t, in one sense, there isn't a more truly religious class of
men in the world."

"I can't agree to that, either," said Donald.

"Perhaps not, but tell me this. Isn't the structure and functionings of
the human body infinitely more wonderful to you, who have made an
intimate study of it, than it can be to us who have not?"

"Undoubtedly. It's the most marvellous thing on God's earth," answered
Donald, unthinkingly employing an expression heard in childhood.

"There!" cried Mr. Talmadge. "He's convicted out of his own mouth, isn't
he, Rose? 'God's earth', he says."

"A mere figure of speech," the physician laughed.

"A statement of fact, sir. There are mighty few of you doctors who will
not, within your hearts of hearts, agree that a Supreme Being must have
designed this earthly temple which we call our body, the world we dwell
in, and established the laws that govern both. And, knowing, as none
others can, _how_ wonderfully the former is constructed, is not a
doctor's appreciation of the Almighty's power bound to be sincere?"

"Granted. But that isn't being religious," Donald protested.

"It is the foundation of all true religion," was the quiet answer.

The physician was still dubious. "Well, perhaps. Still, I doubt if many
ministers would agree that merely because a man may believe in a
superhuman creative power, he is religious, if, at the same time he
says--as I must--that he doesn't and can't subscribe to many of the
things which we were taught as children to believe as 'gospel truth.'"

There was the sound of a shocked and troubled "Oh," from Rose, but the
minister's composure was in no wise ruffled.

"The trouble is, I imagine, that you have mentally outgrown the
willingness to accept certain statements blindly, as children and
primitive minds do, and yet have made no really earnest endeavor to lift
the veil and look behind it with the intent of finding out if a simple
and understandable truth may not lie hidden there."

"But how is one going to get behind a plain statement of what is
apparently meant to be fact, such as the description of the creation in
Genesis?" demanded Donald, somewhat impatiently. "Science is absolute,
and I, for one, know that the Darwinian theory of life, or one
substantially like it, is true. Why, a study of human anatomy proves it,
even if we did not have conclusive evidence in anthropology and geology.
So, in the very first words of the Bible, we start off with a conflict
b