Article May 13, 1939 Issue

Signs of the Times

Topic: The Bible and Good Reading

with contributions from Thomas W. H. Inskip, Murray H. Leiffer, James Quigley, W. H. Armstrong

[From the Bible Society Record, New York, New York]

The New York Times Book Review for January 15, 1939, carried a report of the survey recently conducted by the American Institute of Public Opinion on the favorite books of Americans. The skill with which these surveys are made commands the attention of every thoughtful person. The specific question propounded in the poll this time was, "What is the most interesting book you ever read?"

It is encouraging, though not unexpected, that the Bible, long the best seller, should have topped the list. This was also true in the similar poll taken in 1937. Probably it has been so for decades. A more sobering thought arises, however, when one studies the analysis by age groups. While among people fifty years or older, thirty-seven per cent named the Bible first, only seventeen per cent of those between thirty and fifty so voted, and of those under thirty only six per cent found the Bible their favorite. Here lies a solemn challenge to our homes and our Sunday schools. Dark days lie ahead for [a country] in which the ruling generation does not rank the Bible above all other books.

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