The Chautauquan, Vol. 05, January 1885, No. 4Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Religion
The Chautauquan, Vol. 05, January 1885, No. 4
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Chautauqua Institution -- Periodicals; Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle -- Periodicals
Some of the “exam.” stories current in educational circles, though
characteristic, and possibly “founded on fact,” have an air of belonging
to the too-good-to-be-true category. A number of these are told
against—and, if invented, were probably invented by—undergraduates.
Thus—so the story goes—an undergraduate was asked to name the minor
prophets, and, not having “got them up,” neatly and politely replied that
he would rather not make invidious distinctions. Another university man,
called upon to give the parable of the Good Samaritan, did so correctly
enough until he came to the passage where the Samaritan said to the
innkeeper: “When I come again I will repay thee,” to which he added,
“This he said, knowing that he would see his face no more.” Perhaps,
however, the examinee upon this occasion was a conscious humorist, and
had in mind the worldly-wise saying, that there are a great many people
willing to play the part of the Good Samaritan, less the oil and the
twopence.
Something of the same stamp must have been the candidate for a degree,
who, asked to state the substance of St. Paul’s sermon at Athens,
said that it was “crying out for two hours, ‘Great is Diana of the
Ephesians.’” With variations, that is the substance of a great many
sermons, and of other discourses beside sermons.
Such stories as the above may or may not be rather broadly illustrative
than strictly true, but in any case they can be pretty well matched by
others, about the truthfulness of which there is no doubt. Every year a
certain proportion of the children of the London board schools enter into
a competitive examination in Scriptural knowledge, for the “Peek Prizes,”
which consist of handsomely got-up Bibles and Testaments. They are “paper
work” examinations, and the following are a few of the many curious
“hash” answers that have at various times been put in at them.
“Abraham was the father of Lot, and ad tew wives. One was called Hishmale
and tother Haggar, he kept wun at home, and he turned tother into the
desert where she became a pillow of salt in the day time, and a pillow of
fire by night.”
“Joseph wore a koat of many garments. He was chief butler to Faro and
told is dreams. He married Potiffers dortor, and he led the Gypshans out
of bondage to Kana in Gallilee, and there fell on his sword and died in
sight of the promised land.”
“Moses was an Egypshion. He lived in a hark made of bulrushes, and he
kept a golden calf and worshipt brazen snakes, and he het nothing but
kwales and manner for forty year. He was kort by the air of his ed while
riding under the bow of a tree and he was killed by his son Absolon as he
was hangin from the bow. His end was pease.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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