"That certainly sounds strange," said Dorothy. "Why, I thought you considered baptism so important that a person could not be saved unless he was baptized; and now you say baptism is not necessary for the communion. That seems contradictory. I should think if baptism is essential to salvation it surely would be essential to taking the communion. Do you think a person ought to take the communion who has not been converted?" "Of course not." "This is what puzzles me," said Dorothy. "You say a person can't be converted without baptism. If an unbaptized person should come to your communion table claiming to be converted, would you not have to deny his conversion because he had not been baptized? You say you do not require baptism before communion, and yet when you require conversion before communion you thereby require baptism before communion, because you say there can be no conversion without baptism. In other words, you must hold that an unbaptized person cannot come to your table." "That does look like a clear proposition, daughter," said Mr. Page. "Let me ask you this question, Mr. Garland," said Dorothy: "Why do you admit members of other denominations to your table?" "Because it is not my table, but the Lord's table, and I have no right to shut any of his people out." "You think the members of other denominations are Christians, then, do you?" "Certainly they are; probably as good Christians as we are. We do not set ourselves up as being better than others." "How can you think they are Christians? You do not think with their sprinkling and pouring they have been scripturally baptized, do you?" "No, I do not." "How, then, can you think them converted? I understood you to say that none are perfectly converted and saved until after baptism, and you say that sprinkling and pouring are not Scriptural baptism. Therefore you must think they are not Scripturally converted and saved." "But such people think they have been scripturally baptized, and they do what they consider right." "But do you think it is right?" "It is right for them." "Do you think anybody will be saved if he will only do what he thinks is right for him? Suppose a person should come up and say that he believed that touching the tip of the little finger in the water was baptism, would you say that baptism would be all right for him?" "Well, hardly," he said with a laugh. "I declare, Mr. Garland," said Dorothy, "you confuse me. I really don't understand what you believe. It may be my stupidity. I wish I did understand. One thing, however, seems clear to me, and that is that in the Bible teaching the first thing that comes after conversion is baptism. I certainly do not think that I ought to go to the communion table in a church before I have been baptized." "You don't seem to be able to accept the views of Mr. Garland's denomination," said Sterling.