“If the teacher can succeed in holding his respect for the Sunday school, then, in after years, when he is more matured and is better able to reason, you may bring the Bible itself more directly to his attention, and you will secure better results than are prevalent to-day in the Sunday school world.”
The audience cheered lustily. In this cheering Mr. World and his companion joined. The visitor, who was deeply grieved at the warm reception of such destructive doctrines, arose to speak, but the intolerant cried out: “Away with him! We want no more bigotry and one-hundred-years-behind-the time speeches!” At the suggestion of the chairman he was hurried from the room to appear before a commission on lunacy.
The speech had its desired effect. The great majority of the audience were convinced that the Bible was not a “drawing card,” and that it should not be introduced into the class study if it could possibly be avoided. A few pledged that they would do all in their power to effect a revolution in the present system of lesson helps.
Mr. World and Miss Church-Member left this hall and entered Hall No. 9. It was a rare privilege for them to walk through the largest Sunday school library in the world, where many committees were at work selecting books for their respective Sunday schools.
Satan had so ingeniously managed the composition of these books, and so artfully arranged them on the endless shelves, that one could scarcely discern the good parts of a book from the bad, or determine in which section of the hall the largest percentage of good books could be found. In this way committees almost invariably picked up considerable chaff with the wheat.
I looked at Blackana and sighed: “Oh! Blackana, how long will these things be? If only a conflagration would reduce the contents of that hall to ashes!”
“Ah! mortal,” he coldly replied, “these things will never be destroyed, for the building is fire proof. Surely the Sunday school should get as much of its library as possible from a source so well protected.”
“For what fiendish reason?” I asked as I was moved with indignation.
“Nothing fiendish about it. Satan can furnish books at less cost, and thereby be of material financial help to the Sunday school. Furthermore, he is able to furnish a larger variety and a more inviting class of books, with more spicy fiction, and less of that deadness so generally characteristic of the books coming from the hand of a narrow-minded Christian.”
“Silence, thou agent of the Devil! Thou art again dealing in falsehood. When thou speakest to me, speak truthfully or hold thy tongue in quietness.”