MARK TWAIN IN THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC CHRONICLE
1865
[EDITOR'S NOTE: This item has not been previously republished elsewhere. It is included in this collection because of its potential to be the work of Clemens and is deserving of further research and consideration.]
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CONUNDRUMS FOR LITTLE CHRISTIANS
We hail with pleasure a volume just issued by the Sunday School Publishing Union of New York, under the title of "Questions on the Natural History of the Bible," suited to the capacity and calculated for the instruction of the juvenile Sunday School intellect. Upon the reception of the volume we instantly started out with it in a quest of a "juvenile Sunday School intellect," being anxious to try it on and afford the world a practical illustration of the working of the new system. We are pleased to be able to add that it worked charmingly. Meeting with an intelligent-looking boy of eight or nine years of age, the following dialogue took place:
Us -- Are you a Sunday School scholar?
Boy -- Yes sir-ree.
Us -- Well, then (reading a question from the book), "How does the
partridge resemble a man obliged to relinquish ill-gotten gains?"
Boy -- Gimme a short bit.
Us -- "How is the security of the righteous with respect to the
adder spoken of?"
Boy -- (grabbing up a stone and giving chase to a Chinaman) Oh,
ax your mammy. Hi, hy! here's fun!
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[transcribed from microfilm]
