But no matter where I went, in every part of India there were idols of wood, stone, and clay; some ornamented with silver and gold, others in forms the most hideous and repulsive." "How can they be so silly as to worship idols?" inquired the impulsive Helen. "I stuck a pin through that old feather god, and it could feel nothing; it only kept grinning with its two rows of ugly teeth; and I might have screamed in its ears all day, it could never have heard me." The children smiled, but Mrs. Dermott said, gravely, "In contrast with these senseless images, which have eyes, ears, and hands, but can neither see, hear, nor dispense favors, how great and glorious appears the one living and true God, whose throne is in the heavens, but who is so condescending that he stoops to listen to the earnest prayer of the humblest child!" "Walter," inquired Mr. Dermott, "is there no duty we owe these poor heathen?" "Yes, sir; we ought to send Bibles and missionaries to teach them about our God; and then they would throw away their idols, as the Sandwich Islanders did." "Yes, my child; and we ought to pray for them, that their hearts may be enlightened to see the folly of their worship." "I pray for the heathen every night," faltered Isabelle, with tearful eyes, "and I mean to save all my pennies to send them Bibles." "A missionary," said Mr. Dermott, "once gave an account of a poor man who came into his house. 'When he had sat down, he took up a book of missions which lay upon the table, in which were plates of heathen idols, hideous and ugly in their appearance.' "'What game is this?' he asked my daughter. "'They are not game,' replied the little girl; 'there are nations who worship those things.' "'O,' said he, 'how you tell fibs!' "'No, I am not telling fibs. My mamma said so, and she does not tell fibs.' "'Well,' he said again, 'tell me what games they are.' "'They are things that people worship, just as we worship Jehovah and Jesus. If you do not believe it, go and ask papa.' "He then came to me, and said, 'Look at that!' And repeated what Mary had told him. 'Is it true?' he asked. "'It is,' was the reply. "Having gazed at me for a moment, in astonishment, he said, 'I know you do not lie; but how can it be?' "And laying the book down upon a piece of timber I was planing, he looked at it, putting his hands to both sides of his head, and waving it backward and forward. "Presently he asked, 'Have those people that make these things of wood and stone, heads like me?' "'Yes.' "'Have they got legs?' "'Yes.' "'Can they talk and think? Can they explain a difficult thing? Can they speak in a public meeting, like our senators?' "'Yes.' "'Then never say that our people are foolish or ignorant.'