How well do you know your Bible? No it isn't an absurd question to ask a typist, though I don't blame you for thinking so. You see, our fathers knew their Bible so thoroughly that its stories and its phrases passed into the language, and are as likely as-not to crop up even in our business correspondence. When your Chief refers +to someone as "meek as Moses” or ‘a regular Samson", or when he calls you "a good Samaritan", will you be able to recall the story behind the phrase. If not, your reply may not be to the point and your Chief's will mentally record you as ~ "not too well-read." 

From my own business experience I can recall two occasions at least when a quotation from the Bible supplied an apt and telling reply to a Letter. I was working at the time for a Departmental Chief at the Head Office of a big Insurance Company, our correspondence being mostly with branches and therefore of a less formal character than if it had been with a client policy holders. One day a Branch Manager sent through an urgent letter seeking for the credentials of a prospective client -the business he was offered seemed too big to decline, but he felt a suspicion that everything was not well. We checked the record and had the same doubt; nothing tangible, but he gave the impression of being too plausible and we felt sure he had an ulterior motive for the very heavy insurance he was proposing. Promptly my Chief wired back: "See Psalm 55. 21" The BM took the hint when he found "The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords". 

On the second occasion, I was able to supply the quotation. ‘We were dealing with Livestock Insurance ~- the covering of pedigree cows for calving risk, ond their offspring for the first month of life. By the nature of the risk, its commencement date must be indefinite, but this apparently had not occurred to the bright young Branch Junior who returned Head Office's policy with the request: "Please insert commencing date - June 16th." 

“Hasn*t Job something pretty apt on that subject?” said I, and we hunted out a Bible. The policy was returned unaltered, with the brief memo "Consult the Book of Job. Chapter 39 verse 1.” (Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark whon the hinds do calve?) The bright Junior said no more.