Your ShelfYour Projects

THE COUNTING LESSON

3%

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 20, 1900

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 77, No. 12.

Read the full edition

THE COUNTING LESSON.

By Abbie E. Cooper

ABBIE E. COOPER. (Birmingham, Ala.)
AUNT PATIENCE had just made a hot fire; for she was in great haste to finish the ironing before dinner.
Johnny wished to go with the other children, but could not. His cries grew louder and louder, as if he desired to make such a loud noise, and so much of it, that those interested would do anything for peace.
At first Aunt Patience was moved forcibly to demand silence, but “a more excellent way” appeared to her. She thought of one who suffered these little ones to come to him. “O Johnny,” said she, in an animated tone, “come quick! quick! I want to tell you something.”
Johnny came slowly. That cry was under too much headway to be checked at once, or to admit of much speed in any other direction.
“I want to tell you about a time when God made a man. His name was Adam. There wasn’t any other man, so he was alone—only one man. God was sorry for him.”
“Is God sorry for me when I have to play ’lone?” mournfully asked poor Johnny.
“I think he wants me to tell you about him, so you will not miss the other children,” said Aunt Patience. “God made a woman to live with Adam. Her name was Eve. How many persons were in that family? There were Adam and Eve.”
“Two,” said Johnny, as he took a swing on the door knob.
“When one went away, there was only one,” said Aunt Patience.
“Only Adam was one, and only Eve was one, too,” thoughtfully rejoined Johnny.
“God came and talked with them. Then how many could talk together? Think,” said Aunt Patience, holding up her fingers. “God and Adam and Eve. God is one; Adam, two; and Eve—”
“Three,” said Johnny.
“God told Adam how he made air, land, and water. What lives in the water?”
“Pollywogs,” was the prompt reply.
“Yes, and what did you see in the window at the drug store?”
“Fishes in a ’quarium,” said Johnny.
“What do the fishes live in?”
“Water.”
“What is that flying down on the barn?”
“That’s nothin’ but a pigeon.”
“What does Aunt Helen have, to sing for her?”
“Birds,” responded the boy, as he picked up his cat.
“Birds fly in the air, fishes swim in the water, and some animals walk on the ground.”
“Like kitty!” exclaimed Johnny.
“Let us count how many places for the animals—water, land, and air.”
“Three,” said Johnny, as he looked at her extended fingers.
“Let’s see how many kinds of animals—fishes, birds, beasts.”
“Three,” said Johnny. “And they can do three things.”
“God made different kinds of plants—grasses, herbs, and trees.”
Johnny put up one finger, saying “grasses,” then another finger, as Aunt Patience said “herbs;” and as the third finger was extended, she said “trees.” Thus Johnny recognized three distinct kinds.
“God made different lights—sun, moon, and stars. The sun and moon make two great lights.”
“Aunt Patience, the stars are little wee bits of lights. And sun, moon, and stars make three kinds of light. The sun is day-light, and the moon and stars is night light,” proudly affirmed the child.
“So we have two to shine for us at night, and that leaves just one to shine by day,” said Aunt Patience.
“After Adam and Eve lived together for some time, they had a baby boy. Then how many were in that family?”
“Adam and Eve and the baby—three,” and Johnny clapped his hands.
At the dinner table Johnny said to his father: “I’ve got kitty, Will’s got Rover, and Mary’s goin’ to get a bird; then there’ll be three animals in our family. There are only two now. God did make the most things—light, and air, and land, and water, and fishes, and plants! He can make so many things, and nobody else knows how!”