CHAPTER IX.

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD; OR, THE PATENT OFFICE.

QUESTION IX. _What is the work of creation?_

ANSWER. The work of creation is God's making all things out of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.

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EARLY in the week following the return of Mr. Dermott, Mrs. Lang, a sister of Mrs. Dermott, arrived at their residence to make a short visit. She was accompanied by her twin daughters, who were near Walter's age. Thursday was the evening appointed for the catechisings, and during Mrs. Lang's visit, she so often heard the children refer to these occasions, as possessing great interest, that she was induced to accept her sister's urgent invitation, and remain to witness, what now seemed to her so incomprehensible, how children could be made to understand the doctrines of the Catechism.

Helen joyfully clapped her hands as Louise and Lucia made known their mother's decision, and exclaimed, "O, I'm so glad! You'll hear such a nice story; and then you'll always understand the answer when you've heard father and mother explain it!"

The little girls thought otherwise, but they wisely said nothing, and looked forward to the evening, with feelings of curiosity, rather than with anticipations of pleasure.

Mr. Dermott was still at home, and, at his wife's earnest request, had consented to act once more in the capacity of teacher. Anna having passed him the Catechism, and promptly repeated the answer to the question, he asked, "Who made the world, Isabelle?"

"God."

"Yes, my dear, God made the world and all things that are therein."

The gentleman arose from his seat, and paced the room two or three times without speaking.

At length he stopped opposite the chair of his sister-in-law, and said, "That was a delightful winter we passed in Washington together."

"Yes," she replied, in a low voice, as if she were speaking in meeting.

"That was a sensible arrangement."

"To what do you refer?" asked his wife.

"Why, to your plan of being married on the same evening as your sister, instead of a month in advance, so that we could be together at Washington during the honeymoon."

The sisters smiled; but Helen asked, rather abruptly, "Papa, have you forgotten the catechising?"

Mr. Dermott smiled archly, but did not reply to the child. "I recalled our visit to the capital of our Union, as I have been thinking to-day of the Patent Office. What a remarkable institution that is!"

"Yes, I was more interested in it than in any other place we visited. One might spend weeks there with profit."

"Will you please, uncle, to tell us about it some time?" timidly urged Anna.

"I will tell you now, my dear," he said, patting her head affectionately. "In the first place, we went to examine the models of machinery, telegraphs, lightning rods, and agricultural implements. There were miniature steam engines, cotton gins, spinning gins, weaving looms, and carding machines. Then there were ploughs, and harrows, and cultivators, and seed sowers, and hay cutters, and corn shellers, and churns, and household utensils, together with every conceivable variety of implement in agriculture, beside a great many things which seemed to be of no possible use. The room was thronged with visitors, and there was some difficulty in getting near enough to examine the various articles. Then we went on to the patented articles for catching fish, of which there was a great variety; then for trapping game, and from that to the ordnance department. Here were pistols of every size and capacity, guns, firelocks, field pieces, and batteries; models of weapons offensive and defensive.

"As I stood gazing at one article after another, I thought, 'What a wonderful power there is in the human brain! How it has contrived and fashioned things, new and old, great and small, curious, ingenious, and useful, for every conceivable purpose of art or industry.'

"Upon some of these inventions men have labored their whole lives, and have expended vast fortunes to bring them to that state of perfection which we here witness. But, after all, what are these models of human skill, to the wisdom and power of God in the work of creation! These are made from material already existing. God created the world from nothing. The inventors of these articles passed, in many cases, their whole lives in toiling to attain their prize. God spoke the world into being by the word of his power.

"'He spake and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast.'

"Can you tell me, Walter, how many days God was in making the world?"

"Six days."

"For whom did God create all things?"

"I suppose he made them at first for Adam and Eve."

"Solomon says in the Proverbs,—

"'The Lord hath made all things for himself.'

"Can you tell me for what purpose?"

Walter shook his head, and his father, taking a small Bible from the table, turned to the first verse of the nineteenth psalm, and gave it to him to read.

"'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork.'"

"How important, then, that when we view the hills and vales, the moon and stars shining in their splendor, the trees and flowers, the birds and beasts, and every other work of creation, we should remember God, the Maker and Giver of all these blessings, and that our hearts should flow out toward him in gratitude and praise!"

"We sing of God, the mighty source Of all things, the stupendous force On which all things depend; From whose right arm, beneath whose eyes, All period, power, and enterprise, Commence, and reign, and end."