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 lustily. 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
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