The gospel of the dignity of labor has never been adequately preached, therefore the preparation for this lesson may include the entire reversal of what has been ground into the teacher’s consciousness from the beginning until now, concerning the place of work in the world. For many years people have read the Lord’s words to Adam after the fall, which consigned him to the task of wresting his sustenance from the unwilling earth, as if that were the introduction of work into the world, and as if it were, therefore, brought in simply as a punishment for disobedience. This was evidently the thought in the mind of the poet who sang, Dear work! art thou the curse of God? What must his blessing be! Throwing aside all such misconceptions, read the material for this lesson with the thought of finding in it how, under the ideal conditions of Eden, work was given to man which would require the use, and therefore minister to the development of his physical powers in tilling the ground; how his mind was given exercise in plans for guarding or “keeping” the garden and in naming the animals; and how the higher spiritual powers were called into service when he was given a companion in association with whom the emotions of love and tenderness would find expression. It is implied also in Genesis 3:8, that God was wont to meet with Adam and Eve in the garden and talk with them there. The picture that we get as we study this passage in this way has in it the elements of congenial employment, companionship, obedience to the highest law, and communion with God, and these are exactly the elements that will bring the nearest approach to the ideal in any life to-day. LESSON PRESENTATION Introduction I wonder if you can remember the time when you first began to ask such questions as these: Who made the world? Who made the moon and stars that shine in the night, and the sun that lights and warms the day? Who made the trees and taught them how to grow? Who made all the animals? Who made the fish that swim in the water and the birds that fly in the air? Have you ever asked such questions? They are the questions that children have been asking always, ever since there were any children in the world, and the story that answers all these questions for us is one that mothers have told to their children for thousands of years. Do you know what story I mean? Who can answer the question, “Who made the world?” by using just one verse from the Bible? The Lesson Story