Bible Stories for Children
By Editor
We have received a circular letter and prospectus of what purports to be a Bible story paper for children. The circular letter refers to “the plea made of late by several educational experts . . . for a change in methods and plans for Sunday-school instruction, whereby the story shall be chiefly employed in teaching little children.” The chief of these experts “recommends Old Testament stories first—New Testament stories, involving higher truths, later.” The publishers who send out this letter approve of this plea of the educational experts; and so do we. There is nothing that can equal it. Now these publishers propose to meet this plea by publishing this paper of Bible stories for the children. And they say that “the manner in which these Bible stories are illustrated and told can be seen from the sample copies inclosed.” And they think that “parents . . . will find these little papers very useful to read to the children at home,” and that “teachers will be able to use them as supplementary to the regular lessons in many cases.” They also publish, as a P. S., the word of a “well-known kindergarten instructor,” that “the Old Testament stories are told in a delightful manner,” etc. This No. 1 of the paper tells the story of Genesis 1. It tells the story of the first verse; then, in the story of the second verse, it says:— “And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” No bright sun was to be seen yet, or stars, but there was a kind of light. It had been one long night before this. It was a great many years before this light came. The Bible story of the making of the world divides it into six days,—not days like ours, but long ones, of thousands of years. On the first day light was made. After this came a time of many years called the second day. The story continues through the other five days of creation, and closes thus:— The seventh day came, and God rested. Of course plants and animals kept growing, but no new thing was made. It is the long seventh day now. Now, there can be no doubt that that is a fair sample of the “Bible” stories for little children, of the present day; for this paper is issued by the official publishing body of one of the leading denominations of the United States. And yet this professed Christian denomination, in a professed Bible story paper for the children, sows the seeds of the latter-day scientific infidelity, among the very first that are sown in the minds of the children. And when this is so, what can be expected of those children in the way of respect for the Bible, or in the way of their ever learning the truth of the Bible? And what can be expected of the coming men and women, when the truth of God is thus corrupted at the very fountain-head in the world; and when infidelity is laid as the very foundation stone of the spiritual life of the man? This makes it important that all who have respect for the Bible as the word of God, exactly as God gave it, be diligent in putting before the children, and by every means getting into their minds, the true Bible story as it is in the Bible, and as it is in the fear of God. And to fill this demand, which is so emphasized by what we have here related, there is no better, no more appropriate, no more timely, books than “Easy Steps in the Bible Story” and “The Bible Reader, No. 1” — the latter for beginners, the former for others.121 From what we have here related, which is only an illustration of the situation throughout the whole United States, and even the world, it is perfectly plain that it is not enough that our people simply take these little books into their own homes, and put them into the hands of their own children—it is true missionary work to put these books into every family, and into the hands of all the children, where it can possibly be done. The people of God are in the world to hold up and to spread the word of God, and faith, against the word of men and infidelity—to hold forth the word of life. And in this time of most widespread infidelity, all who know God should be most active in fighting the good fight of faith. “Work while it is called, To-day; for the night cometh, when no man can work.”