Wahr 3-23-25 11595 T INTRODUCTION HIS book of Scriptural selections is intended primarily for the use of public schools that conduct opening exercises and of private schools and colleges that hold chapel services. The very general practice of reading a passage from the Bible as a part of the daily opening exercise of public and private schools makes such a book of selections desirable and useful. A law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania prescribes "that at least ten verses from the Holy Bible shall be read, or caused to be read, without comment, at the opening of each and every public school, upon each and every school day by the teacher in charge. There are now six states in which daily reading from the Bible is required by a similar statute. The laws of six other states specifically permit the reading of the Bible in the public schools. In only ten states, representing less than one fifth of the population of the United States, is the reading of the Bible in the public schools not legally permissible because of adverse laws or judicial decisions. Many people do not realize how commonly the excellent practice of reading a passage from the Bible is now observed in the public schools as well as in colleges. A recent bulletin of the Bureau of Education shows that in at least twenty-one states the Bible is now "generally read" at the opening exercises of the public schools; that in fourteen other states the Bible is read "in some schools," at the option of the teacher or the local school board; and that, aside from the ten states in which the reading of the Bible in the public schools is not permitted by law, there are only three states that do not take advantage of their liberty in this respect. The Bible is a large book, containing as much material as a dozen ordinarily printed volumes. Some selection is necessary, and manifestly much of the Biblical material has to be passed over. The actual result is often that a few familiar passages, such as Psalm 1 or the Beatitudes, are read repeatedly with consequent loss of interest on the part of the pupils, or that a hasty, haphazard, or unsuitable selection is made. In some cases a particular book of the Bible may be chosen for consecutive reading, and thus passages are sometimes read which are unprofitable and even unintelligible apart from their context. The task of finding the best selections for reading in school or college is not an easy one for the teacher. Many of the most impressive and instructive passages are embedded in narrations that are too long for the time allotted. Some of the most wholesome, interesting, and inspiring portions of Scripture are found in books of the Bible with which many teachers are unfamiliar. To select from the narratives concerning Joseph or David a passage which is a unity by itself and is appropriate for public reading requires more time and pains than the busy teacher usually has available in the few moments preceding the opening exercise. The reading of the great passages of Scripture ought to be one of the most valuable of school exercises and may easily be made one of the most interesting. Simply for information and for knowledge of incidents, characters, and teachings which should be the property of all intelligent persons, and for the beauty of its literary style, the reading of the Bible is indispensable. The beneficent moral and spiritual influence of hearing the Bible read regularly in one's youth has been attested by many generations of the strongest and worthiest citizens of our nation. The selections in this volume have been chosen in order The text of the Authorized Version has been used as best The table of passages appropriate to special days and The compilers believe that others than teachers will wel- instructional purposes. In these selections will be found the |