BOYS OF THE BIBLE. 35

from these fragments of Bible stories, to construct complete
biographies; much must be left to, the imagination, and much
more must be left unknown. But every story, fragmentary
though it may be, will prove well worth the study.

The very mention of these names of the first boys of
the Bible, sets us thinking, of their parents and of the early
home in Eden. God’s goodness begins at the very beginning.
The very first page of the book of Genesis records not only
the might and majesty of the great Creator, but the kindly
thoughtfulness of the divine Father. He who made us loved
us from the very beginning.

Before God called Adam and Eve into life, he prepared
for them a beautiful home in one of the fairest gardens the
world has ever seen. A garden richly wooded, generously
watered with flowing streams, and abundantly provided with
all that could make life glad and beautiful. Where that
garden was is hard to tell. Some tell us that it was not
far from the ancient city of Damascus, but no man knows
of a certainty where the Garden of Eden was situated.
According to Genesis ii., 8, it “lay in the east,” in the
highland of Central Asia. It was said to have been enclosed
by four rivers, and two of these, Hiddekel and Phrat, have
been identified as the Tigris and Euphrates respectively, but
the identity of the other two is much disputed.

There seems to have been everything almost that heart
could desire in this garden-home. Abundance of trees good
for food; flowers for beauty, in tangled groves and by the
river banks; the songs of birds and the murmuring waters
blending, to make music all day long. And when night
came and spread her dewy mantle over the scene, the stars
came out and set the firmament ablaze with splendor..
What language can describe the beauty of Paradise?