# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S567
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

568 PUBLICATION MATTERS

lection of literature that cannot without a loss of interest be packed
into one book. On one of my shelves I have a complete edition
of Shakespeare plus separate volumes of Hamlet, Macbeth, and
a number of other plays. I never grab the complete edition. The
massing of many books within one volume does not build interest.
Remember that the Bible was not given that way, nor was it
first used that way.

4, This FAMILY BIBLE should be richly illustrated in color.

We need educational illustrations of places, buildings, and
objects as well as decorative illustrations. We also need fairly
large print, correctly arranged on the page. The objectives are
interest, clarity, and beauty.

The people for whom the Biblical books were first written lived
in the actual things — they saw, tasted, and felt them — of which we
might at least include the pictures.

There should be no word that isn’t in some way made clear
to. the reader. For each difficult item there is in our modern
printing and art a barrage of techniques to make it simple and
clear and to bring it within the range of comprehension of the
average person.

Illustrations in color are extremely costly and are holding back
the production of the best kind of Biblical materials. But we have
the confidence that Christian families are eager to supply them-
selves with the finest materials even if they are costly; so far
we haven’t seriously challenged them in this respect.

There is only one real obstacle to the production of a FAMILY
BIBLE: the high cost of printing and art work. A large sum of
money should be set aside for this purpose to encourage our Con-
cordia Publishing House to produce it.

Like the Bible, this material would be strictly undenomina-
tional and would have a sale in all circles. This product would
be unique; there is nothing like it on the market; it would have
no competition. With the right kind of distribution we could
expect a world market. ,

This FAMILY BIBLE, read in the most interesting form, living
at the heart of every Christian family, and studied with enjoy-
ment, could be the mightiest influence in the life of the Church.
The habit of reading the Bible in this “homey” form would develop
a lifelong understanding, conviction, interest, and love for the
Word of God. Pastor W. F. Becx, St. Louis, Mo.