“I quite agree with you, madam. Selfishness belongs to human environment, and is as much a part of us as hunger, thirst, love, or ambition. Nothing is made in vain.” “Not even sin?” asked Mary. “Not even sin!” echoed Jean. “This would have been a very useless world if there had been no wrongs to set right in it, and no suffering to relieve. Nobody could appreciate heat if it were not for cold, or light if there were no darkness. Hunger compels us to search for food; thirst seeks satisfaction in drink, and ambition in the search for personal advancement. It often unconsciously assists the weak by its efforts, when it intends to help nothing but the personal selfishness that inspires it. Everything, both good and evil, is a part of the eternal programme.” “Where did you imbibe such ideas as you often express on this subject?” asked her father, a great pride in her springing afresh in his heart. “From the stars, I guess, or from the angels. Or maybe they were born within me. I never could reconcile myself to the generally accepted idea of gratitude. To thank God for blessings we enjoy that are not accessible to others, to me is nothing else but blasphemy.” “Then you cannot say with the poet,— “‘Some hae meat, and canna eat, And some would eat that want it; But we hae meat, and we can eat, Sae let the Lord be thankit!’” said Mrs. Benson, who had been looking on in silence. “Indeed I can’t!” exclaimed Jean. “But we’ve all heard just such prayers and praises through all our lives.” “Nobody in normal health has any right to be thankful for anything unless he earns it,” said the Captain; “and then he has nobody to thank but himself.” “He ought to be thankful for health, at least,” suggested Marjorie. “If you’d follow your logic to its natural sequence, Captain, my occupation would be gone,” laughed the Little Doctor. “It is as unnatural and unscientific to be sick as to be hungry; therefore there should be no doctors.” “I can see no analogy between your conclusions and my observations,” said the Captain. “I can,” cried Jean. “Every error under the sun is mixed with good, or it couldn’t exist at all,” said Scotty. “But the truth remains that the Universe with all that it contains exemplifies the Divine Idea. God IS. “‘All are but parts of one stupendous whole, Whose _mother_ Nature is, and God the soul.’ “You see, I’ve altered the thought a little, Mrs. McAlpin; but I look to the shade of Pope for pardon. If he were with us to-day, he would doubtless accept my amendment. We can’t know much about the mystery we call God. It makes little difference to the humanity of the various nations of the earth, all of whom must worship the Divine Idea, whether it be called Vishnu, Chrishna, Isis, Allah, Jehovah—” “These learned disquisitions over things unknown make me very weary,” yawned Jean. “And border on blasphemy,” added Mary.