMr。Huxley,inhisessayon"TheSchoolBoards:WhatTheyCanDo,andWhatTheyMayDo,"laidabroadfoundationforthinkingatthispoint,andhiswordsbearquotingatsomelength:"Ihavealwaysbeenstronglyinfavorofseculareducation,inthesenseofeducationwithouttheology;butImustconfessIhavebeennolessseriouslyperplexedtoknowbywhatpracticalmeasuresthereligiousfeeling,whichistheessentialbasisofconduct,wastobekeptup,inthepresentutterlychaoticstateofopiniononthesematters,withouttheuseoftheBible。Thepaganmoralistslacklifeandcolor,andeventhenoblestoic,MarcusAureliusAntoninus,istoohighandrefinedforanordinarychild。TaketheBibleasawhole;
maketheseverestdeductionswhichfaircriticismcandictateforshortcomingsandpositiveerrors;eliminate,asasensiblelayteacherwoulddoiflefttohimself,allthatisnotdesirableforchildrentooccupythemselveswith;andtherestillremainsinthisoldliteratureavastresiduumofmoralbeautyandgrandeur。Andthenconsiderthegreathistoricalfactthat,forthreecenturies,thisBookhasbeenwovenintothelifeofallthatisbestandnoblestinEnglishhistory;
thatithasbecomethenationalepicofBritain,andisasfamiliartonobleandsimple,fromJohn-o'-Groat'sHousetoLand'sEnd,asDanteandTassoonceweretotheItalians;thatitiswritteninthenoblestandpurestEnglish,andaboundsinexquisitebeautiesofmereliteraryform;and,finally,thatitforbidstheveriesthindwhoneverlefthisvillagetobeignorantoftheexistenceofothercountriesandothercivilizations,andofagreatpast,stretchingbacktothefurthestlimitsoftheoldestnationsoftheworld。Bythestudyofwhatotherbookcouldchildrenbesomuchhumanizedandmadetofeelthateachfigureinthatvasthistoricalprocessionfills,likethemselves,butamomentaryspaceintheintervalbetweentwoeternities;
andearnstheblessingsorthecursesofalltime,accordingtoitsefforttodogoodandhateevil,evenastheyalsoareearningtheirpaymentfortheirwork?Onthewhole,then,IaminfavorofreadingtheBible,withsuchgrammatical,geographical,andhistoricalexplanationsbyalayteacherasmaybeneedful,withrigidexclusionofanyfurthertheologicalteachingthanthatcontainedintheBibleitself。"Mr。HuxleyisanEnglishman,though,asProfessorMoultonsays,"WedividehimbetweenEnglandandAmerica。"ButProfessorMoultonhimselfisveryurgentinthissamematter。IftheclassicsofGreeceandRomeareinthenatureofancestralliterature,anequalpositionbelongstotheliteratureoftheBible。
"IfourintellectandimaginationhavebeenformedbyGreece,havewenotinsimilarfashiondrawnourmoralandemotionaltrainingfromHebrewthought?"Itisoneofthecuriositiesofourcivilizationthatwearecontenttogoforourliberaleducationtoliteratureswhichmorallyareatoppositepolesfromourselves;
literaturesinwhichthemostexaltedtoneisoftenanapotheosisofthesensuous,whichdegradedivinity,notonlytothehumanlevel,buttothelowestlevelofhumanity。"Itissurelygoodthatouryouthduringtheformativeperiodshouldhavedisplayedtothem,inaliterarydressasbrilliantasthatofGreekliterature,apeopledominatedbyanutterpassionforrighteousness,apeoplewhoseideasofpurity,ofinfinitegood,ofuniversalorder,offaithintheirresistibledownfallofmoralevil,movedtoapoeticpassionasfervidandspeechasmusicalaswhenSapphosangofloveorEschylusthunderedhisdeepnotesofdestiny。"[1]
[1]LiteraryStudyoftheBible,passim。
ButthereisaleadingAmericanvoicewhichwillspeakinthatbehalf,inPresidentNicholasMurrayButler,ofColumbiaUniversity。InhisaddressasPresidentoftheNationalEducationalAssociation,PresidentButlermakesstrongpleaforthereadingoftheBibleeveninpublicschools。
"Hisreasonhadnoconnectionwithreligion。Itwasbasedonaltogetherdifferentground。HeregardedanacquaintancewiththeBibleasabsolutelyindispensabletotheproperunderstandingofEnglishliterature。"Itisunfortunateintheextreme,hethought,thatsomanyyoungmenaregrowingupwithoutthatknowledgeoftheBiblewhicheveryonemusthaveifhemeanstobecapableofthegreatestliterarypleasureandappreciationoftheliteratureofhisownpeople。Notonlytheallusions,butthewholetoneandbiasofmanyEnglishauthorswillbecometoonewhoisignorantoftheBiblemostdifficultandevenimpossibleofcomprehension。
Thedifficultiesofcallingpublicschoolstothistaskappearatonce。Itwouldbemonstrousiftheyshouldbesectarianorproselytizing。
ButtheBibleisnotasectarianBook。
ItistheBookofgreatestliterature。ItistheBookofmightiestmorals。Itisgoverninghistory。
Itisaffectingliteratureasnothingelsehasdone。Athousandpitiesthatanypettysquabblingordifferencesofopinionshouldpreventtheyoungpeopleintheschoolsfromrealizingthegrandeurandbeautyofit!
Butthefinalandmostimportantagency。
whichwillmagnifytheinfluenceoftheBiblemustnecessarilybethehome。Itwillgatherupallitstraits,religious,moral,andliterary。
Hereisthefundamentalopportunityandthefundamentalobligation。RobertBurnswasrightinfindingthesecretofScotia'spowerinsuchscenesasthoseof"TheCottar'sSaturdayNight。"
OnecanalmostseeCarlylegoingbacktohisoldhomeatEcclefechanandstandingoutsidetohearhisoldmothermakingaprayerinhisbehalf。Anewspapereditorialofrecentdatesaysthisdecayofliteraryallusionistraceableinparttothegradualabandonmentoffamilyprayers。AnsweringPresidentButler,itisurgedthatitisnotsoimportantthattheBiblebeinthepublicschoolsasthatitgetbackagainintothehomes。"ThoroughacquaintancewiththeBibleisdesirable;itshouldbefostered。
Thepersonwhowillhavetofosterit,though,"
saysthiswriter,"isnottheteacher,buttheparent。TheparentisthepersonwhomDr。
Butlershouldtrytoconvert。"Well,whiletheremaybedifferencesabouttheschool,therecanbenoneabouttheplaceoftheBibleinthehome。Itneedstobeboundupwiththeearliestimpressionsandintertwinedwiththoseimpressionsastheydeepenandextend。
So,bytheChurch,whichwillaccentitsreligiousvalue;bythepress,whichwillaccentitsmoralpower;bytheschool,whichwillspreaditsliteraryinfluence;andbythehome,whichwillrealizeallthreeandmakeitseemavitalconcernfromthebeginningoflife,theBiblewillbeputandheldintheplaceofpowerto-daywhichithashadintheyearsthataregone,andwillsteadilygaingreaterpower。