i87l LETTERS ON BIBLE TEACHING 371 



tion in this matter ; in fact, if you will turn to one paper on the 

 School Board written by me before my election in 1870, I think 

 you will find that I anticipated the pith of the present discussion. 



The persons who agreed to the compromise, did exactly 

 what all sincere men who agree to compromise, do. For the 

 sake of the enormous advantage of giving the rudiments of a 

 decent education to several generations of the people, they ac- 

 cepted what was practically an armistice in respect of certain 

 matters about which the contending parties were absolutely 

 irreconcilable. 



The clericals have now " denounced " the treaty, doubtless 

 thinking they can get a new one more favourable to themselves. 



From my point of view, I am not sure that it might not be 

 well for them to succeed, so that the sweep into space which 

 would befall them in the course of the next twenty-three years 

 might be complete and final. 



As to the case you put to me — permit me to continue the 

 dialogue in another shape. 



Boy. — Please, teacher, if Joseph was not Jesus' father and 

 God was, why did Mary say, " Thy father and I have sought 

 thee sorrowing " ? How could God not know where Jesus was ? 

 How could He be sorry? 



Teacher. — When Jesus says Father, he means God; but 

 when Mary says father, she means Joseph. 



Boy. — Then Mary didn't know God was Jesus' father ? 



Teacher. — Oh, yes, she did (reads the story of the Annun- 

 ciation). 



Boy. — It seems to me very odd that Mary used language 

 which she knew was not true, and taught her son to call Joseph 

 father. But there's another odd thing about her. If she knew 

 her child was God's son, why was she alarmed about his safety ? 

 Surely she might have trusted God to look after his own son 

 in a crowd. 



I know of children of six and seven who are quite capable 

 of following out such a line of inquiry with all the severe logic 

 of a moral sense which has not been sophisticated by pious 

 scrubbing. 



I could tell you of stranger inquiries than these which have 

 been made by children in endeavouring to understand the ac- 

 count of the miraculous conception. 



Whence I conclude that even in the interests of what 

 people are pleased to call Christianity (though it is my firm 

 conviction that Jesus would have repudiated the doctrine of 



