NATHAN C. SCHAEFFER, PH.D., D.D. SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION OF PENNSYLVANIA LIBRARY OF THX UNIVER, TY OF CALIFOR NEW YORK: CINCINNATI CHICAGO PREFACE. 1 THE HE Bible is the Book of books. As a means of imparting moral and religious instruction, nothing equal to it is found in all the other books which the ages have produced. Without a knowledge of its leading ideas, the pupil cannot even understand and appreciate the best literature of the English tongue. Bible readings cannot be omitted from the exercises of the school without the gravest loss and the most serious consequences. It is, of course, not the mission of the public school to teach the creed or the doctrines of any religious denomination. That is the province of the home, the church, and the Sabbath School. In making this collection of Bible readings, the aim has been to bring together selections that appeal strongly to the moral nature of the child. In modern education it has become proverbial to say that the perpetuity and prosperity of the state depend upon the intelligence and virtue of the people. Fidelity to duty lies at the basis of good government and is essential to the welfare of society and the happiness of the individual. The still small voice (1 Kings xix. 12) must be obeyed, if, in the end, it is not to become an avenging fury. In fitting pupils for private and public life, it is necessary to quicken the conscience, to develop the sense of duty and obligation, and to impart clear ideas of right and wrong. The faithful teacher, therefore, welcomes everything helpful in training the moral nature of the pupil. Moreover, in preparing the pupil for citizenship the school should not ignore the fact that the civil oath or affirmation has |