On Sunday morning, Tom struggles to learn his Sunday school lesson with the help of his cousin Mary, who offers him a present if he can learn the lesson. Tom applies himself and soon has it mastered. On the way to church, Tom swaps items (his wealth from whitewashing) for tickets indicating how many verses in the Bible he has memorized. Tom has collected (bought off) so many tickets that it would appear that he has committed around 2,000 verses to memory—a feat no student has ever accomplished. In Sunday school class, Tom claims the award of a Bible for “knowing” so many verses. Tom is then introduced to Judge Thatcher, who asks him the name of the first two apostles, and Tom blurts out “David and Goliath!”
The monotony of church is broken by a large black beetle that pinches a dog, causing it to clamor up and down the aisles like a rocket. The dog then lands in its master’s lap, and the master tosses it out the window.
