ation; not even for civil service
reform. Well, he wandered about the garden in this condition, until
finally the Supreme Being made up his mind to make him a companion.

Having used up all the nothing he originally took in making the world
and one man, he had to take a part of the man to start a woman with. So
he caused a sleep to fall on this man--now understand me, I do not say
this story is true. After the sleep fell upon this man, the Supreme
Being took a rib, or as the French would call it, a cutlet, out of this
man, and from that he made a woman. And considering the amount of raw
material used, I look upon it as the most successful job ever performed.
Well, after he got the woman done, she was brought to the man; not to
see how she liked him, but to see how he liked her. He liked her, and
they started housekeeping; and they were told of certain things they
might do and of one thing they could not do--and of course they did it.
I would have done it in fifteen minutes, and I know it. There wouldn't
have been an apple on that tree half an hour from date, and the limbs
would have been full of clubs. And then they were turned out of the park
and extra policemen were put on to keep them from getting back.

Devilment commenced. The mumps, and the measles, and the whooping-cough,
and the scarlet fever started in their race for man. They began to have
the toothache, roses began to have thorns, snakes began to have poisoned
teeth, and people began to divide about religion and politics, and the
world has been full of trouble from that day to this.

Nearly all of the religions of this world account for the existence of
evil by such a story as that!

I read in another book what appeared to be an account of the same
transaction. It was written about four thousand years before the other.
All commentators agree that the one that was written last was the
original, and that the one that was written first was copied from the
one that was written last. But I would advise you all not to allow your
creed to be disturbed by a little matter of four or five thousand years.
In this other story, Brahma made up his mind to make the world and a man
and woman. He made the world, and he made the man and then the woman,
and put them on the island of Ceylon. According to the account it was
the most beautiful island of which man can conceive. Such birds, such
songs, such flowers and such verdure! And the branches of the trees
were so arranged