the chief
"Source-Book of Our Literature."

Still another would say, "The Bible is the beginning of many of our
customs. Our common law is largely founded on its laws and many of our
institutions are based upon those it sanctions." So a business man, a
man of affairs, might very naturally call it, "The Foundation-Book of
Christian Civilization."

For many the Bible is "The Book of Salvation," pointing the way into
the presence of God.

Still others draw from it counsel and strength for those who depend
upon them for guidance. "God could not be everywhere, so he made
mothers." And in their hands the Bible becomes "The Book of
Character."

The marvel of it is that each of these viewpoints is true. And many
others are equally true. For the Bible, like the diamond, reflects its
light from many facets. Which one you see depends upon where you
stand, upon your point of view. How clear and strong the light for you
depends upon how far you have come within the circle of its radiance.

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Why are Bible Readers so Few?

Truly the harvest of Bible enlightenment is plentiful beyond measure;
why then are those who reap it for themselves so few? It is because we
lack time to understand. Our Bible Schools might solve the problem if
only they had time, but one hour a week with the Bible is scarcely an
introduction to it, never a fellowship with it. The Book of books is
no shallow friend to give up all its treasures upon a superficial
acquaintance. Rather it is a friend to be lived with in the home.

This book of suggestions is an invitation to you to come farther
within the charmed circle of the Bible's light. Its aim is to save
your time by helping you to use it to the greatest advantage. However
much or little of the Bible light has been coming to you, may this
book help to increase, to clarify, to beautify it. If it shall help
you to bring more time, the most precious of modern possessions, to
the understanding of the Bible, the most precious wisdom of the ages,
its purpose will have been abundantly fulfilled.

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PART I

THE CHILD AND THE BIBLE

_Answering Mothers' Questions_

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"So great is my veneration for the Bible, that the earlier my children
begin to read it the more confident will be my hopes that they will
prove useful citizens to their country and respectable members of
society."
--_John Quincy Adams_.

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THE CHILD AND THE BIBLE

TH