Yet nothing astonished us as much as the children. For three straight hours, three- and four-year-olds sat quietly on benches and in the laps of their parents, seemingly quite content. Partway through the service, someone passed around a plate of crackers so that the children could have a small snack, and those who tired of their fathers’ laps would sometimes toddle over to their mothers or grandparents. Occasionally a child left for a bathroom break. The rest of the time, however, they sat quietly, occupying themselves with simple playthings—a small doll, a handkerchief, or tiny bits of
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