W. S. (William Shuler) Harris
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 class 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 class 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.
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