My eldest boy was Ernest, and he sat at the bottom of the table, opposite
the place where I always sat, and where someone had put a chair for me.
Next in age came Charlotte, Ernest's sister; and then Chrissie, the elder
brother of Eustace and Dick. I put Sharley and Chrissie together, because
they were both ten years old and did most of their lessons out of the same
books. Next came another little pair: May, Ernest's younger sister, and
Eustace. Last of all, the little ones: Ernest's youngest brother, Leslie,
and Chrissie's youngest brother, Dick. These little boys were only six
years old.
Now that you know the ages of my children you will be able to tell whether
any of them were about your own age; perhaps you may be older than Chrissie
and Sharley, or even Ernest, who was nearly twelve, but I am quite sure
that if you are younger than any of my elder children, you will be able to
understand some of the lessons which we had from the Bible every morning.
Before the holidays we had been reading in the New Testament, and had
finished the Acts of the Apostles; and it was settled that when they came
back to school we should read some of the Old Testament, and begin at the
beginning. The children remembered this, and were just going to open their
Bibles and find the first chapter of Genesis, when I said that I should
like to ask them one question before a word was read.
I should like you, too, to think about it, and try to give an answer; for
my question--
Why is the Bible different from any other book?
concerns you as well as the children of whom I asked it.
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