express themselves, as they did not, he said: "If we can agree that
Mind is God, then it is very easy to conceive of man as the image and
likeness of God, and this image would be spiritual and not material."

His father looked up at him but did not speak. His mother said: "How
would that help it, Walter?"

"If we reason from the standpoint that Mind is the creative force or
first cause, and as we know that like produces like, it would be
impossible for the creative force, or Mind, to produce matter, for
matter is the opposite of mind. Now let us see what Mind does
create,--why thoughts or ideas and nothing else, so we see that man
is a thought, or a number of them, or idea emanating from the one Mind
or creative force and the idea or thought must be the image and likeness
of the mind or intelligence that conceived it. This would give us a
spiritual man, who in reality would be the image and likeness of the
real God."

"Walter," said his father, "I cannot stand to hear any more to-night,
I will not say that you are right or wrong, as I must have time to
think, and the more I hear you say, the more in the dark I seem to be,
besides it is getting quite late and it is time we were retiring."

"I hope you are not angry for my presuming to explain the Bible as I
see it, for I believe I am right; in fact, I have had proof sufficient
to convince me that it cannot be otherwise."

"No Walter, I am not angry, but very badly mixed up in my reasoning
because of the peculiar views you entertain concerning God and man.
What proof have you had that you are right?"