as it ought to. It takes a burnin' zeal to clean out them slum places,
and burnin' zeal ain't the style nowadays. As my father used to say,
'Religion's putty much like fish 'n' pertetters; if it's hot it's good,
'n' if it's cold 'tain't wuth a'--well, a short word come in there, but
I won't say it. Speakin' o' religion, I never had any experience in
teachin', but I didn't s'pose there was any knack 'bout teachin'
religion, same as there is 'bout teachin' readin' 'n' 'rithmetic, but I
hed hard work makin' Timothy understand that catechism you give him to
learn the other Sunday. He was all upsot with doctrine when he come to
say his lesson. Now you can't scare some children with doctrine, no
matter how hot you make it, or mebbe they don't more 'n half believe it;
but Timothy's an awful sensitive creeter, 'n' when he come to that
answer to the question 'What are you then by nature? An enemy to God, a
child of Satan, and an heir of hell,' he hid his head on my shoulder and
bust right out cryin'. 'How many Gods is there?' s' e, after a spell.
'Land!' thinks I, 'I knew he was a heathen, but if he turns out to be an
idolater, whatever shall I do with him!' 'Why, where've you ben fetched
up?' s' I. 'There's only one God, the High and Mighty Ruler of the
Univarse,' s' I. 'Well,' s' e', 'there must be more 'n one, for the God
in this lesson isn't like the one in Miss Dora's book at all!' Land
sakes! I don't want to teach catechism agin in a hurry, not tell I've
hed a little spiritual instruction from the minister. The fact is,
Vildy, that our b'liefs, when they're picked out o' the Bible and set
down square and solid 'thout any softening down 'n' explainin' that they
ain't so bad as they sound, is too strong meat for babes. Now I'm
Orthodox to the core" (here she lowered her voice as if there might be a
stray deacon in the garden), "but 'pears to me if I was makin' out
lessons for young ones I wouldn't fill 'em so plumb full o' brimstun.
Let 'em do a little suthin' to deserve it 'fore you scare 'em to death,
say I."