The explanation given to the disciples of Jesus respecting the darkness into which they had fallen was, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures." At another time, seeing the hopelessness of controversy with the Jews, who had already made up their minds with regard to his teaching, he said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life." Most people are confident that the Bible contains teachings essential to their mental and moral well-being, but the idea of searching the Scriptures for health, and even life itself, never seems to occur to some of them. Such people are blind to their real opportunities.
Let us imagine that the world's industry was maintained and carried forward on the strength of a vast hoard of treasure supposed to be deposited in a gigantic strong room, entrance to which could be gained only by those having the knowledge of the combination which would release the lock. Imagine also that this combination was known to be available in a widely published book, but that the need for finding it out seemed practically useless, because a supposedly substantial society or organization continually gave out that it was the generally accepted guardian of the treasure-house, and had access to the strong room as circumstances or the public need might require. By degrees this organization would come to be accepted as alone having the right of entry to the treasure-house, and few would even dare to intimate that they as mere individual citizens had an equal right to satisfy themselves as to the existence of the treasure.
In the next place, this organization would be sure to arrogate to itself the right to say how much of this treasure it was good for the world to have for its use, and it would begin to prescribe for the needs of this or that activity, and to dominate opinion, until finally there would be a generally accepted belief that one only existed and carried on business because this much-respected organization was good enough to allow him to draw a little now and then, a very little, from the great treasure-house.
