GEORGE K. And feelings and thoughts. MR. ALCOTT. And action? GEORGE K. Yes; action comes after. JOHN B. When we have been doing wrong and are sorry, we pray to God to take away the evil. MR. ALCOTT. What evil, the punishment? JOHN B. No; we want the forgiveness. MR. ALCOTT. What is for-give-ness? Is it anything given? LEMUEL. Goodness, holiness. JOHN B. And the evil is taken away. MR. ALCOTT. Is there any action in all this? JOHN B. Why, yes; there is thought and feeling. MR. ALCOTT. But it takes the body also to act; what do the hands do? JOHN B. There is no prayer in the hands. MR. ALCOTT. You have taken something that belongs to another; you pray to be forgiven; you wish not to do so again; you are sorry. Is there anything to do? JOHN B. If you injure anybody, and can repair it, you must, and you will, if you have prayed sincerely; but that is not the prayer. MR. ALCOTT. Would the prayer be complete without it? JOHN B. No. ANDREW. Prayer is in the spirit. MR. ALCOTT. Does the body help the spirit? ANDREW. It don't help the prayer. MR. ALCOTT. Don't the lips move? ANDREW. But have the lips anything to do with the prayer? MR. ALCOTT. Yes; they may. The whole nature may act together; the body pray; and I want you to tell an instance of a prayer in which are thoughts, feelings, action; which involves the whole nature, body and all. There may be prayer in the palms of our hands. ANDREW. Why, if I had hurt anybody, and was sorry and prayed to be forgiven, I suppose I should look round for some medicine and try to make it well. (_Mr. Alcott here spoke of the connection of the mind with the body, in order to make his meaning clearer._) SAMUEL R. If I had a bad habit, and should ask God for help to break it; and then should try so as really to break it, that would be a prayer. CHARLES. Suppose I saw a poor beggar boy hurt or sick, and all bleeding; and I had very nice clothes, and was afraid to soil them, or from any such cause should pass him by, and by and by I should look back and see another boy helping him, and should be really sorry and pray to be forgiven, that would be a real prayer; but if I had done the kindness at the time of it, that would have been a deeper prayer. AUGUSTINE. When anybody has done wrong, and does not repent for a good while, but at last repents and prays to be forgiven, it may be too late to do anything about it; yet that might be a real prayer. MR. ALCOTT. Imagine a real doing prayer in your life. LUCIA. Suppose, as I was going home from school, some friend of mine should get angry with me, and throw a stone at me; I could pray not to be tempted to do the same, to throw a stone at her, and would not. MR. ALCOTT. And would the not doing anything in that case be a prayer and an action? Keeping your body still would be the body's part of it. LUCIA. Yes.