IHE USE OE THE BiLE SGHOOEBOYS Divinity Librar YS^u K!!'!!) it itii 0 ,.:^f^ New Yobk: 124 East 28th Stbebt London: 47 Pateknostbr Row, E. C. 1913 COPTEIQHT, 1913, BT The Intebnational Committee of Young Mens' Chbistian Associations CONTENTS Introduction v ^ I. The Purpose of Bible Study 1 II. Curriculum Bible Courses 7 III. Books Available for Curriculum Courses 22 IV. The Use of the Scriptures in Chapel Services 41 V. The Initiative of Boys in Bible Study 59 VI. Methods and Coursed for Voluntary Study 68 Appendix I — ^The Bible in College Entrance Requirements 83 Appendix II — List of Schools Repre sented at the Conference 85 INTRODUCTION Most private schools of America are avow edly Christian in their purpose and character, and, therefore, they recognize Bible study as one of their proper and important functions. The extent and method of this study have differed very widely, hardly any two schools handling the subject in the same way. The desirability of reaching some consensus of opinion regarding the best methods of Bible study in schools has long been felt. To meet this need, the International Com mittee of Young Men's Christian Associa tions, acting on the suggestion of several headmasters, appointed a Commission to study the present use of the Bible among schoolboys and to present recommendations to a General Conference to be called for that purpose. The Commission was constituted as follows : Rev. H. G. Buehler, Litt.D., Hotchkiss School, Chairman. Mr, David R. Porter, International Committee, Secretary. Rev. John B, Diman, St. George's SchooL vi THE USE OP THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Mr. James McConaughy, formerly Mt. Hermon School. Rev. S. J. McPherson, D.D., Lawrenceville School. Mrs, John Meigs, The Hill School. Rev. Endicott Peabody, D.D., Groton School. Mr. Alfred E. Stearns, Phillips Academy, Andover. Mr. Horace D. Taft, Taft School. This Commission, after some preliminary study of the subject, issued a call to all those deeply interested in the use of the Bible among schoolboys to meet in a Conference in New York City, May 23 and 24, 1912, to discuss the preliminary report of the Commission and to take such further action as might be de sired. The Conference met in the International Association Building, New York City, and was largely attended. Its aim was frank dis cussion. As the basis of such discussion, to insure definite and helpful conclusions, the preliminary report of the Commission had been distributed in printed form. This pro gram was followed: Mat 23. 7:30 P.M. Devotional Period. The Right Rev. Arthur S. Lloyd, D.D., President of the Board of Missions, Protestant Episcopal Church. INTRODUCTION vii Introductory Statement. Rev. H. G. Buehler, litt.D., Hotchkiss School, Chairman. Section I. Curriculum Studies. Rev. Endicott Peabody, D.D., Groton School. Discussion opened by Rev. Markham W. Stack- pole, Phillips Academy, Andover. Mat 24. 9:00 A.M. Devotional Period. Robert E. Speer, D.D., Sec retary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. Section II. The Use of the Bible in Chapel Services. Dr. Buehler. Discussion opened by Rev. J. P. Conover, St. Patd's School. 10:30 Section III. Voluntary Studies, David R. Por ter, Secretary of the Commission. Discussion opened by Mrs. John Meigs, The Hill School. 12:30 P.M. Luncheon. 1:30 Final Discussion and Business. Address. "The Value of Religious Work with Schoolboys." John R. Mott, LL.D., Secre tary of the World's Student Christian Federa tion. At the conclusion of the discussion two mo tions were made and unanimously carried. The first was that next year a similar Con- viii THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS ference be held to consider some other prob lem of religious work among school boys. The second was that an Editing Committee should be appointed whose duty it should be to edit the preliminary report of the Com mission embodying as they might see fit the discussions of the Conference. This Commit tee has consisted of Dr. Buehler, Mr. Mc Conaughy, and Mr. Porter. The first statement of the Editing Com mittee was submitted for criticism to each member of the Commission, and from them many valuable suggestions were received. Therefore the following Report embodies in a general way the. convictions of the entire Commission. For particular statements, how ever, the Editing Committee must alone as sume responsibility. I. THE PURPOSE OF BIBLE STUDY If Bible study as now conducted in our schools is uninteresting and ineffective, the „j^ . fault is chiefly with ourselves. When of Bible study is profitless and a bore, Interest" . . >/ i- ^ ^ » it is because the subject is poorly handled by the teacher, or wrongly approached by the pupil, or both. Just as no one would dispute the proposition that the Bible is the most important book in our literature, since it is the foundation of our civilization, so no one would dispute the proposition that the Bible is the most interesting book we have. Of course, it is not all interesting reading, chapter by chapter or book by book. What we mean is that the Bible contains some of the most in teresting things in history and literature. No history is more important than the his tory of the Hebrew race, or the founding of the Christian Church by Jesus and His follow ers. No literature has more permanent power than the Bible to grip the soul and to influence life. Whenever Bible study is made less than interesting, it is because the subject is not 2 THE USE OP THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS skilfully handled, or is approached in a wrong spirit, or both. The Bible presents to us the world's most significant personalities and its most effective witness to truth. As Lowell said: "It is grand with life from cover to cover. You can't put a needle into it any where and not draw blood." The purpose of Bible study in schools should be to transfer to the memory, as a permanent moral force, as much as we can of the The Purpose contents of the Bible and so to ex- Bible Study plain and expand those contents as I*. . to mould and elevate thoughts and hearts and lives. In other words, the purpose of Bible study should be to give men an intelligent knowledge of the contents of the Bible, to engender the spirit of the noblest Bible personalities, and to make that spirit manifest in everyday life. In order to accomplish the purpose, Bible courses must not treat all parts of the Bible as of equal importance. They must dis- TheNeed criminate between the educationally Textbooks important and the unimportant, be tween the valuable and the negligi ble, between the kernel and the husk. To THE PURPOSE OP BIBLE STUDY 3 make this distinction unaided is not easy for a teacher dealing with a subject so extensive and varied as the Bible. Therefore there is real need of proper textbooks or other definite helps, to put into the hands of teachers who from temperament or lack of training need a great deal of specific guidance before they can conduct effective Bible study. In practically all cases with which we have to deal the student body is composed of three elements: those who know practi- to *' "'^ cally nothing whatever about the ^pii Bible; those who are by earlier train ing already familiar with it; and ' those who have only a somewhat vague and ;; hazy knowledge of it. The last group will probably prove the largest of the three. Hence our attack should be chiefly centered at this point and our plans mapped out with this ele ment especially in view. Primary consideration must be given to the natural steps in the mental and moral de velopment of youth. The spiritual develop ment of normal youth is not far advanced. At the school age, the spiritual things of life seem unreal or far away. The heroic things in life. 4 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS on the contrary, are readily grasped and sin cerely admired. Therefore the appeal of true manliness, if rightly presented, will never be wholly in vain. The moral virtues, without which true manliness is impossible, can be made inspiring and attractive. This, therefore, should be our first point of attack, and for the accomplishment of this purpose the Bible offers boundless material. * The hero stories of the Old Testament are full of inspiration and are suggestive and practical in their teachings. The character of Christ and His teachings are the best of inspirations. The manliness of Christ, so clear and so pro nounced when once one has studied His char acter, cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often. The manliness of Paul, and the ring of true courage sounding from his teach ings, may well be used to supplement our teachings regarding the great Master Himself. It should be easy to convince our youth that in Christ are found, blended in absolute per- Christ fection, all of those manly traits and Central virtues which they so genuinely ad- Object mire in human character. It should be easy to bring them to realize that He is the THE PURPOSE OF BIBLE STUDY 5 true and highest ideal, who will stand the test when merely human ideals have lost something of their strength to inspire. When this step has been accomplished it should be our next aim to make clear to our students, so far as we are able, how easily and how naturally the manly merges into the divine. We should try to make them ^ee that only as the individual relates his life to the life of humanity, only as he realizes that through self-surrender and service can the deepest satisfaction of life be appreciated, only as he permits the perfect life of Christ to be the dominating influence in his own life, will he make of his life that which God intended it to be, and will he realize the naturalness, the completeness, and the satisfaction of the spirit ual life. This point of view leads naturally to emphasis on Christ's spiritual nature and the teachings which more distinctly relate to the highest life. If our earlier work has been ef fective we shall find our students eagerly grasping at these larger and more permanent truths. In the pages that follow we propose three ways by which Bible study may be advanced 6 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS in boarding schools, and maintain that no one of these three can well be dispensed with. They supplement one another. The first is Mettwds required class work conducted by mas ters. The second is systematic daily reading of the Bible at morning or evening pray ers. The third is voluntary Bible study in small student groups under the leadership of masters or mature boys. II. CURRICULUM BIBLE COURSES There are certain difficulties to be faced whenever Bible study is made an integral part of a school course. First of all there Difficulties is a feeling on the part of students that the study of the Bible ought not to be on the same plane with other studies; that Bible knowledge is to be gained by gen eral reading or by intuition. So there is often an aversion on a boy's part to giving his whole mind to the preparation of a Bible lesson. Another difficulty is found in the inade quacy of textbooks. Many of these have been written with a view to Sunday-school courses, and have lacked the virility which appeals to boy nature, or else they have been adapted to students more mature than the average schoolboy. This latter difficulty is disappearing, as will be evident from an ex amination of the list of books printed else where in this report. An efficient teacher will soon convince his class that the former difficulty is based upon a misapprehension, and must also disappear. 8 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Bible study may be considered from three points of view : that of history, that of litera ture, and that of religion. These Work and points of vicw must be clearly kept Ste'd d ^^ mind in framing our methods of instruction. If we are to attack the dense ignorance of the present generation re garding the Bible, we must teach it with all the vigor that we use in teaching Latin, Greek, Algebra, or Ancient History. (1) An outline of the history of the Hebrew people, short but comprehensive, should be mastered by every schoolboy. It should be taught with all the rigor and thoroughness pos sible, calling the memory into effective opera tion, and never frightened by the dryness of the subject. The purpose of teaching such an outline is to fix in the boy's mind a clear knowl edge of the main events of the history of the Jewish people, so that in dealing with Bible characters and Bible stories he may put each in its definite place. It is extraordinary how many Bible stories a boy may know, and at the same time have absolutely no idea with what part of Jewish history the characters are connected. When this outline is once fixed in CURRICULUM BIBLE COURSES , 9 the mind, it may be filled out to any degree by study of the characters in the Old and New Testaments. All that is then learned serves to increase a firm, consistent knowledge of Bible history. Everything learned helps in remem bering everything else. (2) Portions of the Bible are also to be studied from the standpoint of literature. Parts selected for their literary beauty should be studied with the same thoroughness that we expect in the reading of Shakespeare — ^in deed with greater thoroughness. It would be immensely profitable to any schoolboy to fa miliarize himself — to a degree which would doubtless seem to many extraordinary — with the most beautiful chapters of Scripture, mem orizing large portions so that the language may become a part of his own mental equipment. (3) The study of the Bible must be illu minated from a scholarly knowledge of the history of the Bible as a book, of the political and physical geography of Palestine and ad jacent countries, of the customs of Oriental peoples, the monuments of ancient times, and indeed of all that may be included under the term "Biblical scholarship." 10 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Leadership in such Bible study is serious business, requiring judgment, experience, and some degree of knowledge. Such study means, of course, that the boy is to be tested and marked on his work, that Bible study must be regarded as a distinct addition to the regular scholastic work or as a substitute for part of it. For Bible study, in which the emphasis is laid upon historical and literary, rather than upon moral and religious aims, the following reasons are urged: (a) Every intelligent teacher, whatever his religious point of view may be, recognizes the importance of acquaintance with the Bible as a part of education, and every teacher of classics or English is painfully aware of the lack of this acquaintance among boys of the present generation. Familiarity with the lit erature of the Bible is essential to culture, not only from its intrinsic worth, but also from its close association to other literature, to lan guage and to everyday knowledge. (b) Courses emphasizing the historical and literary values of the Bible can properly be required of every student of whatever re- CURRICULUM BIBLE COURSES 11 ligious faith or whatever race. To such courses parents of Jewish and Roman Catholic boys make no serious objection. (c) This approach to the Bible tends to diminish any hostility a boy may feel for it and to remove any prejudice and misconcep tions. He is happily surprised if he finds Bible study, which he supposed to be solemn and forbidding, really human and interesting, and at times even amusing — ^not unlike other good reading. (d) The ordinary methods and standards of the class room are appropriate for Bible courses thus planned. Recitations and ex aminations may properly be required, condi tions given for inadequate work, and honors awarded. Bible courses of this sort are not regarded as a joke or a farce, or in a class by themselves; but as befits their importance, even from the narrower educational view, they are on a par with other literary and historical courses. (4) But when all this has been said, there remains the fundamental fact that the Bible is different from other books. If we accept Edward Thwing's definition of a school as a 12 THE USE OP THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS place where a boy is taught how to live, the Bible is preeminently the book to use for the accomplishment of that aim. While all studies, from mathematics to lit erature, can be and should be so taught as to contribute to the development of the boy's character, any teaching of the Bible which falls short of seeking that ideal and accom plishing that purpose is an incomplete use of the book. Any teaching of history which fails to present the inspiration of great lives is im perfect. Any teaching of the Bible which pre sents merely its historical facts and literary forms and omits its message is emasculative. To teach the Bible without teaching the life of Christ, and to teach the life of Christ with out its ethical application, cannot fairly be called real Bible teaching. As the best teacher of Greek or Latin is the man who can make his pupils love the Greek or Latin classics, so the best teacher of the Bible is the man who can kindle in his pupils similar enthusiasm for its ideals, teachings, and characters. For such Bible teaching as has been indi cated, specially qualified teachers are needed. CURRICULUM BIBLE COURSES 13 While certain advantages are to be obtained by bringing a number of the tnasters of any Sneciaii school into closc touch with the pupils Qualified by making each the teacher of a course of Bible study to a group of students, these results can be better achieved through the methods of voluntary study, later discussed in this report. For Bible courses in the curriculum teachers are needed who have had the special prepara tion which such courses require, and who also have the personal character and magnetism necessary to make the courses popular with the boys, and really effective in character building. Most teachers who are expected to take on a course in the Bible as "an extra" find it a trial. They know that they are not specially equipped for it, and cannot teach it well. As specialists are needed to teach Addi son, Tennyson, and Stevenson, we certainly need them for the most difficult classic of them all. We shall not overcome the ignorance of the modern schoolboy about the Bible until we give to it a regular and adequate place in the curriculum of studies, with the necessary 14 ' THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS number of periods, with modern te:^tbooks, with standard requirements, and with trained instructors. Many teachers feel that critical questions, relating to the date, authorship and composi tion of Bible books, have no natural or fitting place in the Bible teaching of schoolboys. Their Bible teacher, however, should certainly be acquainted with modern scholarly views re garding the Scriptures, while he holds his own clear convictions regarding their authority and unique value. He may wisely use suitable opportunities to show that certain traditional views are not really derived from the Bible itself, and in some cases prevent a true con ception of what the Bible teaches. He may thus save his pupils from meeting later with out warning or preparation the occasional radi cal claims of some modern biblical criticism, doctrinal questions, etc. Doctrinal questions, which will naturally arise, should usually be handled out of class in private conversation. The religious and ethical applications of Bible study must be a part of true Bible teach ing, but should not be presented in any horta tive or homiletic way. Applications to school CURRICULUM BIBLE COURSES 15 life, which naturally suggest themselves, may properly be made. The curriculum study should, however, be chiefly regarded as a prepa ration and a basis for the ethical and religious applications, which have their more natural and proper place in the meetings of the voluntary groups, chapel talks, Sunday ad dresses, and similar religious activities of the school life. The personality of the Bible teacher must of necessity have marked influence. To be successful he must have the unqualifled re spect and confidence of the boys. The true Bible teacher must glorify his subject, and arouse in the hearts of his pupils a passion for the study of the Book and for Him of Whom the Book treats. More detailed suggestions for Bible teach ing, developed from successful experience, are added herewith: (1) The size of the class should not be so large that the teacher cannot hold the interest Class Room ^^ each student during the recitation Methods hour, as well as guide him in his prep aration. Few men can adequately teach as many as thirty in this important subject. 16 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS (2) The pupil should have in his hands outlines for study drawn with sufficient full ness to enable him to do intelligent work in his period of preparation. These study out lines and such textbooks as he uses should show marks of as high scholarship as his texts in Greek and History. (3) A combination of the informal lecture with the conversational method seems best adapted to the secondary school age. The student should have a large part in the class room work. Written answers to comprehen sive questions, occasionally required, will tend to promote thorough preparation. Tests, ex aminations and marks are necessary as in other work where standards of scholarship are to be maintained. (4) Since students usually are more at a loss in regard to how to study the Bible than with reference to other subjects, it is wise at the beginning for the master to meet students individually or in small groups to explain the textbooks and the method of study. (5) Occasional themes may be assigned on individual characters, incidents or topics. Note books are desirable but should not be CURRICULUM BIBLE COURSES 17 made burdensome enough to make the stu dent feel that this is the chief part of his work. (6) Attention should be called to much quoted Bible phrases and to passages which are frequently alluded to in general literature, in the newspapers and in everyday conversa tion. Boys may be directed to underline such phrases and passages. In examinations, call for the identification of numerous quotations and allusions. This is the way in which bibli cal knowledge will later be tested. (7) Fine passages should be memorized, such as David's elegy for Saul and Jonathan, the judgment scene in Matt. 25, parts of Paul's defense before Agrippa, the chapter on love in 1 Corinthians, etc. (8) Events, characters, laws, etc., that re late to the life of today, should be studied in such connection. For example, the story, of creation accounts for our week; the Egyp tians had a race problem on their hands; the manna system was a form of socialism; the parable of the sower describes different types of modern students, etc. While no general agreement has yet been 18 THE USE OP THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS reached upon this point, modern studies of the adolescent period, supplemented by expe rience, enable us at any rate to blaze lum"couree ^ path toward the goal. The aver age boy, when entering a secondary school, has little systematic knowledge of the Bible which can be taken for granted. In many cases the school training is a boy's first train ing in religion. One well known educator, in one of the largest boys' schools, says, "Only about one quarter have any religious instruc tion at home." In any arrangenient of a course, therefore, there is little danger of re peating what a boy has already learned well. For a general consecutive course the following is suggested: (1) Begin with the historical portions of the Old Testament, arranged chiefly from a biographical point of view, with brief inci dental reference to the poetical and propheti cal portions. From twelve to fourteen a boy is interested in objective things, and especially in the achievement of mighty deeds. He is naturally a worshiper of heroes, and a study of the leading heroes of the Old Testament will call forth response from him. CURRICULUM BIBLE COURSES 19 (2) Next may come a study of the life of Christ with application of its principles, es pecially its virile and heroic elements of char acter. Admiration and love for Him should here be awakened and a desire for service emphasized. Especially during this course and the preceding, choice passages may be memorized. (3) The history of the Apostolic Age may then be taken up, especially with reference to the missionary activity of St. Paul. While it would be unwise with boys of this age to enter into the study of the doctrinal Epistles, those which throw light upon the character and career of Paul, as well as those which have special literary and ethical value, should be read in connection with such a course. (4) The student is now prepared for a more comprehensive and thorough view of the Old Testament, including the principles of the growth and development of religion, the liter ary and spiritual values of Old Testament poe try, and the messages of some of the prophets in their relation to modern life. (5) We are now ready for the teachings of Christ in their application to personal re- 20 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS ligion and the solution of modern social prob lems, such as the race problem, the labor prob lem, immigration, organized charity, Sunday observance, church unity, social purity, etc. In place of one or more of the courses thus suggested, some schools have taken up the elementary study of how we got our Bible, or of the modern movement of Christian mis sions, preferably from a biographical view point, while church schools have devoted some attention to church history and church standards. In some schools this curriculum work has been compulsory only for the lower forms. The reason given for the omission of it from the upper classes has not been the feeling that it was less necessary there, but the pressure of work required for entrance to college, or, that among older boys greater results are obtained in elective or voluntary groups. The prin cipals and headmasters of schools in which the Bible has been taught generally favor a fuller recognition than at present of the Bible as one of the subjects in entrance examina tions for admission to college. It is the testimony of the teachers who have CURRICULUM BIBLE COURSES 21 been most successful with the Bible in the curriculum that two periods a week are much better than one, which leaves too long an in terval between classes. Moreover each course should be concluded inside of the school year and never carried over into the next. Obviously the Bible itself should be the textbook, but usually not in the ordinary The Bible ^OTxn with its fine print, double col- Text umns and close lines. A boy's Bible textbooks should look like his other books and should be well arranged, clearly printed, and sensibly bound. In the chapter which follows, a list of such editions, as well as of outline courses of study, will be found, with brief de scriptive comment regarding each. III. BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR CURRI CULUM COURSES* The books and pamphlets available for use in Bible Study courses are very numerous. The wide variety in their titles and methods is bewildering to the busy instructor, who can not possibly examine and compare them all with a view to his special needs. To assist headmasters and teachers in their efforts to find good books for use in their curriculum courses, a selected list is given below. It in cludes only books which have been brought to the attention of the Commission by suc cessful teachers. Most of the volumes men tioned in this list may be examined at the office of the Secretary of the Commission, at 124 East 28th Street, New York. 1. THE BIBLE TEXT "IN MODERN LITERARY FORM" The general purpose of the books in this group is to print the Bible text, or parts of it, in the manner and style of modern books, * The books mentioned in this section may be ordered at publishers' prices from Association Fiese, 124 Blast 28th Street, New York. BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR CURRICULUM COURSES 23 omitting the divisions into chapters and verses, using quotation marks freely, and arranging poetical passages as poetry. Ancient Hebrew Literature. Being the Old Testament and Apocrypha arranged by the Rev. R. Bruce Taylor. In five volumes. (Every man's Library.) E. P. Dutton & Co. Per volume, cloth 35^; (library binding SOfS;) leather 70)!;; (li brary binding 80 ji). Text unabridged. No annotations. The Apocryphal books are intermingled with the canonical writings, the arrangement being topical rather than chronological. Some of the poetical books are printed in poetic form, but Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are not. The distinctive feature of the volumes is ,that they make the Old Testament look like any other classic. The library binding is especially durable. Hebrew Story from the Creation to the Exile. Being Volume One of "Scriptures, Hebrew and Christian," arranged and edited by Edward T. Bartlett, D.D., and John P. Peters, Ph.D. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1886. 545 Pages. $1.50. Attractively printed, and presenting in one volume the more important parts of the Old Tes tament, arranged and edited by well-equipped 24 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS scholars. Part 1: From the Creation to the Reign of Saul. Part II: The History of all Israel. Part III : The History of Samaria, and the Prophecies of Amos and Hosea. Part IV: The History of Judah down to the Captivity. Interspersed with the narratives are a few psalms and proverbs for illustrative purposes. Without annotation. Bible Stories : Old Testament. Edited with an introduction and notes by Richard A. Moulton, M.A., Ph.D. (The Modern Reader's Bible.) The Macmillan Co. 1899. 310 Pages. Cloth 50?i. Bible Stories : New Testament. (The Modern Reader's Bible.) A companion to the preceding. 130 Pages. Cloth 50^. Excellent short books, presenting only the most important stories from each period in Bible history. The purpose of the intro duction and notes is to weave the different sketches together by indicating briefly the bearing of each story on the general history. Differs from the preceding in presenting only "vivid selections." Selected Masterpieces of Biblical Literature. (The Modern Reader's Bible.) xv-|-278 Pages. Cloth 50i!5. This excellent little book emphasizes the BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR CURRICULUM COURSES 25 literary forms illustrated in the Bible. The sub-divisions are: Stories, Oratory, Wisdom, Lyrics, Rhapsody. The introduction treats of the literary forms found in the Bible, and the notes contain among other things a brief ac count of the metrical system of biblical verse. The Old Testament Narrative. Separated out, set in connected order, and edited by Albert Dwight SheflSeld. With illustrations. (River side Literature Series.) Houghton Mifflin Co., 1910. xxi-^507 Pages. $1.50. Substantially the entire Old Testament nar rative arranged as a history of Israel, with mar ginal topics. "Parallel versions of the same tradition it gives together, setting the later or less interesting one in a foot-note." Certain passages are omitted pudoris causa. Frequent foot-notes give "the assured results of recent excavations in Bible lands." The twenty- four illustrations are from archaeological sub jects. The introduction gives a resume of "Old Testament History" (seven pages) and "The Old Testament Narrative" (two pages). The last section of the volume is from the book of the Maccabees. Whereas the preced ing volumes look like library books, this re sembles a school history. 26 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Old Testament Narratives. Selected and edited by George Henry Nettleton. (English Readings.) Henry Holt & Co., 1909. xxvii+294 Pages. OOff. Sixty narratives selected as "interesting in themselves and important in the development of the whole Hebrew record." Without anno tation or illustrations. The introduction deals with "the processes by which the Bible has come into its modern form." Heroes of Israel. Text of the hero stories with notes and questions for young students, by Pro fessor Theodore Gerald Soares. (Constructive Bible Studies, Elementary Series.) University of Chicago Press, 1908. 388 Pages. $1.00. In this book the "hero stories" are presented in sections with prominent sub-topics, e. g., "Joseph and His Dreams," "Joseph Sold as a Slave," "Joseph's Faithfulness," "Joseph in Prison," etc. Each story is followed by ques tions designed to test knowledge of the story and to bring out its higher meaning. Written reviews. No annotations. A convenient class book. The Bible Abridged. Being selections from the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, form ing a reasonably complete outline of the important events of sacred history in their proper sequence BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR CURRICULUM COURSES 27 for families and schools. Arranged by the Rev. David Greene Haskins, S.T.D. D. C. Heath & Co., 1890. 399 Pages. $1.00. A book of 390 daily readings with topical headings. The chapters and verses are indi cated in the margin. 2. THE BIBLE TEXT CRITICALLY ANNOTATED The general purpose of the books in this group is to assist careful study of the Bible text by frequent notes containing explana tions, comments, and other information sup plied by modern scholarship. The Cambridge Bible for Schools -and Colleges. Cambridge University Press, 1882. Sixty vol umes. Sold separately. 50i, 75^ and $1.00 per volume, according to style of binding. One of the best known annotated editions of the Bible. Not so well suited for beginners as for more advanced students. The Smaller Cambridge Bible for Schools. Cambridge University Press, 1890. Fourteen volumes now ready. 30 f! per volume. These little volumes, edited by well-known Bible scholars, contain numerous brief notes at the bottom of each page, comprising more 28 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS than half the subject matter of each volume. Many teachers will think them over edited. The New Century Bible. General Editor, Principal Walter F. Adeney, D.D. Oxford Uni versity Press, New York. 33 small volumes. Cloth, OOjii per volume. The whole series form a most stimulating commentary. Invaluable in furnishing teach ers of boys' classes with a background for their work. Each book of the Bible is approached from a fresh and modern point of view but the contributions are generally pervaded with a rare reverence and devotional spirit. The School and College St. Matthew. By the Rev. F. Marshall, M.A. London, George Gill & Sons, Ltd. lxxiv+165 Pages. 60j5. The Acts of the Apostles. A companion vol ume to the preceding. These books, primarily intended for the use of students preparing for the Oxford and Cambridge examinations, contain in compact and convenient form an extraordinary amount of illuminating material, pedagogically ar ranged. The concise and helpful notes are arranged in a column side by side with the text. The notes and introduction together BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR CURRICULUM COURSES 29 aim to give the student "all necessary infor mation." The same author has prepared a series of 72 examination papers for use with each book. A Harmony of the Gospels. For historical study. An analytical synopsis of the four Gospels by Professor William Arnold Stevens, and Pro fessor Ernest DeWitt Burton. Ninth edition re vised. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1909. 283 Pages. $1.00. Probably the best harmony of the Gospels that we have. Very helpful in the study of the chronological order of the events in the life of Christ, and in the comparison of par allel passages. 3 THE BIBLE STORIES IN "SIMPLIFIED LANGUAGE" The general purpose of the books in this group is to make the Bible easier reading for young people. They differ chiefly in the style of printing and binding and the degree of ad herence to the Bible words, phraseology and style. Hurlbut's Story of the Bible: Old Testament. Giving in simple language of today in a continuous form the great truths and important facts of the English Bible. Over one hundred stories, each 30 THE USE OP THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS complete in itself and together forming a con nected narrative of the Old Testament by Rev. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut, D.D. Profusely illustrated with copper plates and half-tone engravings. The John C. Winston Co., 1904. 502 Pages. (This is a special edition, furnished on order.) The author has tried to make the language ' ' childlike without making it childish." Words like "altar," "offering," "tabernacle," "syna gogue," "centurion," etc., are carefully ex plained not once only but a number of times "until they become familiar." An effort has been made to give each story a striking title, e. g., "How an Angel's Voice Saved a Boy's Life" (Abraham and Isaac); "The Story of a Wedge of Gold" (Achan). Hurlbut's Story of the Bible : New Testament. The story of Jesus and the early Church, by Rev. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut, D.D. Illustrated. Every Child's Library. The John C. Winston Co., 1908. 316 Pages. 75(6. The New Testament narrative retold in fifty -seven stories "in plain words that any child can understand." Stories from the Old Testament. By S. Piatt. 238 Pages. $1.50. The nineteenth chapter of this book con- BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR CURRICULUM COURSES 31 tains the story of Judith, which is followed by nine pages treating of the history of the Old Testament, with a reduced facsimile of ^n old Hebrew manuscript. The volume is unusu ally attractive to the eye, and is illustrated by sixteen half-tone reproductions of paintings by eminent artists, chosen with taste and judgment. The Narrative Bible. Edited by Clifton John son. Illustrated with six reproductions of Dore's drawings. The Baker & Taylor Co., 1910. School edition. 266 Pages. $1.50. In this volume the narratives are greatly condensed, but the adherence to biblical words, and style is closer than in the preceding books of the group. 4. SPECIALLY PREPARED "STUDIES" The general purpose of this group is to pro vide courses of study (usually one year in length) in which both teacher and pupil may find not only subject matter but also a method of study ready to hand. The Historical Bible. By Charles Foster Kent, Ph.D., Woolsey Professor of BibUcal Litera ture in Yale University. With Maps. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1912. Six volumes, $1.00 each. 32 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Arrangement of volumes: I. The Heroes and Crises of Early Hebrew His tory. From the Creation to the Death of Moses. II. The Founders and Rulers of United Israel. From the Death of Moses to the Division of the Hebrew Kingdom. III. The Kings and Prophets of Israel and Judah. From the Division of the Kingdom to the Babylonian Exile. rV. The Makers and Teachers of Judaism. From the Fall of Jerusalem to the Death of Herod the Great. V. The Life and Teachings of Jesus. In the Light of the Earliest Records. VI. The Work and Teachings of the Apostles. From the Death of Jesus to the End of the First Century. These interesting and important books aim to present in popular and practical form the most valuable constructive results of modern biblical discovery and research. The author considers that certain parts of the Bible are of far greater value than others, and seeks to put in the hands of students the really vital parts of the Bible, arranged in chronological order, and to interpret their essential teach ings in the thought and language of today. The books are intended for pupils fifteen years BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR CURRICULUM COURSES 33 old and upward. Some teachers will not want to use volumes V and VI until pupils are ma ture enough to think out for themselves or study from other sources the conclusions of advanced biblical criticism. To each section of the biblical text have been fidded brief, his torical, geographical, and archaeological notes. For example, the Story of Cain and Abel (Volume I) is followed by three pages which discuss in connected manner The Background of the Story, The Origin of the Story, The Reason why Cain's Offering was Rejected, Cain's Crime and its Punishment, Meaning of the Mark of Cain, Aim and Teachings. The Story of Jesus' Baptism and Temptation (Volume V) is followed by six pages discuss ing The Reasons why Jesus Went to John, The Literary Form of the Record, The Sig nificance of the Baptism Vision, The Mean ing of the Account of Jesus' Temptation, The Different Phases of Jesus' Temptation. Some of the material in these volumes is republished in pamphlet form for Sunday school use in The Bible Study Union Lessons. Charles Scribner's Sons. 34 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS The Life of Christ. An aid to historical study, by Professor Ernest DeWitt Burton and Professor Shailer Mathews. (Constructive Bible Studies: advanced and supplementary series.) University of Chicago Press. Fifth impression, 1907. 302 Pages. $1.00. Aims to encourage the student "to con struct for himself a life of Christ." The au thors frankly admit that this may be beyond the ability of some pupils. The method em ployed is notes and suggestive questions. A Begirmer's Course in Bible Study. By James McConaughy, M.A. Managing Editor of the American Sunday-School Union. The Union Press, Philadelphia. Sixth edition, 1913. 122 Pages. Paper 25^; cloth 40^. The result of successful experience in teach ing the Bible to beginning students in Mt. Hermon School and Northfield Seminary. In two parts of thirty studies each. Each study consists of questions to be answered from thoughtful daily reading of the Bible text. Two recitations a week are planned for, but "when only one is possible, the selections given for one day may be taken in two days." Character study is made prominent, and mem ory passages are suggested. The studies range BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR CURRICULUM COURSES 35 from Genesis to Timothy. There are hints to teacher and student, introductory notes, review charts, outline maps, and several diagrams. Great Events in the Life of Christ. In twenty- five studies, arranged for daily reading and weekly class work by James McConaughy, M.A. Asso ciation Press, 1909. xii-F210 Pages. Paper 50j!!; cloth 75^. The latest book by the author of the pre ceding, presenting within reasonable compass and in clear outline the fruits of his ripest ex perience. It does not pretend to be a short and easy course, but it makes an effort to sim plify the subject and furnish all needed help. It views the life of Jesus as an orderly progress towards a goal, and seeks to emphasize the successive steps in that progress. The method followed is the same as in the earlier book, but the studies are fuller and richer, and the pedagogical helps more abundant. These helps include hints to students and teachers, outlines preceding each period, topical arrange ment and headings, reviews, a photo-relief map of Palestine, nine half-tone reproductions of well chosen paintings by masters, and valua ble and discriminating lists of helpful books. 36 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS maps, and pictures for use in connection with the course. Specially worthy of attention. Pupils' Book of Old Testament Heroes. A course of study beautifying and glorifying the moral and religious qualities of Old Testament characters. By John L. Keedy. The Graded Sunday-School Publishing Co., 1906. 88 Pages. Paper 40ff. Teachers' Book of Old Testament Heroes. 131 Pages. Cloth, 80?!. Pupils' Book of the Life of Christ. A course of study for classes in religious education, glorify ing the heroic and kingly qualities in Jesus Christ. By John L. Keedy. The Graded Sunday-School Publishing Co. 94 Pages, Paper 40j!. Teachers' Book of the Life of Christ. By John L. Keedy. The Graded Sunday-School Publish ing Co. 167 Pages. Cloth, 80?!. Pupils' Book of Early Christian Heroes. Studies in New Testament biography, beautifying and glorifying the men who appreciated Jesus. By John L. Keedy. The Graded Sunday-School Publish ing Co. 90 Pages. Paper 40fi. Teachers* Book of Early Christian Heroes. By John L. Keedy. The Graded Sunday-School Publishing Co. 154 Pages. Cloth 80ji. Portfolio of Illustrative Material. To accom pany each of these courses. By John L. Keedy. The Graded Sunday-School Publishing Co. 10^ additional. These books were prepared by "a busy BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR CURRICULUM COURSES 37 minister who sought for something that would deepen the interest of several classes of rather disorderly boys." The author holds that "the gateway into the life of a pupil of from twelve to sixteen is not through academic knowledge but through his admirations, his appreciations, and his loves." Each book contains forty or fifty lessons. The method is chiefly sug gestive questions, with much written work required of the pupil. Each lesson is ac companied by suggestions for study, teaching of memory verses, and a list of "illustrative material." "Popular" rather than "scholarly." Bible Study by Periods. A series of twenty-four historical Bible studies from Genesis to Revelation, by Rev. Henry T. Sell, D.D. Fleming H. Revell Co., 1899. Tenth edition. 285 Pages. Paper 35^; cloth 60^. Aims to give a general idea of the whole compass of the contents of the Bible in six periods, four for the Old Testament and two for the New. Can be used as an outline for very general study, or it can be used with more attention to detail. In method it is a comparatively full historical resume, accom panied by references to the Bible text and questions. 38 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Outline Lessons in Old Testament History. By Charles Henry Raymond, A.M. [Order from the author, at Lawrenceville, N. J.] 71 Pages. This pamphlet contains thirty-five lessons, the main feature of each lesson being an "out line," the topics in each outline being accom panied by references to chapter and verse. Following each outline are review questions, map work, memory texts and "special stud ies," No explanatory material, the student being sent for this to books of reference. 5. BOOKS OF BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY A Life of Christ. By Rev. James Stalker, M.A. Fleming H. Revell Co. 167 Pages. 50^. The Life of St. Paul. By Rev. James Stalker, M.A. Fleming H. Revell Co. 183_Pages. 50j^. Probably the best of the short lives of Christ and Paul. Compact. Clearly outlined. Deal ing with the facts not in detail but topically in groups. With an appendix containing "hints for teachers and questions for pupils." These books have proven very useful in curriculum classes for boys' schools. The Hero of Heroes. By Robert F. Horton, M.A., D.D. Illustrated by James Clark, R. I. BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR CURRICULUM COURSES 39 Fleming H. Revell Co., 1911. 326 Pages. $1.25. A life of Christ of the "popular" variety, adapted to young people. Characterized by a marked devotional emphasis. A Primer of Old Testament History. By Rev. O. R. Barnicott, LL.D. J. B. Lippincott & Co. 138 Pages. 30|f. A brief condensation of Bible stories rather than a history. For example, the story of Esther is retold in one page. Old Testament History. For use in schools. By Rev. W. F. Burnside, M.A. Methuen & Co., London. Third Edition, 1907. 330 Pages. $1.40. A reverent book, combining with the his torical viewpoint a watchful eye for the moral and religious lessons to be drawn from the history and characters in the Old Testament. The latter part of the book puts the prophets and their writings in the foreground, with some account of their work and teaching. A Short History of the Hebrews. To the Ro man Period, by R. L. Ottley. With maps. The Macmillan Co., 1901. 324 Pages. $1.25. More scientific in its method and less homi- letical than the preceding book. It follows the biblical narrative less closely; perhaps, therefore, less interesting to young students. 40 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS 6. BOOKS ABOUT THE BIBLE The New Testament and Its Writers. By the Rev. J, A. McClymont. (The Guild Textbooks.) Flemmg H. Revell Co. 155 Pages. 40ff. An outhne of the answers which modern scholarship gives to the following questions regarding each of the books of the New Tes tament: Who wrote it? When and where was it written? What are its character and contents? The Origin and Character of the Bible and its Place among Sacred Books. By Jabez Thomas Sunderland, Author of "The Spark in the Clod," American Unitarian Association, 1908. 322 Pages. $1.20 net. The author of this book aims to set forth "a new view of the Bible, a distinctly modern view" which he thinks is "tending slowly to displace the old view which has been held so unquestioningly and so long." A Half-Year in the Prayer Book. For Sunday schools. By H. W. Jones, D.D., Dean of the Divinity School of Kenyon College. George W. Jacobs & Co., 1899. 156 Pages. Boards, 25(f. Twenty -five lessons in the Prayer Book, de signed to cover six months. It assumes the collateral use of the Bible and the Church Hymnal. IV. THE USE OF THE SCRIPTURES IN CHAPEL SERVICES Many Bible passages yield their meaning without explanation or effort, and are as suitable for reading aloud as any passages ever penned. Interesting side lights can be thrown on some of these passages by collateral study, but their essential meaning is so plain that "he who runs may read." On the other hand many parts of the Bible are quite un- suited for such reading. One should discrimi nate between that which is edifying and that which is not. It would be a great mistake, for instance, to read aloud to an assembly of schoolboys the whole of the book of Job, the ceremonial laws of Leviticus, or the doc trinal Epistles. It is also a mistake to let one's selection of readings be governed too much by personal moods or likings. A list of carefully selected passages, well adapted for reading aloud to boys, should include from the Old Testament the famous stories and finest poetical pas- 42 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS sages; from the New Testament the life of Christ, following preferably a harmony of the Gospels and taking only one account of each incident, and from the Epistles such passages only as need but little explanation to make them intelligible to the boy mind. Such systematic readings can be made to cover the larger part of the Bible, and ought to dispel at least some of the ignorance which now exists. In the list given herewith, which has been followed at one of the larger pre paratory boarding schools, the readings for the first and second days of the week are more numerous and longer than those for the other days, because the chapel services on those days afford more opportunity for Bible reading. The occasional departures from chronologi cal or natural order have been occasioned partly by desire to have certain long passages read on Sunday in whole or in part, and partly by a wish to recognize the great seasons of Christmas and Easter. The Psalms are not included in this list because they are usually read responsively in connection with Sunday services. It is expected, of course, that any head- USE OP SCRIPTURES IN CHAPEL SERVICES 43 master making use of this list would make modifications in it to suit local conditions. Experience has shown that all the parts of the Bible best adapted to chapel readings can be covered in two years. The list herewith given is for the first of these two years. For the second year, the remaining Old Testament stories might be read, then the Gospels again, closing the year with readings from the pro phetical and poetical books. As to who should read these Scripture les sons, experience on the whole favors the con clusion that they should be read by one person, naturally the principal or headmaster of the school. To have older boys read them would give valuable training in public reading of the Bible. To have other teachers take part would introduce more variety into the chapel exercise. FIRST TERM First Week. 1 . Prov. 3 : 1-20. " More precious than rubies. " 2. Psa. 90. "Lord thou hast been our dwelling place. " 3. Gen. 1 : 1-3, 26-27; 2 : 7-9, 15-25. Creation. 44 THE USE OP THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Second Week. Sunday. Gen. 3: 1-24. The Fall. 1. Gen. 4:2-16. Cain and Abel. 2. Gen. 6:9-22; 7: 1, 17-24. The Flood. 3. Gen. 8:1-13, 18-19; 9:8-15, 18-19. The Bow in the Cloud. 4. Gen. 11 : 1-9. The Tower of Babel. 5. Prov. 1:7-10; 2:1-5, 9-19. "If Sinners entice thee. " Third Week. Sunday. Gen. 12:1-5; 13:2, 5-16. The Call of Abraham, or The Founding of the 1. Gen. 18:1-16, 20-32. The Visit of the Angels, and Abraham's Prayer. 2. Gen. 19:1, 12-17, 23-28. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 3. Gen. 21 : 1-3, 8-20. Hagar and Ishmael. 4. Gen. 22: 1-18. The Offering of Isaac. 5. Prov. 4:7-19, 23. The Two Paths. Fourth Week. Sunday. Gen. 24 : 1-28. Eliezer and Rebekah. Gen. 24: 29-33, 50-67, Marriage of Isaac and Rebekah. 1 , Gen. 25 : 28-34 ; 27 : 1-45. Jacob and Esau- 2. Gen. 28:10-22. Jacob at Bethel. 3. Gen. 29 : 1-20. Jacob and Rachel. 4. Gen. 32: 22-30. Jacob's Wrestling. 5. Heb. 11: 1-16. Examples of Faith. USE OF SCRIPTURES IN CHAPEL SERVICES 45 Fifth Week. Sunday. Gen. 37 : 2-36. Joseph sold into Egypt. Gen. 39 : 1-20. Joseph in Potiphar's House. Gen. 39 : 21-23; 40 : 1-23. Joseph in Prison. Gen. 41:1-43. Joseph at Court. 1. Prov. 8:4-7, 12, 15-19, 22-36. Wisdom de clares herself divine. (Biblical Master pieces, pages 135-138.) 2. Prov. 10:1-9, 12, 19, 26-27. Proverbs of Solomon. 3. Prov. 11: 1-2, 4, 14, 22, 24-26, 28; 12: 1, 15, 18, 19, 22, 26. (Selected Proverbs.) 4. Prov. 13: 1, 10-12, 15, 18, 20, 24; 14:4, 10, 12, 15, 16, 34. (More Proverbs.) 5. Prov. 15:1-6, 8, 11, 12, 15-21. A Truthful Tongue and Cheerful Heart. Sixth Week. Sunday. Gen, 41: 46-57; 42: 1-38. Joseph and his Half Brother. Gen. 43: 1-34; Joseph and Benjamin. Gen. 44:1-34; 45:1-3. The Arrest of Ben jamin. Gen. 45:4-28; 46:1-5, 29-34; 47:1-12. Jacob and Pharaoh. 1. Gen. 47:27-31; 48:1-2, 8-16; 49:1, 29-33; 50:1-3. Death of Jacob. 2. Gen. 50: 4-26. Funeral of Jacob and Death of Joseph. 3. Ex. 1 : 8-12, 22 ; 2 : 1-10. The Birth of Moses. 4. Ex. 2: 11-21. The Marriage of Moses. 6. Ex. 3:1-7, 10-12; 4:10-12. The Call of Moses. 46 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Seventh Week. Sunday. Prov. 7:1-15, 21-27. The Strange Woman. 1. Ex. 5:1-18. Bricks without Straw. 2. Ex. 7: 7-25. The River turned to Blood. 3. Ex. 10 : 12-20. The Plague of Locusts. 4. Ex. 12: 21-36. The Death of the First Born. 5. Ex. 13:17-22; 14:5-9. Beginning of the Journey; Pursuit of Pharaoh. Eighth Week. Sunday. Ex. 14: 10-28. Overthrow of the Egyptians at the Red Sea. Ex. 14:30-31, 15: 1-21. Song of Moses and Miriam. (Moulton). 1. Ex. 19: 10-19. Jehovah on Sinai. Ex. 20:1-21. The Ten Commandments. 2. Ex. 15:22-25; 16: 1-3, 9-15. The Waters of Marah, Quails, and Manna. 3. Lev. 25: 1-12. The Sabbatical Year and the Year of Jubilee. 4. Num. 20: 1-13. The Waters of Meribah. 5. Num. 21 : 4-9. The Fiery Serpents. Ninth Week. Sunday. Ex. 32:1-6, 15-24. The Golden Calf . 1. Num. 13:1-2, 17-20, 23, 25-28, 30-33; 14: 1-10. Report of the Spies. 2. Num. 27 : 15-23. Joshua appointed Successor to Moses. 3. Deut. 6:1-9; 7:6-11. Moses urges Obedi- 4. Deut. 10:12-14, 17-21. Jehovah thy God. 5. Deut. 11 : 13-21. Rewards of Obedience. USE OF SCRIPTURES IN CHAPEL SERVICES 47 Tenth Week. Sunday. Num. 22:3-13. Balaam, asked to curse Israel, refuses. Num. 22:14-20, 35-41; 23:1-10. Balaam's First Prophecy. Num. 23 : 27-28; 24 : 2-18, 25. Balaam's Last Prophecies. 1. Deut. 8:6-20. Warning to a Prosperous Nation. 2. Deut. 30:11-20. The Choice between Life and Death. 3. Deut. 31:1-8. Be Strong, and of Good Cour age. 4. Deut. 34: 1-10. The Death of Moses. 5. Josh. 3:1, 9-11, 13-17; 4:18-19. The Pas sage of the Jordan. Eleventh Week. Sunday. Judg. 4:1-22. Jael and Sisera. Judg. 5: 19-31. Deborah's Song of Triumph (Moulton's arrangement). 1. Josh. 5: 13-15; 6: 1-5, 12-16, 20. The Siege of Jericho. 2. Josh. 10:6-13. Joshua at Gilgal. 3. Josh. 23:1-11, 14. Joshua's Farewell Ad dress. 4. Judg. 6:1-6, 11-21. Gideon and the Angel. 5. Judg. 11 : 1, 4-11, 29-40. Jephthah's Vow. Twelfth Week. Sunday. Judg. 6:33-40; 7:1-8. Gideon's Army Sifted. Judg. 7 : 9-22 ; 8 : 4, 12, 22-23. Gideon Over throws the Midianites. 48 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS 1. Judg. 14:1-20. Samson's Riddle. 2. Judg. 15 : 9-16; 16: 2-3. The Jawbone of an Ass, and the Gates of Gaza. 3. Judg. 16:4-21, Samson and Delilah. 4. Judg. 16:23-31, The Death of Samson. 5. Heb. 11: 23-40; 12: 1-2. The Cloud of Wit nesses. Thirteenth Week. Sunday. Ruth 1 : 1-22. Ruth and Naomi. Ruth 2 : 1-23. Ruth in the Field of Boaz. 1. Is. 6:1-8; 9:2-7. Isaiah's Commission. The Prince of Peace. 2. Is. 11 : 1-10. The Branch from Jesse's Roots. 3. Is. 40 : 1-1 1 . Prepare ye the Way of the Lord. 4. Is. 42: 1-13. Behold my Chosen. 5. Is. 60: 1-5; 8-14, 18-22. "Arise, shine." Fourteenth Week. Sunday. Christmas Reading. 1. 1 Cor. 13:1-17. Love. 2. Phil. 2 : 1-15. The Mind of Jesus. 3. John 1 : 1-18. Prologue to the Gospels. SECOND TERM First Week. 1. Heb. 1:1-14; 2:1-4. Summary of the Gos pel. 2. Matt. 3: 1-17. The Baptism of Jesus. 3. John 2:1-22. The Miracle at Cana. The First Cleansing of the Temple. 4. John 3:1-21. The Discourse with Nicode- mus. USE OF SCRIPTURES IN CHAPEL SERVICES 49 Second Week. Sunday. Matt. 4:1-11. The Temptation of Jesus. John 4 : 4-35. The Woman of Samaria. 1. Matt. 13:54-57; Luke 4:16-30. The Re jection at Nazareth. 2. Luke 5: 1-11. The Call of Peter. 3. Mark 1:21-39. A Specimen Day at Caper naum. 4. Mark 1:40-45; 2: 1-12. The Leper and the Paralytic. 5. Luke 5:27: 32; 6:12-17. The Call of Mat thew and the Choosing of the Apostles. Third Week. Sunday. Matt. 5: 1-16. The Beatitudes. Mark 2: 23-38; 3: 1-6. Concerning the Sab bath. 1. Matt. 5: 17-37. Form «;*. Spirit. 2. John 5: 2-18. At the Pool of Bethesda. 3. Luke 6:27-36. The Golden Rule. 4. Luke 6:39-49. Tested by Fruits. 5. Luke 7: 1-17. The Centurion's Servant. The Widow of Nain. Fourth Week. Sunday. Matt. 6:1-18. Ostentation in Re ligion. Matt. 6 : 19-34. Consider the Lilies. 1. Luke 7: 18-35. Jesus and John the Baptist. 2. Matt. 1 1 : 20-30. Come unto Me. 3. Matt. 12:22-37. Various Sayings. 50 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS 4. Mark 4:35-41; 5: 1-17. The Stilling of the Tempest. The Demoniac and the Swine. 5, Mark 5:22-43, The Raising of Jairus' Daughter. Fifth Week. Sunday. Luke 7: 36-50. In the House of Simon the Pharisee. Matt. 13: 1-12, 18-23. The Sower. 1. Matt. 13:24-33, 36-50. The Tares and other Parables. 2. Matt. 9:36-38; 10:1-11, 14-22. Jesus' Charge to his Apostles. 3, Matt, 10:24-42. Charge to Apostles, con tinued. 4. John 6 : 1-15. Feeding the Five Thousand. 5. Matt, 14:22-23. Walking on the Water. Sixth Week. Sunday. John 9 : 1-38. The Man Born Blmd. Mark 6:14-29. The Death of John the Baptist. 1. Luke 10: 25-37. The Good Samaritan. 2. John 6 : 35, 5 1 . The Bread of Life. 3. Mark 7:1-8, 14-23. Defilement, real and false. 4. Matt. 15:21-31. The Syrophoenician Woman. 5. Matt. 16:13-27. Conversation with Peter. Seventh Week. Sunday. Matt. 18: 1-14. On Humility. Matt. 18 : 19-36. On Forgiveness. 1. Luke 9: 51-62. FoUowmg Christ. USE OF SCRIPTURES IN CHAPEL SERVICES 51 2. Matt. 17: 1-20. The Transfiguration. The Demoniac Boy. 3. John 10:1-21. The Good Shepherd. 4. John 10 : 22-42. Jesus the Son of God. 5. Luke 12:35-48. Watch. Eighth Week. Sunday. Luke 11:1-13. On Prayer. Luke 12 : 13-34. Consider the Lilies. 1. Luke 14: 1-24. At a Chief Pharisee's Table. 2. Luke 16 : 1-15. The Unfaithful Steward. 3. Luke 16: 19-31. Dives and Lazarus. 4. Luke 17:11-19; 18:1-14, The Ten Lepers. The Pharisee and the Publican. 5. Matt. 20:1-16, The Vineyard. Ninth Week. Sunday. Luke 15: 1-31. The Prodigal Son. John 11 : 1-44. The Raising of Lazarus. 1. Mark 10:13-31. Blessing Children. The Rich Young Ruler. 2. Luke 10:38-42; Matt. 26:6-13. Mary and Martha. The Anointing at Bethany. 3, Mark 10:35-52. Ambition; Blind Man near Jericho. 4. Luke 19:1-28. Zacchaeus. The Parable of the Pounds. 5. Luke 19:29-40. The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Tenth Week. Sunday. Matt. 25:14-30. The Talents. Matt. 22:15-46. Questions and Answers. 1. Matt. 25:31-46. The Sheep and the Goats. 52 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS 2, Matt. 21: 12-17, 23-27. The Second Cleans ing of the Templci^ 3. Matt. 21 : 28-31, 33-44, 46. Two Parables of Warning. 4. Mark 23: 1-13. The Foohsh Virgins. 5. Mark 12: 38-44; 13: 1-6, 21-27. The Widow's Mite. The End of the World. Eleventh Week. Sunday. Mark 14: 1-2, 10-25. The Last Sup per. Easter Reading. 1, John 13: 1-17. Washing the Disciples' Feet. 2. John 13: 35-38; 14: 1-21, "Let not your Heart be Troubled. " 3. John 15: 1-14. The True Vine. 4. Is. 52: 7-10; 53: 1-9, 12. Wounded for our Transgressions. 5. Is. 61: 1-11. Good Tidings unto the Meek. THIRD TERM First Week. 1. Acts 1: 1-14. The Ascension. 2. Acts 3: 1-20; 4: 1-4. The Miracle at the Gate Beautiful. 3. Acts. 4: 5-22, The Beginning of Persecu tion, 4, Acts 4: 32-5: 11, Ananias and Sapphira. Second Week. Sunday. Acts 2: 1-8, 12-18, 21-23, 32-33, 36-47. Pentecost. Acts 5: 12, 14-42. Released from Prison. Gamaliel. USE OF SCRIPTURES IN CHAPEL SERVICES 53 1. Acts 6: 8-7: 1, 51-8: 3. The Stoning of Stephen. 2. Acts 8: 26-39. Philip and the Ethiopian. 3. Acts 9: 32-43. .^neas and Dorcas. 4. Acts 12: 1-19. Strange Deliverance of Peter from Prison. 5. Acts 14 : 1-20. Paul and Barnabas Worshiped, then Stoned. Third Week. Sunday. Acts 9: 1-29. The Conversion of Saul. Acts 10:1-23. Peter's Vision. Acts 10 : 24-48. The Opening of Christianity to the Gentiles. 1. Acts 16: 9-40. The Jail and the Earthquake at Philippi. 2. Rom. 5: 1, 3-11. Justification by Faith. 3. Rom. 7: 14-25; 8: 1, 5-9, 11-14, 16-17. Flesh vs. Spirit. 4. Rom. 8: 18-19, 26-39. The Sons of God. 5. Rom. 10: 1-4, 9-15. The Obligation to Preach Christ. Fourth Week. Sunday. Acts 17: 16-34. Paul at Athens. Acts 21 : 17-20, 27-22 : 3, 20-29. The Mob at Jerusalem. Acts 22: 30; 23: 11. Paul before the Jewish Council. Acts 23: 12-35. The Conspiracy against Paul. 1. Acts 19: 23; 20: 1. The Mob at Ephesus. 54 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS 2. Acts 20: 7-24, 32-38. Paul's Farewell to the Elders at Ephesus. 3, Acts 21: 5-14, Agabus' Warning to Paul. 4. Rom. 13: 11-14; 14: 1-21. Against Bigotry and Harsh Judgment. 5. 1 Cor. 1: 18-25; 2: 1-14. The Foolishness of Man and the Wisdom of God. Fifth Week. Sunday. Rom. 11: 33-34, 36; 12: 1-21. Godly Living. Acts 24 : 1-26. Paul before Felix. Acts 24 : 27 ; 25 : 7-22. Festus and Agrippa. Acts 25: 23; 26: 1-9, 12-15, 19-32. Paul appeals to Caesar. 1. Rom. 13: 1-5, 7-10. The Powers that Be. 2. 1 Cor. 3: 1-11, 16-23; 4: 1-5. Against Fac tion and Hasty Judging. 3. 1 Cor, 5: 9-13; 6: 9-20, Against Impurity. 4. 1 Cor. 8: 1-13. Abstinence for Example's Sake. 5. 1 Cor. 9: 24; 10: 13. "They that run in a race. " Sixth Week. Sunday. 1 Cor. 12: 4-31. Diversities of Gifts. Acts 27: 1-12. Beginning of the Voyage to Italy. Acts 27: 13-44. The Shipwreck. Acts 28: 1-16, 30-31. In Melita. Arrival at Rome. 1. 2 Cor. 4: 16-18; 5: 1-10. Christian Confi dence. USE OF SCRIPTURES IN CHAPEL SERVICES 55 2. 2 Cor. 5: 14-21; 6: 3-10. Reconciliation in Christ. 3. 2 Cor. 9: 6-10. Liberality in Giving. 4. Gal. 3: 23-29; 4: 1-7. Heirs of God. 5. Gal. 5: 13-26. Walkmg by the Spirit. Seventh Week. Sunday. Gal. 6: 1-18. Burden Bearing. 1 Cor. 15: 3-23. The Resurrection of Christ. 1 Cor. 15 : 35-58. The Resurrection of the Dead. 1. Ephes. 3:8-21. The Unsearchable Riches of Christ. 2. Ephes. 4: 1-16. The Unity of BeKevers. 3. Ephes. 4: 17-32. Rules of Conduct. 4. Ephes. 5: 1-21. Purity of Life. 5. Ephes. 6: 1-18. The Armor of God. Eighth Week. Sunday. Phil. 3: 1-16. "One thing I do. " Phil. 3: 17-21; 4: 1-9. Divers Exhortations. 1. Col. 1: 9-23. Summary of the Gospel. 2. Col. 3: 1-25; 4: 1-6. Paul's Sociology. 3. lThess.4:13;5:23. The Day of the Lord. 4. 1 Tim. 1: 5-17. "Faithful is the saying." 5. 1 Tim. 2: 1-6; 3: 1-16. Qualifications of Leaders. Ninth Week. Sunday. 1 Tim. 4: 1-16. "Let no man despise thy youth." 1 Tim. 6: 3-21. Godliness with Content ment. 56 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS 1. 2 Tim. 2: 1-23. "Suffer hardship with me." 2. 2 Tim. 3: 1-17; 4: 1-8. "I have kept the faith." 3. Titus 1: 15-16; 2: 1-14. Rules of Conduct. 4. Heb. 3: 12-14; 4: 9-16. Against Unbelief. 5. Heb. 10:19-31. Warning against Wilful Siq. Tenth Week. Sunday. Heb. 12:4-15. The Value of Chasten ing. Heb. 13: 1-8, 14-21. Rules of Conduct. 1. James 1 : 2-27. Temptation, Prayer, etc. 2. James 2: 1-3, 8-11, 14-26. Faith and Works. 3. James 4: 6-17. Humility. 4. James 5: 7-20. Patience. 5. 1 Peter 2: 11-25. Rules of Conduct. Eleventh Week. Sunday. James 3: 1-18. The Tongue. 1. 1 Peter 1: 3-25. Summary of the Gospel, or 1 Peter 4 : 7-19 ; 5 : 1-11. "Beloved, think it not strange. " 2. 2 Peter 3: 8-18. The Day of the Lord. 3. 1 John 1: 5-10; 2: 1-6, 9-11, 14-17. God is Light. 4. 1 John 3: 1-24. Behold what manner of Love. 5. 1 John 4: 7-21. God is Love. Twelfth Week. Sunday. 1 John 5 : 1-12. Begotten of God. USE OP SCRIPTURES IN CHAPEL SERVICES 57 The principal of a large day school has fol lowed a similar plan in connection with his chapel service, except that he has made his readings continuous only for the five days of a single week, changing for the next week to some other and quite different part of Scrip ture. He finds the attention of the boys more fixed when each week's readings are complete in themselves, and when there is a feeling of expectation as to what the next week's readings shall be. He strictly bars from the daily chapel service any speeches by outside people or any remarks in reference to matters of current school interest, feeling strongly that the chapel exercise ought to be religious and that the boys should so regard it. He has always conducted these exercises himself, and regards this as perhaps the most important piece of work he can do in the school. He makes his readings brief, seldom more than a dozen verses, unless it is a nar rative passage that will hold the attention of the boys. He greatly values the use of single sentences of explanation or of comment, be lieving that they are valuable in fixing atten tion, and on account of their very brevity 58 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS have a strong influence upon the boys. Such a plan of Scripture reading adds greatly to the effectiveness of the prayer which follows it. If that prayer is based upon the lesson of the passage read and also has a direct bearing upon the actual daily problems of the boys, its value is greatly increased. V. THE INITIATIVE OF BOYS IN BIBLE STUDY The period of years during which a boy is in secondary school is largely coextensive with the period of his development Growtoof from boyhood into manhood. At Social Con- , , .*^ . „ , . , , , , sciousness the beginning ot his school days he is subject to external control over most of his life. The aim of the school must be to develop a control which shall be internal, working itself out through the individual will. It is also the period of growth out of the selfish individualism of natural childhood into that generous altruism which is the best mark of normal manhood. This developing social consciousness seeks, increasingly, natural expression. Such ex pression it finds in the corporate life of the school; in friendships which grow up be tween boy and boy; in cliques or "gangs" which exist everywhere and are sometimes allowed to organize themselves in various secret or semi-secret societies; in the conduct 60 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS of school papers and similar ventures; most of all, perhaps, in athletics where for the first time the boy learns to sacrifice his personal interests in order that "the team" may win. It is plain to see that a boy who does not during the school period have ample oppor tunity for the fuller and fuller expression of his gradually widening social interest, de velops into a man who is lacking in those dominating altruistic purposes which charac terize full manhood. This growing social consciousness should have opportunity to express itself in the realm of a boy's religion as well as in other realms of his normal life. If he is obliged to be purely passive toward religious truth it may be expected that later in life his religious convictions will suffer atrophy. It may be that at the beginning of his school course it should be his chief business to take in rather than to give out, but if we would follow the natural instinct, which is always the line of least resistance, we must by progressive steps give him encouragement toward simple and voluntary religious expression. "No impres sion without expression," is a most important THE INITL^TrVE OF BOYS IN BIBLE STUDY 61 pedagogical principle. This bears upon re ligious education no less than upon other phases of education. Religious feeling that lived and died as religious feeling merely, and never found vent in helpful action, would be of doubtful advantage to the possessor. In deed, such experiences may make a boy think there is a separation between religion and life, and thus they may become a positive harm. It has been said that the mere posses sion of a religious ideal without any attempt to convert it into action is one of the most demoralizing influences to which a soul can be subjected. Again, we cannot be sure that our religious teaching has taken root except as we see it „ incorporated in the boy's life. In Impression all education now we are realizing Without the importance of "learning by do- xpressxon • ^g " Truth is not really ours until we live it. Should we expect that the truths of religion can be made real and vital in any other way? It would seem to be the height of wisdom to offer in every school some oppor tunity for sane and simple religious services and movements in which the boys themselves 62 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS may take the initiative and assume the chief responsibility. Now the question naturally arises, how and where can a schoolboy express in life his nor mal religious feelings? For the time being there are few activities which he touches out side the circle of the school itself. He is sup posed to have some interest in foreign missions, to try to help a little in neighborhood philan thropies, and sometimes during vacations to engage in some form of humanitarian work. But his chief interests are school rather than community interests. For the greater part of the year his life is almost entirely absorbed in his school life. Therefore if his own individual life should develop in the right way, he should try to act upon the everyday life about him in the way that, in after years it is hoped, he will act upon the larger relations to be found in the social and religious environment in which he lives. In other words, some way should be found in which a boy's individual aspirations and emotions may, in connection with those of others, become the collective conscience of the school and be directed towards the school's welfare in all that relates THE INITIATIVE OF BOYS IN BIBLE STUDY 63 to its inward tone and condition. Such a movement of the boys themselves would naturally incorporate itself in some simple organization such as the Young Men's Chris tian Association is in many schools. A movement like this among boys and an organization of a religious nature in which the ^ boys rather than the masters have Dangers . of the laboring oar has certain evident Religious dangers. These dangers are that Expression ,. i • i_ j i sometimes hypocrisy may be devel oped by an immature boy trying to formulate in words his genuine religious feelings; some times a little self-consciousness is fostered by speaking before others on religious themes. Some young boys may, unless zealously guarded, force themselves to an expression that is beyond their fledgling experience. These dangers are, however, incidental and in a crowd of healthy -minded boys are not apt to assume large proportions. Care should be taken to see that the leadership of this work comes from the main current of school life rather than from an eddy; it should be led and controlled by some of the strongest boys in the upper classes. 64 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Another safeguard is the steadying influence exerted by capable adult supervision. In „ , . most schools long experience has Tactful _ , . 1 f 1 • Supervision proved the wisdom ot having a per- ^y manent advisory committee of adults whose chairman is in a position to keep continual watch over the movement as generations of students change. It is neces sary, however, that this man should have a fraternal rather than a paternal relation. The immediate direction of the work should be in the hands of the boy leaders. Several schools have designated one master to give his entire time to the supervision of the vol untary religious life of the boys and the religious activities which they initiate. Where circumstances do not warrant the full time of a man, it would seem that some regular mas ter, who has not forgotten what boys like to do for themselves, should become this fraternal counsellor. It is advisable that a master with such an important and time-consuming task should be relieved of part of his teaching work and usually have no disciplinary duties. The position of such an adult adviser of a volun tary religious movement is not unlike that of THE INITIATIVE OF BOYS IN BIBLE STUDY 65 the coach of an athletic team who leaves the immediate and detailed arrangements to the boys who are captain, manager, etc. What has thus far been said applies to any voluntary religious movement among boys and bears directly upon the problem WiURead of the Voluntary use of the Bible. t^e Such use of the Bible in the form of private meditative reading and group study is now found in many schools. Often it has become an organized movement, but very frequently one discovers individual boys reading the Scriptures in private with more or less regularity, perhaps carrying out some earlier habit or obeying parental injunctions. In one school of two hundred boys the head master found eighty-six boys who, inspired by the Northfield Conference, were banded to gether for daily Bible reading without the slightest suggestion or help from the masters. It would be difficult to estimate the total number of such boys who read their Bibles by their own initiative, although we are con vinced the proportion would be surprisingly large. We have, however made a careful estimate of those in private schools who are 66 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS known to be following such a custom in con junction with their fellows undei" some simple organization. This number is approximately 6,500. In not a few schools several scores of boys are banded together to follow a given list of daily readings or to pursue a simple course of study. Often it is not without difficulty and read justments in school schedules that such a voluntary Bible study movement Worth ^^^ fi^^ ^ place for itself. The Sacrifice problem of time is always a pressing *° . one. Then there are the regular re- Obtain . ° ligious observances of the school such as chapel, curriculum Bible or Sacred studies, and church attendance. Beyond the question of finding time for this work there is the real danger of forcing on a boy so many religious observances that he will later suffer a relapse in his religious interest. The first fact, how ever, to be frankly faced is the primary im portance of recognizing the initiative of the boys themselves in any really effective Bible teaching. If it is admitted that this initiative is important, then some place must be found for its expression. In one school this was done THE INITIATIVE OF BOYS IN BIBLE STUDY 67 by abolishing one of the two daily chapel services; in another by encouraging the keen boys to utilize a spare fifteen minutes each night before bed-time; in another by changing somewhat the character of the curriculum Bible work. It would seem that no school ought to be satisfied until the teaching of the Bible is made one of the most interesting features of school life. We must have the boys on our side, we must win their cooperation. To ac complish this result it would seem that almost no price is too great to pay in the way of im proving upon traditions or readjusting the general school schedule. VI. METHODS AND COURSES FOR VOLUNTARY STUDY From many experiments in securing the initiative of older boys in a voluntary Bible Study Movement it seems to this Commission that there is one best way of accomplishing this result. Of course in many places it is not possible at the present time to undertake this — as it may be called — ideal method of Bible in struction and inspiration. However, we wish to outline it in order that it may be the goal toward which our experience and best thought recommend that we move. As already stated in this Report the Com mission feels strongly that every private ,j,jjg school should have a place for Bible Ideal study in its curriculum. This Bible Method course should be on the high scholarly grade of the best courses of instruction in other lines and the classes should be conducted ac cording to the most approved pedagogical methods. Now, for every such course on the Bible there might be organized, to parallel METHODS AND COURSES, VOLUNTARY STUDY 69 exactly the curriculum course, series of daily voluntary Bible readings which should be based upon the content of each required lesson. These readings should aim more specifically at the personal and character-building appli cations of the lesson. They may or may not be accompanied by very brief suggestive questions or supplementary religious thoughts and prayers. At the beginning of the curriculum course an effort should be made to enlist all the Christian and other thoughtful boys to under take the daily readings as a supplement to the required work. The beneficial results of this scheme would be manifold. In the first place, it would give to the boys who want to read the Bible systematically by themselves, a practical scheme for so doing; it would give to their voluntary reading a background of sound scholarship; it would bring into the class room work a group of boys who each week had approached the curriculum lesson not only as a study to be learned, blit also in part as a religious duty to be gladly performed; it would serve to unify the Bible work of the whole school so that the curriculum work and 70 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS the voluntary work would be looked upon as a unity rather than, as at present is often the case, two or even three separate things. While this plan in its entirety has not been undertaken in any school, it has been approxi- „ mated in several. Our Commission TwoValuable hopes that Very soon a limited list Series of of approved curriculum texts may be decided upon and then these same texts made the basis for a series of voluntary Bible readings. On the side of voluntary preparation there are now available two courses of study which show how helpful such a plan would be, viz., "The Campaign of Friendship" by Frederick M. Harris, and "Studies in the Character of Jesus" by Rich ard R. Perkins. 1 While we are awaiting further texts and experience in this method of unifying the Plans curriculum and voluntary work, we Now discover several methods being fol- Foilowed lowed with success in purely volun tary work among schoolboys. In at least one school, groups of boys who happen to have rooms near together meet for a few minutes ' Association Preas, New York. METHODS AND COURSES, VOLUNTARY STUDY 71 each night after the study hour and just before retiring, when they take turns in read ing a few verses and leading the group in a simple prayer. In some schools lists of daily readings are given to boys who pledge themselves to take a few minutes each day to follow in private the prescribed section. This plan has been quite widely promoted by the Schoolboys' Scripture Union in England where it is found that the boys often continue through their college days this custom begun in school. A third plan has proved itself more generally profitable. That is, to have small groups of interested boys undertake the same outlined course of study. Each by himself may do the daily reading and then once a week the entire group meet for a frank discussion of the week's thought and work. This meeting is in charge of some master or a mature boy, who is leader of a discussion rather than teacher of a lesson. The advantages of this method are that a group of congenial boys can gather for a discussion of the deeper interests of their lives in much the same natural and informal way as they meet for talking over athletics or 72 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS school work; the time and place of the meet ing are entirely in accordance with the wishes of the majority in the group; it makes possible the enrolment of some boys who would not attend a larger or more formal religious meet ing; the frank discussions guarantee that the results will be, above all else, of practical bearing on their own lives and that of the school. This group plan for dealing with the per sonal applications of the Scriptures has also been followed in presenting other Missions character-forming subjects. Series Vocations of mission studies are frequently followed in the same way and several attractive courses have been arranged for such use among schoolboys by the Student Volunteer Movement. We know of no more effective way of arousing sincere and purpose ful missionary interest. In at least one school, discussions of the opportunities in various vocations are similarly followed, paralleling other groups which are taking Bible study, church history, social problems, etc. There are now to be obtained a number of lists for Bible reading and simple study text- METHODS AND COURSES, VOLUNTARY STUDY 73 books. The Schoolboys' Scripture Union read ings are now published in this country from the headquarters of the Brotherhood of ?*'^f ^. St. Andrew. These are planned to Available • -n-i i Courses cover the entire Bible, chapter after chapter, and seem to be rather too difficult an undertaking for the average school boy unaided by an adult adviser, or uninspired by the comradeship which comes from group classes. A series of readings called "Lectiones" is also highly recommended by some English masters. The Young Men's Christian Asso ciation has prepared and published several courses specially adapted to the needs of mature schoolboys. These include, in addition to those recommended on page 70, the following: The Life and Works of Jesus According to St. Mark. By W. D. Murray. The Life of St. Paul. By A. G. Leacock. Men of the Old Testament. By L. K. WiJlman. These three courses are all arranged for daily personal study with a weekly review and are patterned closely after the courses which have been so widely used among college men. There is some question whether the arrange- 74 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS ment of the work is the best possible one to meet the specific needs of schoolboys. The amount of work assigned for each day is often more than the boys will really undertake and the general plan of the courses does not commend itself to some institutions. It is also said that the books are too expensive for wide use among boys where the expectation is that each student shall own his copy. They are, nevertheless, being widely used. In fact, these texts have been made the basis for cur riculum courses in several schools, although they are not intended for such use. The Young Men's Christian Association also offers several simple courses for use among boys in the lower classes (age 12-14). These are: What Manner of Man is This? By W. D. Murray. Travels of St. Paul. By M. Jackson. The Comrades of Jesus. By R. R. Perkins. Men Who Dared. By Charies G. Trumbull. During the past three years 37,000 copies of these six courses have been sold and have found their chief use among schoolboys. From the various voluntary movements now going on we may learn that there are METHODS AND COURSES, VOLUNTARY STUDY 75 several essential features of success. One is that a group of the older boys may be allowed j^ ^ to assume much of the responsibility the Boys for the whole work. Such responsi- be Respon- bility shows itself in many ways, as in planning to initiate such a movement* in securing enrolment for the work among one's fellows, in acting as secretary of the group, in spurring others on to regular attend ance, in taking part in the discussions, and in some cases in leading groups among other boys, especially the underclassmen. We all appreciate the dangers of allowing immature boys to assume such responsibilities, but we must remember the dangers on the other side. All investigations in the realm of psychol ogy show us that the period of youth with which we are dealing is not only the richest in its reception of spiritual impression, but that it is also the period of growing altruism, of the developing and ripening of the social instinct. Ought we to expect or hope that the man will reach his highest religious interest and initiative unless at least some beginning of such initiative is encouraged before his critical period of adolescence is past? This voluntary 76 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Bible study movement seems to offer a chance for such initiative without undue publicity. We now have had enough experience to test whether such an experience is good or other wise. If we test it by the moral standing and religious influence of such boys in college and later life, we are forced to conclude that under wise adult supervision such expression of the religion of boyhood can be made sane, sincere, and salutary. In giving adequate leadership to such work, assistance from the traveling secretaries of the Young Men's Christian Association in^Touch ^^ often beneficial. In most sections With there is some representative of the ?^^^^. Student Department of this organi zation who would welcome chances to help in carrying out such plans. They can often bring from school to school the inspira tion which boys feel from being in a common movement. Probably the most helpful means for arousing interest and effort in this work and training leaders for it has been the sum mer conferences of the Student Movement. These gatherings are now held at Northfield, Massachusetts, as for so many years; and also METHODS AND COURSES, VOLUNTARY STUDY 77 at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin; Black Mountain, North Carolina; and Eagles Mere, Pennsyl vania; etc. The influences of such gatherings of Christian students are so stimulating to the whole life of a school that special financial arrangements should be made, if necessary, for them to be attended each year by at least one master and a group of influential boys. Another thing that goes far in making such effort successful is the daily reading of the Scriptures by the boys themselves. Expect This is of course a difficult thing to Bible obtain, but an ideal toward which Reading WC must always work. To encourage it, some printed course of study should be prepared and the leader must make it a point of continual emphasis. Almost every group will soon show an influential nucleus who will really take a few moments each day, in the morning if possible, for read ing a few verses and for quiet prayer. Many other boys will do this occasionally. Such a group will bring enough thoughts and ques tions to any circle or meeting to make it a success. Many men who maintain such a steadying daily habit throughout a busy life have formed it during their school days. 78 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Again, the trend of the study and of the meetings must be along very practical lines. Boys must come to see that the Make Bible is not a book of far-away theo- Practicai logical theories but that it offers help in the places where it is needed. And not only so, the lessons and the spirit of the whole work must be made to throw light upon present conditions and problems of school life — its athletics, its ideals in the class room, how boys spend their vacation, as well as upon the life of the community and the nation. For the purposes of thus arousing a boy's personal love for the Bible, our Lord's injunction to us would be "The Bible was made for the boy, not the boy for the Bible." It is usually best that there should be meetings in small groups or circles of all interested. Conditions vary in dif- Meet ferent schools, but it seems almost in Small Groups necessary that at least once a week such groups should bring together their common experiences. The number in such a group should not be less than four and usually not more than twelve. The advan tages of the group plan over a large class or METHODS AND COURSES, VOLUNTARY STUDY 79 the lecture method are these: the attendance is easier to maintain, because a boy realizes that his absence from a small group will be a serious loss, whereas in a large class it might hardly be noticed; there is greater freedom in discussion; it is easier to secure the attendance of boys who are not naturally interested in religious things or who, from fear of being thought hypocrites, would not attend a large and more public meeting; it is easier to draw out backward boys; the leader can usually get to know intimately those in a small group whom he meets regularly. The large class and the lecture method seem wholly unadapted to such work; there boys only hear great truths, they have little chance by expression and personal application to make such truths their own; it repudiates the very genius of voluntary study, which is to arouse a boy's initiative in religion. This suggests another essential element of success. There must be informality and dis cussion in the circle meetings; wherever pos sible it is best to sit round the table in the room of some boy or some master. Time for such a meeting is always difficult to find and 80 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS each group should decide for itself when it can best assemble — after evening study-hour, after lunch, sometime during Sunday, or at other times when half an hour can be secured without interruption. Discussion can be se cured by various methods, sometimes by as signing special questions or topics to a few members of the group, or by asking questions in such a general manner that the boys will not feel that the leader is simply quizzing them. In such discussion the "give and take" between the boys should be encouraged, and welcome given to the point of view of each boy, even if individual opinions do not at once conform to that of the leader. Care must be taken, however, to avoid trivialities, technicalities, and any subject that is not fundamental and vital to the boys' life. In some schools it is advisable to unite all the groups once or twice a month into a school meeting of a religious nature under the direc tion of the boys themselves. The daily Bible readings will suggest what topic the boys may be most ready to discuss. It has already been pointed out that at the head of such a movement there must be capa- METHODS AND COURSES, VOLUNTARY STUDY 81 ble adult supervision. The immediate leader ship of the groups may be in the hands of ^^jj either the boys or the masters. Prob- ShaU ably neither plan should be univer- ^^^^^ sally adopted. Mature and influen tial boys can usually maintain attendance and prolong interest better than the average master. Yet there are reasons for putting the leadership of groups of older boys under masters, wherever such can be found, who do not try to conduct the group as they would a curriculum class. In such a group a man may well appoint a boy as secretary of the class or as assistant leader. Among the younger boys one of the more mature stu dents often makes the best leader. Where the leaders are the older boys it is essential that they meet weekly in a sort of teachers' training class with some master who is in close sympathy with the work. Beyond question prayer is a prerequisite of success in this voluntary work. It will form an important part of the leader's preparation. It should have a recog nized place in each group meeting. Little by little each boy should come to know prayer as 82 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS a natural outreach of his better self and as a means of accomplishing spiritual results in the lives of his fellows. Even these purely voluntary circles are in danger of becoming formal and mechanical unless they are thus permeated with a spiritual atmosphere — an atmosphere of reverence for the sacred writ ings and of a growing sense of the reality of prayer for one's self and for the cause of our common Lord. APPENDIX I— THE BIBLE IN COLLEGE ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS Most colleges now name the Old Testament as one of the books which may be offered in preparation for their entrance requirements in English, as will be seen from the following extract from the Uniform Entrance Require ments in English: A. READING The aim of this course is to foster in the student the habit of intelHgent reading and to develop a taste for good hterature, by giving him a first hand knowledge of some of its best specimens. He should read the books carefully, but his at tention should not be so fixed upon details that he fails to appreciate the main purpose and charm of what he reads. With a view to large freedom of choice, the books provided for reading are arranged in the following groups, from each of which at least two selections are to be made, except as otherwise provided under Group I. 84 THE USE OF THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS GROUP I. Classics in Translation The Old Testament, comprising at least the chief narrative episodes in Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Daniel, together with the books of Ruth and Esther. The Odyssey, with the omission if desired of Books I, IL III, IV, V, xy, xyi, XVII. The Iliad, with the omission, if desired, of Books XI, XIII, XIV, XV, XVII, XXI. The iEneid. The Odyssey, Iliad and .^neid should be read in English translations of recognized literary excellence. For any selection from this group a selection from any other may be substituted. Then follow four other groups of standard English works from which selections may be made. APPENDIX II— SCHOOLS REPRE SENTED AT THE CONFERENCE The following schools were represented in the discussions of this Conference: Adelphi Academy, Brooklyn, N. Y. Blair Academy, Blairstown, N. J. Groton School, Groton, Mass. Gunnery School, Washington, Conn. Hackley School, Tarrytown, N. Y. Haverford School, Haverford, Pa. The Hill School, Pottstown, Pa. Hopkins Grammar School, New Haven, Conn. •Horace Mann School, New York, N. Y. Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, Conn. Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest, 111. Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, N. J. Mackenzie School, Dobbs Ferry, N. Y. Montclair High School, Montclah, N. J. Mountain School, AUaben, Ulster County, N. Y. Moimt Hermon School, Mt. Hermon, Mass. Mount Pleasant Academy, Ossiaing, N. Y. Pawling School, Pawling, N. Y. Peddle Institute, Hightstown, N. J. Peekskill Academy, PeekskiU, N. Y. Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass. Phillips Academy, Exeter, N. H. Ridgefield School, Ridgefield, Conn. Ridley College, St. Catherines, Ont. 86 THE USE OP THE BIBLE AMONG SCHOOLBOYS Riverview Academy, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. School of Commerce, New York City. St. James School, St. James School, Md. St. Paul's School, Concord, N. H. St. Paul's School, Garden City, N. Y. Salisbury School, Salisbury, Conn. Taft School, Watertown, Conn. Vermont Academy, Saxtons River, Vt. William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, Pa. Williston Seminary, Easthampton, Mass. Yeates School, Lancaster, Pa. Bible Study for Schoolboys C. G. TRUMBULL MEN WHO DARED Teacher's ed., cloth, 40c; paper, 25c; stu dent's ed., 10c. Half-tone pictures to Illustrate lessons, 10c per set Eighteen lessons in Old Testament character study WILLIAM D. MURRAY DAILY READINGS IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK Boards, 40c A study of the Great Life as a standard for everyday living LIFE AND WORKS OF JESUS Cloth, 50c; postpaid, 60c Suggestive passages of Scripture for memorizing and for devotional use WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS ? Cloth, 40c; paper, 25c Nineteen lessons tending to awaken in the boy's mind the question asked in the title A. G. LEACOCK LIFE OF ST. PAUL Cloth, 50c; postpaid, 60c Daily studies which reveal the mind and heart of the great Apostle MELVIN JACKSON TRAVELS OF PAUL Teacher's edition, cloth, 40c; paper, 25c Students lesson leaves with maps for tracing journeys per set, 10c Twenty-five lessons emphasising the heroic qualities in Paul's life RICHARD R. PERKINS COMRADES OF JESUS Leader's edition, paper, 25c student's section, 10c A course of ten lessons for boys' classes STUDIES IN THE CHARACTER OF JESUS Leader's edition, paper, 20c; student's section, 15c Presenting the eventful element in the life of Christ FREDERICK M. HARRIS CAMPAIGN OF FRIENDSHIP Teacher's edition, 15c student's section, 10c A series of ten lessons based on Jesus' appeal for followers L. K. WILLMAN MEN OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Cloth, 75c; paper, 50c Eighteen studies furnishing an excellent introduction to Old Testament history and biography YOUR NEAREST BOOKSELLER WILL SUPPLY YOU NEW YORK: 124 East 28th Str LONDON: 47 Paternoster Row, E.G. ASSOCIATION PRESS ^^ ™''^= *^ ^"^ ^""^ ^*'''' Training for Manhood POEMS OF ACTION Cloth, 75c David R. Porter, M. A. (Oxon.), Editor, Lyrics for young and old, full of vigor and inspiration. A discriminating selection from the best English and American writers. AROUND THE FIRE Illus. Library Buckram, 75c H. M. Bohr, Int'l Y. M. C. A. CoUege Tales of long ago, before the years were counted or the cir cuit of the seasons reckoned — the world of yesterday as the author sees it on the ruddy screens of the backlog. . CAMPING FOR BOYS Illus, Canvas, $1.00 H. W. Gebson, Sec'y Boys' Dept,, State Exec. Com, Y. M. C, A., Mass. and R. I, A complete handbook used and recommended by the Boy Scouts. AT HOME IN THE WATER lUus, Cloth, 75c G. H. CoBSAN, Univ, of Toronto Athletic Assn. Swimming, diving, water sports and life saving. Over one hundred practical illustrations make the book exceptionally valuable as a self-help method, INDOOR GAMES AND SOCIALS FOR BOYS Cloth, 75c G. Cornelius Baker, B.H., Bridgeport, Conn. Y. M. C. A, A book of real educative value offering unusual variety in its deUghtful suggestions for the play spirit which predominates in every genuine boy. FROM YOUTH INTO MANHOOD Cloth, 50c WiNriELD S. Hall, M.D., Northwestern University Facts a boy should know about his body and siniple rules that will enable him to exercise the intelligent care essential to normal development. YOUR NEAREST BOOKSELLER WILL SUPPLY YOU ASSOCIATION PRESS J^l™''^= 'f ^'"'! T ^Vr ___^_____^_^____ LONDON: 47 Paternoster Row, E.G. 3900 4 1 \t