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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/17961-h.zip b/17961-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..60c7539 --- /dev/null +++ b/17961-h.zip diff --git a/17961-h/17961-h.htm b/17961-h/17961-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f9d99ed --- /dev/null +++ b/17961-h/17961-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2203 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> +<head> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Kindness to Animals; or, The Sin of Cruelty Exposed and Rebuked by Charlotte Elizabeth</title> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> +<style type="text/css"> +#titletop { border-top: 0px #ffffff solid; border-left: 0px #ffffff solid; border-right: 0px #ffffff solid; border-bottom: 0.125em #000000 dashed; margin-top: 16em; width: 13em } +#title { font-size: 1.875em; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.0625em; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.5em; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; word-spacing: 0.25em } +#titlebottom { border-bottom: 0px #ffffff solid; border-left: 0px #ffffff solid; border-right: 0px #ffffff solid; border-top: 0.125em #000000 dashed; margin-bottom: 16em; width: 13em } + + +body { margin-left: 12.5%; margin-right: 12.5% } + + +div.caption { font: caption; font-size: 0.625em; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0.5em; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase } +div.illustration { margin: auto; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center } + + +h1 { font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 1em; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; word-spacing: 0.25em } + + +hr.med_one { border: 0.0625em #000000 solid; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-top: 0.75em; width: 12.5em } + + +img { border: solid #ffffff 0px } + + +p { font-size: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-top: 0em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em } + + +span.chapter_title { display: block; font-size: 0.5em; letter-spacing: 0.0625em; margin-top: 1em } +span.first_word { font-variant: small-caps } + + +</style> +<!--[if lte IE 6]> +<style type="text/css"> +#entry { width: 28.125em } +#revised { width: 45em } +</style> +<![endif]--> +</head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Kindness to Animals, by Charlotte Elizabeth + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Kindness to Animals + Or, The Sin of Cruelty Exposed and Rebuked + +Author: Charlotte Elizabeth + +Release Date: March 10, 2006 [EBook #17961] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KINDNESS TO ANIMALS *** + + + + +Produced by Ben Beasley and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + +<div class="illustration"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/001.jpg" title="Frontispiece." alt="[Illustration: Frontispiece.]" width="532" height="726" /> +<div class="caption">Frontispiece.</div> +</div> + + + +<div style="margin-top: 16em; margin-bottom: 16em; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase"> +<div style="word-spacing: 0.5em"> +<div style="font-size: 2.5em; margin-bottom: 1.2em">Kindness to Animals;</div> + +<div style="font-size: 0.75em; margin-bottom: 4em">or, The</div> + +<div style="font-size: 2.25em; font-weight: bold; text-transform: none">Sin of Cruelty</div> + +<div style="font-size: 1.75em; margin-top: 2.25em">Exposed and Rebuked.</div> +</div> + + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-bottom: 4em; margin-top: 4em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/002.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="284" height="160" /> +</div> + + +<hr class="med_one" /> + +<div id="revised" style="font-size: 0.625em; letter-spacing: 0.0625em; margin: auto; max-width: 45em; word-spacing: 0.25em"> +Revised by the Committee of Publication of the American Sunday-school +Union. +</div> + +<hr class="med_one" style="margin-bottom: 5em" /> + + +<div style="word-spacing: 0.25em"> +<div style="font-size: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0.375em">Philadelphia:</div> +<div style="letter-spacing: 0.125em; margin-bottom: 0.625em">American Sunday-school Union,</div> +<div style="font-size: 0.75em; letter-spacing: 0.25em">146 Chestnut Street.</div> +</div> +</div> + + + + +<div id="entry" style="border-bottom: 0.125em #000000 dashed; border-top: 0.125em #000000 dashed; font-size: 0.875em; margin: auto; max-width: 28.125em; padding-bottom: 0.875em; padding-top: 0.875em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em"> +<span class="first_word">Entered</span> according to act of Congress, in the year 1845, by <span style="font-variant: small-caps">Herman Cope</span>, +Treasurer, in trust for the American Sunday-school Union, in the Clerk’s +Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. +</div> + + + +<hr id="titletop" /> +<div id="title">Kindness to Animals.</div> +<hr id="titlebottom" /> + + + +<div style="font-size: 2.125em; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; word-spacing: 0.25em">Kindness to Animals.</div> + +<hr style="border: 0.0625em #000000 solid; margin-bottom: 2.5em; margin-top: 2em; width: 6.25em" /> + +<div class="illustration"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/003.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="509" height="391" /> +</div> + +<h1> +Chapter I. + +<span class="chapter_title">About the Beginning.</span> +</h1> + + +<p> +<span class="first_word">Many</span> books have been written about animals, and very good books too, +giving a great deal of information. Most of them are called works of +Natural History; and they usually give some description of the birds +and beasts, fishes and insects, that are known to man. I am not going to +write such a book as that; but to say a little about different kinds of +creatures that we are all in the habit of seeing, and to tell you a few +things of some which have belonged to me, or have come under my own +observation; so that, at least, I can promise to write nothing but what +I know to be true. I have not learned their characters and habits from +books, but by watching them ever since I was a very young child; and +many a happy hour I have spent in that delightful employment. +</p> + +<p> +One of the first things that it came into my little head to ask was, +“How were the animals made; and why were any of them made wild and +cruel, while some are tame and quiet?” I was told that the Bible gave an +answer to that question; and so it does. If we look in the first chapter +of Genesis, where there is an account of the creation of the world, we +find that on the fifth day God created the fishes to move in the water, +and the fowls to fly in the air; and on the sixth day, “God made the +beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and +every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw +that it was good.” From this we learn, that there was no violence or +cruelty in any of them, as they first came from the hand of the holy and +merciful God. And I would have you take particular notice of what +directly follows: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our +likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over +the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and +over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Now, the great +God is invisible—a Spirit—and not a body, as I think you all know; and +when it is said that God made man in his own image, it must mean that +man was made to be holy, and just, and good, and merciful; and he was +made to be a careful and loving ruler over the poor dumb creatures, as +the Lord God is a careful and loving ruler over all that he has +created. +</p> + +<p> +Then, in the next chapter, we have a beautiful picture before us: I do +not mean a print, or drawing, but a description in words, that, if we +think a little, will make us fancy we see a lovely sight, such as we +cannot now see anywhere. We are told that out of the ground the Lord God +formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and then +that He “brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and +whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name +thereof.” +</p> + +<p> +Was it not a wonderful and a beautiful sight? There, in a very delicious +garden, full of all manner of rich fruit and bright flowers, with soft +warm air, and calm sunshine, was the first and only man in all the +world! He was righteous and good, without any malice, or cruelty, or +covetousness, or pride in his heart, looking with delight upon the +creatures that came about him as their rightful ruler, to receive their +names. +</p> + +<p> +Can you not fancy how he must have admired the noble and beautiful +creatures as they meekly and lovingly came to him? The mighty lion, +shaking the curls of his mane, and fixing his eyes (not then fierce and +fiery, but bright and joyous) on the man, who, by God’s gift, was +mightier than he; the great elephant, putting out his trunk to caress +his new master, and passing on to rest under the shadow of some stately +tree; the horse, with his arching neck and prancing movements; the fond +dog; the gentle sheep; the peacock, with its plumes of blue, and green, +and gold; the majestic snow-white swan; the little linnet; the +robin-redbreast; and that most beautiful, tiny creature, the +humming-bird; the gay butterfly; the bee. It is impossible to go over +the names of even what we know by sight, of the good creatures of God, +who on that sixth day of the creation came about our first father, to +receive just what name he was pleased to give them. But I often think +about it, because it keeps me in mind that the Lord God never overlooks +any thing which he has seen good to make. +</p> + +<p> +But what changed the animals so sadly as they must have been changed, +to become what some of them are now? That we learn in the next chapter. +Eve listened to the wicked temptation of Satan, and disobeyed the good +and gracious Lord God, and persuaded Adam to do the same. So every thing +was altered: they were driven out of that fair garden into the wide +world, the ground of which was cursed for man’s sake; and this curse, +which fell upon the earth, made it bring forth thorns and thistles, and +then it was very difficult for man to make it fruitful, till he had cut +and bruised it with iron spades and ploughshares, and bestowed a great +deal of labour upon it. This sad curse was on the animals too; not by +their fault, poor things! but by man’s dreadful sin. For, you see, it +was God who made them subject to man; and when man became a rebel and +traitor to God, the creatures turned against him, and against each +other. Oh, it is sad to think of all the misery and crime brought into +the world by the ungrateful disobedience of man to his heavenly King and +Father! +</p> + +<p> +However, it did happen once again that a thing as wonderful though not +so beautiful was seen: indeed, we may say more wonderful, considering +how the nature of the creatures had been changed for the worse. When all +the world had become so wicked that God resolved to destroy every human +being from off the face of the earth, except Noah and his family, He +directed that pious man to make an ark, as you all know—an immense +ship, or floating house—in which he was to be preserved on the surface +of the waters for many days. When this great ark was ready, God caused a +pair of each from among all the animals and birds to come to Noah, and +to enter into the ark. Of some kinds there were seven, and of none less +than two. This was a very great miracle; and it shows us, too, how +perfectly the Lord knows and numbers all the works of his hands, and how +tenderly he cares for them all. This is one of the things that we are +apt to forget when have a beast, or a bird, or a fish, or an insect, in +our power. We are too ready to say to ourselves, “This is mine, and I +may do what I like to it.” Not so; it is a creature of God’s, not of +ours; and if we do to it any thing that he does not approve of, he will +surely reckon with us for it. When I call this to mind, I am +alarmed—though I do not think I have often been cruel to animals, or +any such thing—and I am ready to pray, “Lord, if I have hurt any of thy +creatures, pardon my past sin, for Jesus Christ’s sake, I beseech thee; +and give me grace to be merciful for the future.” +</p> + +<p> +Now, having told you how I got instructed when I was little, I shall +give you the history of some animals and birds that I have had, and how +I treated them, and what amusement they gave me. I am sure if you knew +how very amusing they all are, when left to their own harmless ways, and +gently restrained from ways that are not harmless, you would think it a +great loss to have them so altered as they are by bad management. If I +had been a great traveller, I could tell you more wonderful stories; but +having only been in England, and Ireland, and part of North America, my +store of anecdotes is not so great. However, I will try my best to give +you some notion of what I do know; and as I shall often have occasion to +name Jack, I will begin by telling you who he was. +</p> + +<p> +Jack was a little Irish boy, who became deaf while he was still a baby; +and because, as you know, babies learn to talk by hearing those around +them, Jack, not hearing anybody talk, could not learn, and so he grew up +dumb. It is a sad thing to be deaf and dumb. A person who is so, cannot +possibly learn any thing about God and our Lord Jesus Christ, until he +has been taught to read; and it is so very difficult to teach them, that +if some benevolent people, who have money, did not subscribe to keep up +charitable schools on purpose for the deaf and dumb poor, I do not +suppose that one in a thousand of them would ever learn so much as that +they have a soul to be saved or lost: and you may judge what a miserable +life they must lead, in total ignorance, nobody speaking to them, and +they not able to speak to anybody. Jack was in this state when I first +saw him, at eleven years old; he was a poor boy, and I took him, and +taught him, and he lived with me above seven years, till he died of a +consumption. He died very happy indeed, full of love to God for his +great mercy in sending his Son into the world to save sinners: and +depending on the Lord Jesus for salvation. He was always with me, +speaking by means of his fingers, but in an odd, that is, an imperfect +sort of language, that would make you smile. So when I mention Jack, you +will know who I mean; and we will now have some talk about the domestic +animals. +</p> + +<p> +When I say domestic, I mean such as we are used to see in our houses, +streets, and fields. Lions, tigers, elephants, and such as are shut up +in caravans, or only taken about for a show, do not belong to these; +though I am not sure that I shall not have a word or two to say about +bears and monkeys. I want to amuse you, my young friends, and to make +you think a little too; for all the good things given us of God become +more valuable to us when we think about them in a right way. Jack knew +this: he used to rub his forehead with his fingers’ ends, shake his head +wisely, and spell, “Very good think.” I hope you will judge the same; +and when you have come to the end of my little book, be able to say you +have had a “very good think” too. +</p> + +<div class="illustration"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/004.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="259" height="147" /> +</div> + + + + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-top: 12em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/005.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="360" height="341" /> +</div> + +<h1> +Chapter II. + +<span class="chapter_title">The Horse.</span> +</h1> + + +<p> +<span class="first_word">The</span> great mistake that people seem to me to make about animals is this: +they fancy that they must be frightened into obedience, and kept from +disobeying their masters by being made afraid of punishment. I dare say +that animals, like human beings, often need correction; but two things +are necessary to make such correction useful. One is, not to punish them +too severely, which only hardens them in rebellion; the other is, never +to hurt them at all except for a real fault—something that they know +to be a fault, and know that they will be punished for doing. Otherwise, +the poor beast, not knowing when or why it may be beaten, gets confused +and foolish, and does wrong, as any boy might do, from being in a great +fright. The truth is, that the animals are very sensible, and very +willing to do their best. They are fond of being praised and rewarded; +they become very much attached to those who treat them kindly; and when +they are so attached, they are very happy, and show off all the fine +qualities that make them both valuable and entertaining. I am going to +tell you some stories about my own favourites; and, to prevent your +thinking that they were different from others of the same kind, I shall +begin by letting you into the secret of making them so knowing. +</p> + +<p> +First, I tried to find out their habits; and I will tell you what they +are. All very young animals like to sleep a good deal, and to be let +alone. It both frightens and hurts them to be pulled about, and makes +them fretful and ill-tempered; spoils their growth, and prevents their +loving you. A puppy or a kitten is very fond of play, and will jump and +bounce about with you for a long while; but the moment they begin to get +tired, they should be left alone, to rest as much as they like. You may +suppose, that if, when you are comfortably going to sleep at night, a +rough-handed man were to come and shake you, and bawl out in your ears, +and wake you continually, you would soon become fretful and ill too, and +feverish, and be very glad to get out of the way of such a tormentor. So +my rule is, when creatures are young, to let them have as much sleep as +they will. It may sometimes prevent their being playthings when you want +them; but it will be made up in their health, and good-temper, and +gratitude to you. +</p> + +<p> +Next, all creatures like liberty: a horse or a dog is never so happy as +when bounding across the fields in perfect freedom. Why does chaining or +tying up a dog make him savage? Because he then looks on mankind as his +enemies, and fancies that everybody he meets is going to take away his +liberty. My dogs have known as little about chains as possible: two of +them had been used to be tied up before I had them, and I never could +break them of being savage. As to beating it out of them, it would be +like putting on coals to keep a fire from burning. That, you know, makes +the fire look dull for a little while; but the moment you stir it, up it +blazes, much higher and brighter than if no coals had been put on. I +knew a horse that was not naturally good-tempered, and bad usage had +made him much worse: he was then bought by a gentleman, who gave him +enough of the whip, and spur, and sharp iron bit to cure him, if that +could have done it; but it only made him cunning and revengeful. Poor +beast! a little patient kindness would have gone much farther. I will +tell you an instance of this. +</p> + +<p> +Once I had a mare, and such a beautiful creature she was! She lived on a +sort of farm, where they had not put her to work, and where the +children had been used to play with her. She was hardly full grown. I +lived then in a house with very low windows, and the pretty mare was +grazing on the outside. One warm day, the windows were all open, and I +was sitting at work, when she popped her beautiful head and neck in at +the one nearest to me. I gave her a bit of bread that was lying by me, +and told her to go away; but she would not. I said to myself, “Why +should I drive her away? God made the animals to be loving and confiding +towards man; and if this lonely creature wants me to be a friend to her, +why should I not? The Bible says, ‘A righteous man regardeth the life of +his beast;’ and what is life to a poor animal that has no hereafter to +look to, if its life be without comforts?” So I put down my work, and +went and rubbed her forehead, stroked her long white face, patted her +shining neck, and talked to her. After this when I was alone at my +morning work, she was sure to put her head in at one of the windows, to +ask, in her dumb way, to be petted; and many an apple, many a handful +of oats, did she get by coming there. She would soon listen for my +footstep about the house, and I seldom could look out from any window +without seeing her under it, or before it. She would also follow me like +a dog when I walked in the grounds where she grazed. +</p> + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 2em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/006.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="364" height="321" /> +</div> + +<p> +One day, a gentleman’s groom undertook to ride her; but he began by +whipping and by jerking the bridle, which is a very cruel thing. My mare +did not like this; and as he went on doing it, she lost her patience; +and after a long trial as to who should be master, she threw him over +her head, and trotted home to her stable. He was not hurt, but very much +mortified, being a soldier, and a great horseman; and he told his master +that she was the most vicious beast in the world, not safe for anybody +to ride. I did not like my pretty mare to get such a bad name: so I told +my own groom to put on the side saddle, and I asked the gentleman to +mount his fine English horse, and to ride out, and see if she were not +easily managed. We had a long ride over mountains, and through little +streams, and crossing deep torrents by the unsteady bridges made of +trunks of trees, and he said he never saw an animal so full of spirit +and good-temper as my mare. I never touched her with the whip, but spoke +gently to her; and I can truly say, that for the year and a half of my +riding her every day, she never brought me into danger, nor ever +disobeyed me. You may say, “But this was a particular sort of horse, not +like others.” I have only to answer you, that the bad, vicious horse I +spoke of before, was bred in the same place, lived in the same stable, +and the only difference between them was the different usage that they +had received. +</p> + +<p> +The horse is one of the most sensible and most affectionate of +creatures. You see, every day, how they will obey the man who drives +them, going on, stopping, moving to the right or left, and turning any +corner, all without the driver going near them. They have learned the +meaning of his words, or they could not do this; and is it not dreadful +that a creature able to understand, and most willing to obey the voice, +should be beaten and tortured as horses are? Why does a horse go as fast +as he can when he is cruelly whipped, and his poor mouth wounded by the +hard bit? Because he is trying to get away from the man or boy who +treats him so. Ah, when God brought his beautiful creatures to the first +man, to be named, and gave them into his care, there was no appearance +of man ever becoming so cruel, or the animals so miserable as they now +are! Yet the Lord loves mercy and judgment, and hates tyranny and +wrong, as much now as he did then: and we may be quite certain of this, +that every cruelty committed is an offence in his sight, and will be +terribly punished, if it be not repented of, and left off; for when a +person says he repents, and goes on doing the same thing as before, he +is deceiving himself and provoking God. +</p> + +<p> +The horse must bear a great deal of dreadful pain and suffering to be +made fit for the use man puts him to, in drawing carriages, and other +things. It is not natural to him to have even a bridle and saddle on +him; much less to be loaded with harness, to wear blinders on his eyes, +and to drag a great heavy weight as fast as he can run, keeping always +attentive to the least touch of the reins, and turning accordingly, to +prevent running his carriage against others. His fine spirit must be +broken, his liberty quite taken away, and many a bitter smart must the +poor, dumb, harmless, helpless creature suffer. But surely this ought to +be enough; and you would not be the cruel wretch to add to his pains? +Sometimes people <em>must</em> go fast; but one who would distress and torment +a horse to make him go fast, just because it pleases the driver to be +moving quickly, is doing a very wrong thing; and so is the person who +could neglect to give food and drink to a horse when he wants it. I +wonder when I see the poor doing this. They know what it is to be +overworked, and to want as much as they could eat; they are often cold, +and cannot get fuel enough: and if they were tied up, and not able to +run about, or to help themselves, having no servants to wait on them, +how very badly off they would think themselves! Yet a poor horse is much +worse off; he can neither do any thing for himself, nor express his +wants to others: he does his best, serves us faithfully, obeys all that +he understands; and then to be ill-used, neglected, starved! It is a +thing that I cannot bear to think of; and I hope my readers will always +set their faces against such wickedness. Remember that promise which the +Lord has given, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain +mercy.” +</p> + +<p> +I dare say you have heard of the Arabs—a wild people, the descendants +of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, who possess a great deal of country in +the east; and are powerful, and much feared, because nobody has been +able to conquer them. Their greatest strength consists in having the +boldest, fleetest, most docile horses in the whole world. Arabian horses +may be known in a moment by their uncommon beauty, their delicate arched +necks, waving manes, and long tails; but though a great price is given +for them, and they are lodged, and fed, and tended with all the care +possible, they cannot be so happy in a king’s palace, as in the tent or +hut of their poor masters at home. The Arab treats his horse like a +child; gives it to eat of his own victuals, to drink of his own bowl of +milk, and lets it sleep in the midst of his family. Of course, the +animal becomes so fond of him, that it serves him for love, carries him +through all dangers, and has often been known to defend him with its +life. We cannot bring up our horses in this way, nor treat them as the +wild Arab does; but knowing what sense, and feeling, and gratitude, and +love, this noble creature can and does show, we ought to be always +watching to avoid giving it unnecessary pain, and to persuade others to +be equally kind. +</p> + +<p> +I cannot tell you how it used to grieve my dumb boy, Jack, when he saw a +horse ill-used; or how very kind he was to one that he had the care of. +He would sooner have wanted food and drink himself, than have allowed +his master’s horse to feel hunger or thirst. He was very tender when +rubbing it down, if there was any, sore place; and if the animal got +cross or impatient, he would say to me in signs, “Poor horse not know: +horse tired: soon go sleep, poor horse!” That was a very strong, +spirited animal, and needed a steady hand to rein him in; but I often +saw the dumb boy jump on his back, and with only the halter over his +head, guide him where he chose. I never saw him give that horse a blow +or a kick, in all the two years that he tended him. Jack was fourteen +when he began, and sixteen when he left off being his groom. He was +strong and healthy then; but at nineteen he died; and he told me that it +made him very happy to think that he had never been cruel to any of +God’s poor creatures. But I must not say any more now about the noble +horse. There is another animal, the natural companion of man, the dog, +which comes next in value; for though it cannot take us on a long +journey, or convey our goods from place to place, it stands sentry over +us and our property, being not only a good servant, but a most +intelligent, fond, and faithful friend. It does not need to be broke in, +like the horse; it learns the ways and the wishes of those around it; +and the more liberty you give it, the more eager it is to serve and +please you. The dog deserves a chapter to himself, and shall have it. +</p> + + + + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-top: 12em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/007.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="385" height="340" /> +</div> + +<h1> +Chapter III. + +<span class="chapter_title">The Dog.</span> +</h1> + + +<p> +<span class="first_word">There</span> is a great deal of sorrow in the world: perhaps, through the +goodness of God, you have been kept from suffering much yourselves, but +you must have seen trouble among your friends and neighbours; sickness +and death, perhaps. And it often happens that great distress comes on +people, so as to keep them hungry and cold, for want of what would buy +enough food and fuel. Besides this, how often the bad conduct of one in +a family will make the rest unhappy! A single drunkard, or thief, or +violent person, will bring shame and misery on all the rest. The world +is full of troubles; but I do not think that we often find, even among +those of our own nature, men, women, boys, and girls, not related to us, +a person with so little selfishness as to be always sorry and sad when +we are so, and because we are so. When we meet with any one so +kind-hearted, we love that person, and would do a great deal to serve or +oblige such a feeling friend. +</p> + +<p> +Now, I always observed that a dog, when kindly treated and taken care +of, will show his concern for the troubles of his master or mistress, in +a wonderful way. Indeed, I never, in my life, had a dog that would not +do so; and seeing this has convinced me that it is worse than cruel to +treat a dog ill—it is most ungrateful. It does sometimes happen that a +dog has a bad and violent temper, even from a puppy; and if very careful +treatment does not soon cure this, I should say that such a dog ought to +be destroyed, by a quick and easy death; not making the poor brute +suffer for what it cannot help. But in ninety-nine cases out of a +hundred, a dog’s savageness is the fault of those who have brought him +up: and few things are more wicked than to teach or encourage a dog to +fight his own race, or to bark and fly at human beings. When the world +was as God made it, there was no hatred in it, no quarrelling, no wish +in any living creature to frighten or hurt any other living creatures; +but when Adam became a sinner, his sin broke through all this beautiful +order, and peace, and love, and set the animals against each other, and +against himself. I am trying always to remember this; for when they +alarm or distress me, and I am thinking to punish them, I ought not to +forget what first made the brutes vicious, and brought so much suffering +on them. It was man’s sin alone: man should therefore do the best he can +to make them amends; and not increase their misery, as he often does, by +cruel severity. I think you will agree with me in this. Besides, it is a +certain truth, that God’s eye is upon us and on the animals about us, +as much as it was on Adam and the living creatures that came to him to +be named; and though we and they are much changed for the worse, yet the +Lord God never does or can change. He is as righteous, as holy, as +merciful, and as just to-day, as he was then. How often has Jack, when +he saw a thoughtless boy hurting a dog, or any other animal, gone up to +him, and said, on his fingers, in a very quiet, gentle, but earnest +manner, “God see—God angry.” He felt much for the dumb beast, suffering +pain; but more for the boy who was forgetting that the Lord’s hand would +yet punish him, when he least expected it: for Jack very well knew that +the Bible says, “He shall have judgment without mercy that hath showed +no mercy.” +</p> + +<p> +Dogs have been a great amusement to me ever since I was a baby; and I +never have been without one in the house when I could keep one. Ladies +and gentlemen are not often willing to let their carpets be soiled by +dogs; but the poor people, who are not troubled with carpets, make +companions of them. I am writing this book in a room with a carpet and +good furniture, but I have my two dogs with me. There is little Fiddy, +the small spaniel, at my feet, where he has lain every day for eight +years; and there is Bronti, the fine big Newfoundlander, lying, where do +you think? Why the rogue has got upon the sofa, and when I shake my head +at him, he wags his long tail, and turns up his large bright eyes to my +face, as much as to say, “Pray let me stop here; it is so comfortable.” +But no, Bronti, you must walk down, my fine fellow, or some lady coming +to see me may have her gown soiled, which would not be fair. We have no +right to make our pets a plague to other people, and, perhaps, a means +of injuring them too. +</p> + +<p> +That was enough for Bronti; no need of a loud, cross, or threatening +voice. He saw that I wished him to leave the sofa, and he wags his tail +as contentedly on the carpet. I can manage him with a word, almost with +a look, because he was born in the house, and has never been away from +me; but master Fiddy was a year or two old when I had him, and some +things he will do in spite of me. He will hunt a cat, kill a bird, and +growl most furiously over a bone. Bronti has the same nature, but his +love for us overcomes it all. He would live peaceably with a cat, it we +had one; he will let the chickens and pigeons perch upon him, or walk +between his feet; and last year I had half a dozen tame mice, which I +used to let out upon him, when they would nestle in his warm coat, run +races over and under him, and he would not move a limb, for fear of +hurting one. As to a bone, he will allow me to take it out of his mouth +at any time; and, what is more, he will readily give it up to Fiddy, +whose little teeth can only nibble off the meat; and when he has done +that, Bronti takes it, and munches the bone. +</p> + +<p> +His mother was full grown when I had her, and she was very fierce: if +any workman came to the house, unless her master or I was by to +restrain her, she would put him in fear of his life; and would have +bitten him too, if she could have seized him. We gave her away to a +friend who would be kind to her, and keep her out of mischief; and we +brought up a puppy for ourselves, this same Bronti. Now he is more than +three years old; and though he will sometimes fight a big dog who +affronts him in the street, he never frightened anybody who came to the +house. He watches, and gives one single, deep, quiet bark, to let us +know that there is a stranger; and seeing that we are satisfied, he sits +with one ear thrown back, listening and watching. If he meets a workman +in the house, he does not even growl; only keeps him in sight, following +him about, but with such a sweet-tempered look, that the greatest +coward, if honest, could not contrive to be afraid of him. I might leave +a joint of meat under his care, if he were ever so hungry; he would not +touch it, because he is truly honest: and as to his sense, you would +hardly believe if I told you how sensible he is. When I am putting on +my boots, he comes up to me, and looks very eagerly in my face; if I say +“Yes,” or, “Bronti shall go,” he is just wild with joy, tearing about, +barking, and making no small riot. If I say “No,” or shake my head +sorrowfully and say nothing, he steals away, lies down, and never +attempts to follow me: but he gets on a chair, and Fiddy on a table, to +see me go out at the gate; and then they both begin to cry and moan most +piteously, so that nobody can comfort them. +</p> + +<p> +On Sunday morning, Bronti looks very melancholy; how he knows the day I +cannot tell. Of course, we all go to church, but he begins to be sad as +soon as we get up. Neither he, nor Fiddy would attempt to follow us +then, if the doors and gate were all set open: they seat themselves at +the window to see us go. And now I recollect one time when Bronti was as +savage as his mother. You shall hear about it. +</p> + +<p> +One Sunday, when were all at church, a friend, just landed from a +voyage, came to the house. He opened the garden gate, and was walking +towards the door, when up jumped Bronti on a chair at window, barking, +growling, and behaving so violently, that he really dared not try to get +into a house where such a wild beast stood ready to seize him. So he +went off to the church, found us, and after service returned with us; +and Bronti, seeing him as a friend of the family, gave him an +affectionate welcome. Then he told us of his ferocious behaviour; and we +were very glad to find that our gentle dog knew how to protect our house +and property when it was left entirely to his care. +</p> + +<p> +A book larger than this might be filled, all through, with stories about +the dog, besides what are already published; but any one of you may see +enough to delight you every day in the affectionate creature, it you +will only be patient and kind. It is too often the custom to punish a +dog when he does not do just what you like; and you may like things +quite different at different times. Now, the poor brute cannot tell +exactly what you wish; and if he is used to get a blow, or an angry +scolding, he will be so afraid of doing wrong, that what little sense +he has left will fail him, and he will be so confused as to make him do +wrong. An animal, or a boy either, living in constant fear of ill-usage +whether he deserves it or not, will get either so stupid or so careless, +as seldom to do what is required. Think a little, and you will +understand this. An angry tone and hard words agitate a dog very much. +Mr. Blaine, who wrote a book about their diseases and cures, says that +he has often known a dog, weakened by illness, to go into convulsions on +hearing another dog violently scolded. I tell you this to explain why +some dogs are hard to manage: they are frightened out of their senses; +to say nothing of the cruel pain that they are often made to suffer. I +have seen a person beat a dog one day for not following him when he +wished it, and the next day for following when he was not wanted. I have +seen a dog set at another to fight, being encouraged, and irritated, and +made savage on purpose; and soon after beaten for flying at some person, +or thing that he was not wanted to attack. No wonder if the poor +creature loses all his fine qualities under such treatment. +</p> + +<p> +All that he wishes is to be allowed to love you, and follow you, and +serve you. He wants the help of your reason to keep him from doing +wrong; and he wants you to explain to him how he may please you. It has +made my heart ache, many a time, to see a poor dog obey his master’s +call, coming up to him in a crouching, crawling way, trembling with +fear, and seeming to say, “Pray, pray do not hurt me! I am ready to do +what you wish, and to lay down my life for you; but you are going to +beat or to kick me, and I am a poor creature, without any one to take my +part. I <em>could</em> bite you, I <em>could</em> seize you by the throat, or tear the +flesh off your leg, but I will not do so. I come because you call me; +pray do not hurt me!” And I have seen the meek, obedient creature +struck, and put to cruel pain, without the smallest reason in the world. +And when I recollected the words of the Bible, “Verily there is a God +that judgeth in the earth,” I have grieved the more to think what +punishment that cruel man or boy was bringing on himself. +</p> + +<p> +If we call one of our dogs, even when at high play in the fields, he +instantly comes bounding up, puts his head on one side, pricks up his +ears, and looks full in our faces as if saying, “Well, here I am; what +do you want me to do?” A beating is the last thing that they would think +of. I am not now speaking of Bronti and Fiddy in particular, but all the +dogs that ever I had. The reason is, that the dog is the very fondest +creature that breathes; and any but a really ill-tempered dog may be +managed by means of this fondness; while, as I before remarked, a really +bad-tempered one should not be kept to be punished, but speedily +destroyed. +</p> + +<p> +You know what a terrible thing the bite of a mad dog is. The wound may +be so small as hardly to leave a scar, and it may heal, and be +forgotten, perhaps for weeks and months; still, the deadly poison is in +the person’s blood, and when it breaks out, a most fearful death +follows, after such sufferings as nobody, who has not seen them, can +have an idea of. But, perhaps, you do not know that the angry bite of a +dog, when teased or hurt, has often produced the same awful madness. I +remember a neighbour’s son dying most horribly of it, who had only had +his finger wounded, as if by a pin’s point, by the tooth of a little dog +which he was teasing and provoking in play. This shows us how very +dangerous it is to irritate an animal; for you never know what peril you +may run into. These things do not fall out by chance. The Lord God +orders them all; and sometimes he does very terrible things, in judgment +on those who knowingly transgress, and for an example to others. May +you, dear young readers, be loving, and merciful, and kind; and never +stand for a moment in the hateful character of oppressors, where it is +alike your duty and your happiness to help the defenceless and to +protect the weak! +</p> + + + + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-top: 12em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/008.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="369" height="349" /> +</div> + +<h1> +Chapter IV. + +<span class="chapter_title">The Cat—The Cow—The Sheep—The Ass.</span> +</h1> + + +<p> +<span class="first_word">Poor</span> Puss! I have not so much to say for her as for the noble dog. The +cat is more selfish, and not so trustful; neither does she often show so +much affection for us. The cat’s habits are more like those of a wild +animal, than are the habits of any other of our domestic creatures. It +is hardly possible to keep her from straying about, or to teach her to +do no mischief. I have had a cat that would not steal, and a dog that +would: both proving that every rule has an exception. I often think, +when I see Puss watching for mice and birds, and choosing them rather +than meat, what a wonderful thing it is that God should have taught a +beast of prey to attach itself to man, so far as to rid him of other +creatures which, by increasing too fast, would eat up what he wants to +live upon. At the same time, I grieve to remember that this war between +us and the smaller animals, and between them and each other, comes from +our rebellion against God; and I dare not set one creature to destroy +another, any farther than is necessary for my own safety, and the +support of my family. +</p> + +<p> +Still the cat is an interesting animal, beautiful, cleanly, graceful, +and often very loving. A kitten is even more engaging than a puppy. Its +fun and frolic are more diverting because of its light, active +movements. A grave old cat, sitting in the sunshine, with her eyes half +shut, and a merry little kitten, playing with her tail, bounding over +her back, and comically boxing her ears, is a sight that I cannot help +stopping to admire. But how much to be pitied is a kitten in the hands +of children too young to know, or too cruel to care what pain they may +put it to! As to setting dogs to hunt and worry cats, or tormenting them +on purpose, as some will, I do not wish to think that anybody who can +read the Bible, or hear it read, is capable of such wickedness; nor +should I like to believe that anybody born in this free country, among a +brave people, could be so mean a coward. A boy may fancy himself very +courageous, if he is able and willing to fight anybody who doubts his +being so; but if he is capable of wantonly hurting one of God’s +creatures, when he gets it into his power, he is a real coward. He alone +is truly brave who fears none because he would injure none, but would +use all the strength and all the influence that he has, to protect the +weak from those who are too powerful for them. +</p> + +<p> +I have seen wild cats abroad: most terrible-looking they are, and more +dangerous than many larger animals. Nobody would offer to play any +unfeeling tricks with them; a single look from their fierce, fiery eyes, +glaring from the branches of a tree, round which they twist their long +tails, would send the boldest of you scampering away. They grow larger, +and their fur becomes much richer, when in a wild state. The good +providence of God supplies them with very warm, thick coat, when they +have no longer the benefit of a corner by the fireside. Oh that we would +learn lessons of tender mercy by seeing how compassionately the Lord +cares for the meanest creature that he has made! +</p> + +<p> +But about young kittens: there are two things, often done through +thoughtlessness, which are both very cruel indeed. One is to kill all +her little ones, which not only causes great distress, but severe pain +too, to the poor mother. God gives her milk to nourish the little +creatures, and if one is not left to draw it off, the animal suffers +much torment and fever from it. The other thing is one that no +kindhearted person could do, or allow to be done, after being once told +how exceedingly inhuman it is: I mean, putting the young ones to death +in the mother’s sight. The agonies of a bitch, when she sees her puppies +drowned, are really a call for divine vengeance on the wretch who could +purposely be guilty of such an outrage on the tenderest feelings of +nature. The cat, though inferior to the dog in many points, is a most +loving mother, and very sagacious in protecting her young. She will +often hide them so cunningly, that nobody can reach them; and I have +seen a family astonished by the return of a cat which they had supposed +was lost, with four or five wild-looking, lean kittens behind her, all +their faces being well scratched by the sticks or other rubbish among +which they were hidden. The dog never does so: its confiding character +leads it to commit its young to its master’s care, little as he +sometimes deserves such a trust. +</p> + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 2em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/009.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="367" height="343" /> +</div> + +<p> +Have you a cow? People who live in cities very seldom indeed have one; +but in the country, many, who are not rich, contrive to keep one; and a +more gentle, quiet, patient animal is not to be found. Jack’s mother +was a poor Irishwoman, but she had two cows, and sold their milk to +support her family. I have often met her, stepping so stately and +steadily, because she had a brim-full pail of milk balanced on her head, +and never even put up her hand to support it. Jack was very fond of his +mother; and next after his parents, brother, and sisters, he certainly +loved the cows. It was his business, when quite a little fellow, to +serve up to them the pail of hot potatoes in winter; and many a walk he +took to the green fields where they pastured in summer, to see that all +was safe and right about them. Three years after his leaving home, we +also kept a cow; and Jack insisted on having the care of it, and milking +it himself. It was quite a lesson to see how kind and thoughtful the +dumb boy was about the poor cow: and what a happy life she led under his +management might be easily known by her being always good-tempered and +fearless. Often, when standing on the lawn, feeding my chickens, I have +been surprised by finding her gently rubbing her horns against my +shoulder, and asking to be petted, as every animal will ask when +encouraged. She gave a great deal more milk than any one expected—for +kind usage is a wonderful help in making any creature thrive; and I +never shall forget the joyful looks of Jack, when, one morning, he came +jumping and skipping to me, spelling as fast as he could, “Cow baby—cow +baby.” He did not know the right name for a calf, and our cow had a very +pretty one, born in the night. +</p> + +<p> +Then Jack’s sweet disposition showed itself farther in the care that he +took not to distress the poor creatures more than was necessary. He did +not ill-use the cow for being unwilling to leave her young one, and very +eager to return to it again; nor did he frighten or hurt the tender +little calf for crying and struggling to get to its mother. In all these +things there is opportunity for being merciful and kind: and because +Satan knows that the Lord hates cruelty, and will punish those who +afflict his helpless creatures, there he chooses these occasions to +tempt people into the wanton wickedness of offending the Most High by +the abuse of such power as he has intrusted them with. Jack knew it. I +have seen the colour rise to his face, with the effort that he made to +overcome the impatience that was provoked by the eagerness of the +animals to break through the fence which separated them; but he did +overcome it, and said with a smile, “Poor baby cow! Jack not hurt—no; +God see!” Ah, it is a happy and a blessed thing to be able to rejoice +that God sees us! Less than three years after that, Jack was called to +appear before the Lord; and I am sure the recollection of having +purposely given pain to others never disturbed the quietness of his +death-bed. He felt the blessedness of having been merciful. For my own +part, I never can see a man or boy driving cattle with sticks and goads; +torturing the poor creatures for being tired, and lame, and thirsty, and +faint; and cruelly punishing them for wishing to rest, or do drink, or +to crop the green grass; or for being confused and frightened in the +noisy, crowded streets of a city, after the quiet country places that +they were reared in; I say, I never see such things without a feeling of +horror and dread: for the Lord God will surely call to a terrible +account those who act as if there were no just, holy, and merciful +Creator, to hear the cry of his tormented creatures, and to prove before +men and angels that they did not cry to him in vain. +</p> + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 2em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/010.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="371" height="351" /> +</div> + +<p> +The next animal that I shall talk to you about is the <strong style="font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: normal">sheep</strong>. People call +them “silly sheep,” because they are so easily frightened, and show very +little sense of judgment when running away. This is owing to their +being driven about. We seem to think it right to make every creature +afraid of us, and by that means we weaken their faculties; or, to speak +in common words, we frighten them out of their wits. In eastern +countries it is quite different. There the flocks are not driven, but +led. You will remember that beautiful description in the tenth chapter +of John, where our blessed Lord Jesus Christ compares himself to a +shepherd, and his people to sheep. It is now above eighteen hundred +years since He spoke those words; but travellers tell us that it is +exactly the same at this day. Speaking of the shepherd, our Lord says, +“The sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and +leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth +before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a +stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not +the voice of strangers.” Only fancy what a different sight it must be +from what we often witness! Instead of a poor, frightened, agitated +crowd of panting creatures, running here and there, with perhaps a man +or boy shouting after them, outspreading his arms to increase their +terror, and a rough dog jumping and barking among them, to see a +quiet-looking, happy flock walking after their shepherd, pressing +forward to get near him, and each coming readily when called by its +name. Of course, not being taught to run away from man, they are not +flurried and thrown into confusion so easily as ours are. But sheep are +always timid, weak, defenceless creatures, and therefore the Lord often +speaks of his disciples as sheep; because we are all as little able to +protest ourselves from our enemy, Satan, as a flock of sheep is to +defend itself from a wolf, or a lion; and he would have us keep close to +him for protection as the eastern sheep do to their careful shepherd. +</p> + +<p> +There is nothing to prevent our sheep from being as manageable as any +others. I once had a lamb given to me, because its mother could not +nurse it; and I kept it in some nice hay in a large basket, and fed it +with warm milk from the spout of a teapot. As it gained strength, I let +it run about the house, and it was a droll sight to see the big lamb +come bouncing and scampering into a room full of company, hunting the +cat about, leaping over chairs, and playing just like a frolicsome +kitten. If I walked out, it would, like the eastern sheep, follow me. I +have taken it for miles along the public road, and never saw it appear +frightened. It was stolen and killed before it became quite a sheep; but +I have no doubt it would have continued as tame, and as bold, and as +happy. If you look into the faces of a flock of sheep, you will see a +great variety of countenances among them, and some are very intelligent. +There is a field near me, where I often go to walk; and a number of +young sheep in it have taken such a fancy to Bronti, that when he stands +still they will come almost close to him, the ram foremost, as if +wishing to play with him; but if he goes towards them, off they trot, +poor things, to the other end of the field. +</p> + +<p> +Not long ago, I saw something that made me quite unhappy; and indeed it +was one reason for my writing this little book. A boy was driving a few +sheep, and he got them into a corner, on some very high ground, from +which they could not possibly get away without jumping down where they +must have broken their necks, or limbs. Then this bad boy called +another, and they both took up large stones that were lying about the +road, and threw them at the innocent sheep—or rather lambs, for they +were not full grown. I saw them hit on their heads and eyes, and nearly +mad with pain and terror. I never saw a more cruel thing: I thought +Bronti would have seized the boys, he was so angry. I could not help +thinking how awful would be the state of those boys, if they were cut +off by death in such wickedness. Alas! the agonies of one hour +hereafter, would be worse than all the tortures that could be inflicted +on God’s creatures during their whole lives. But instead of an hour, it +is for ever and ever that all who go to that dreadful place of +punishment must remain. It made me very miserable to see the poor lambs +so cruelly hurt, and to think what judgment those boys were bringing on +themselves. I ran for Bronti’s master, and we met the bruised, bleeding +little innocents limping along, and the inhuman boy, tired of his savage +sport, following them. We stopped him, and that gentleman spoke very +plainly to him of his sin, and God’s anger. The boy looked alarmed, but +sulky; and I sadly fear he was hardening his young heart against the +Lord. Let us pray that we may be kept from hardness of heart, and made +tender to keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man. +</p> + +<p> +It was a donkey-boy who had helped the other to throw stones at the +lambs; and this reminds me that I have something to say about the ass; +the most despised and the worst-used of all animals, and yet the one on +which the greatest honour has been put, being chosen for its humble, +gentle, patient character to assist in setting forth the wonderful +humiliation of the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who in the greatness +of his everlasting majesty and power condescended to stoop low for our +sakes. I think you will remember at once what I mean. In the ninth +chapter of the book of Zechariah, it is written, “Rejoice greatly, O +daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King +cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding +upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” +</p> + +<p> +And you know how this was fulfilled. When our Lord Jesus was about to +enter, for the last time, into the holy city of Jerusalem, before his +enemies had laid their cruel hands on him, he sent two of the disciples, +saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway +ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring +them unto me. They did so; and this meek and lowly Saviour, this King of +heaven and earth, descended from the mount of Olives, and rode into +Jerusalem, not as the monarchs of this world ride, on a fiery war-horse +with proud trappings and surrounded by gleaming swords and spears. No, +the blessed Jesus chose no such pomp. He made choice of the humble, +despised ass; her trappings were the outer garments of those poor men, +fishermen and such like, who followed him; and who took them off, to +make, as it were, a saddle and saddle-cloth for their beloved Master; +while others, seeing that no more were wanted for that purpose, spread +theirs on the ground that he might ride over them. Ah, the day will come +when the King of kings and Lord of lords shall ride in vengeance over +the persons of his rebellious enemies, as he then rode in meek and +lowly state over the garments of his loving friends. And, as you would +avoid his wrath on that terrible day, provoke him not now by wanton +cruelty to the creatures which he has made. He is very, very merciful to +them, and to you. They do you no wrong; do no wrong to them. +</p> + +<p> +How often have I thought of that beautiful scene on the green side of +the gently sloping mount of Olives, which rises eastward of the city of +Jerusalem, with the brook Kedron sparkling at its feet! You know the +Bible tells us, concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, that by Him God made +the world; and again, “All things were made by him, and without him was +not any thing made that was made.” Yet he, the Maker of all things, took +upon him the nature of man; and so you see, for once, a poor animal +enjoyed even greater privilege and happiness than when the creatures +were first brought to Adam; and that animal was no other than the +persecuted ass! The Lord showed his tenderness in not separating the +dam from her young one: He commanded both to be brought; and the little +creature tripped so happily beside its mother, while both enjoyed the +sheltering protection of Him who made the worlds! Yes, I very often +think of this, when I see the cruelties committed on some overworked +animal, in a cart, or ridden by an unfeeling person; and the mischief, +the wicked mischief, that Satan finds for idle hands to do, in the +field, or by the way-side, where the poor ass is quietly nibbling at +such coarse weeds as neither horse, nor cow, nor sheep would touch. The +little foal too, with its innocent face, and broad forehead covered with +shaggy hair, looking as if it longed to have a game of play with you. +Can you put it to pain? Alas! it has a life of cruel labour and +suffering before it: and you should not be so inhuman as to rob it of +its very short time of freedom and repose. Some boys are cruel on +purpose. Satan leads them captive at his will; and if they continue to +do his wicked will, they must expect to be with him for ever in the +place of fire. But many are cruel from thoughtlessness only; and I hope +this little book will lead such to reflect, and to cease from what is a +great sin against God, whether they think it to be so or not. +</p> + +<p> +I have said nothing about the wonderful story of an ass which you will +find in the book of Numbers, chapter xxii.: you can read it for +yourselves. I will finish this subject by giving you a text from the +wise and gracious laws which it pleased the Lord God to lay down for his +people Israel, when he was himself their own King. It is a most +beautiful precept: it teaches at once to overcome an evil feeling +against a fellow-man, and to show mercy to a suffering animal. “If thou +see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest +forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him,” Ex. xxiii. 5; and +in the 12th verse we read a reason given for keeping holy and quiet the +Sabbath day, “that thine ox and thine ass may rest.” +</p> + +<p> +This is a long chapter; but I had a good deal to say in it, and I hope +you are not tired, and that you will think it over, and pray God to +enable you to profit by it. +</p> + +<div class="illustration"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/011.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="267" height="221" /> +</div> + + + + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-top: 12em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/012.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="495" height="382" /> +</div> + +<h1> +Chapter V. + +<span class="chapter_title">Bears, Monkeys, Rats.</span> +</h1> + + +<p> +<span class="first_word">Now</span>, I think, you are laughing at the heading of this chapter, and +wondering what I can have to say about such creatures; but wait a +little, and you will find I am not afraid to put in a good word for +them. You must know that I once had a young bear, a mere cub, which was +given to me by one of the wild Indians, as they are called. These +Indians, by the way, are not half so wild as some boys of my +acquaintance, who are a great deal better taught; and they were very +fond of me—merely because it pleased God to keep me mindful of a +gracious command which he has given us. You will find it in the first +Epistle of Peter, chap. ii., verse 17: “Honour all men.” Man, whether he +be black, or white, or tawny; whether he be rich or poor, bond or free; +man was at first made in the image of God, and would have kept the image +if Adam had not sinned and lost it; so that none of his posterity are +now born in that holy, happy state in which Adam was created. But then, +lost as man is, and deprived of all honour, it pleased the eternal Son +of God to take upon Him the name and the nature of man, free from all +its sinfulness, though deprived of its first glory, and this he did that +he might, by suffering death, atone for the sin of the world. So now, as +there is no person so miserable, so despised, or even so sinful, that by +coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, and believing in Him alone, he may not +have his sins blotted out, and himself made an inheritor of the kingdom +of heaven, I am sure that every man ought to be treated with some +respect, as one of that race whom God created, and for whom Christ died. +Indeed, it would be enough for me, if only the Bible said, “Honour all +men,” without my being able to see why I ought to do so. It is my duty +to obey every one of my Lord’s commands: but it is very pleasant to +think about his gracious commandments, and to see, as we must then do, +how very lovely they are. Now you know why I treated the wild Indians of +the woods with gentle, kind respect; and they felt it, and loved me +greatly, and used to bring me their little gifts. One day, two rough +Indian men came to me, in their very strange dresses, with their stiff +black hair hanging down, never having been combed in their lives, I +should think. They each brought a young bear into my large kitchen; and +while I told them to sit down and eat something, the two cubs began to +examine the place for themselves. It was a funny sight, so I will tell +you about it. +</p> + +<p> +Under a table, there lay a good long barrel on its side, and two very +friendly cats had each got some kittens in it. They had made themselves +little beds in the straw, one near the mouth of the barrel, the other +farther in. So one young bear, (they were but a few weeks old, poor +little animals!) in the course of his travels about the kitchen, poked +his nose into this barrel, and out flew the old gray cat, in a great +rage, or fright, I hardly know which, and began to spit most furiously +at the cub, who ran away as fast as he could, into a distant corner, +followed by puss. She did not choose to go too near such an odd-looking +creature; but sat watching him, to prevent his leaving that corner. +</p> + +<p> +Meantime, the other cub, thinking, I suppose, that, “as the cat was +away, the bear might play”—at least with the kittens, went boldly close +to the barrel, when lo! out sprang the tortoise-shell cat from the +farther end, and this master Bruin was not slower than his brother in +scampering away, the cat following him also. No harm was done; none of +them had any wish to fight, and the scene was so droll that the +servants were in fits of laughter; while the Indians, who I must tell +you are very grave, and even sad-looking people, and seldom seen to +smile, for once laughed heartily too. I took pity upon the frightened +cub, at whom the gray cat was still growling and spitting, and took him +up my arms; for which he seemed so thankful, that I continued to stroke +his shaggy coat, until one of the Indians, with a grin, offered to give +him to me. I accepted him, making a present in return; and for some days +I took delight in my bargain; for he was a most innocent little +creature, and played merrily with a puppy dog: but those who understood +the nature of a bear better than I did, persuaded me to give him up; +because they had known a young lady who was killed by a tame bear in a +sudden passion. +</p> + +<p> +But I want to convince you how wrong we are in treating any animal as if +it could not feel attachment to us. Some soldiers’ wives used to pet my +little cub, even with tears in their eyes; and they told me the reason. +They said, that a short time before, the regiment to which they belonged +was quartered in Canada, and the soldiers had a bear, which they brought +up tame. This creature had a strange office—he was nurse to all the +babies in the barrack. So great was his love for them, that whenever the +mothers wanted to have their infants well taken care of, they would +place them under this animal’s charge, who was delighted to smooth for +them the clean soft straw that they gave him; and whose tender care over +the babes was, they told me, the most beautiful thing ever seen. The +poor bear was always trying to help and oblige his friends; and on +washing days he had plenty of babies to mind, when the weather was mild +enough to have them out of doors; but one cold day they were all left +within, and the bear had nothing to do. So, seeing a woman leave her +washing-tub, which she had just filled with boiling water, he thought he +would do some of her work, and put his paws into it: the pain made him +snatch them out, and in so doing he upset the tub—all the scalding +water fell over him—and his agonies were such that, in mercy, some +soldier shot him dead at once. The women, when they told me this, sobbed +with grief, saying, “He was so kind to our babies! he would have died in +their defence, poor fellow!” I assure you, that when I see a poor bear +led through the streets, chained, beaten, and made to dance, as they +call it, which it is taught to do by cruel tortures, I always remember +this story; and think, how much love and gratitude might that miserable +sufferer feel, and how happy he might be made, if those who have taken +him from his native woods, and made a slave of him, would only show +mercy now instead of such barbarity! We often hear the expression, “As +savage as a bear;” but, I fear, in general, the man is the greater +savage of the two. +</p> + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 2em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/013.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="366" height="393" /> +</div> + +<p> +<strong style="font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: normal">Monkeys</strong> are diverting creatures; and if you saw their fun and frolic +where they have liberty among the boughs of a tree, you would not know +how to leave off laughing. It is a different thing, however, to see +them also chained, and beaten, and with their limbs confined in +unnatural clothing, forced by fear, and hunger, and pain, to play the +antics which they would do of their own accord if treated differently. I +never could understand how people can be amused by any thing that causes +pain to the creature doing it. They must either be very stupid, or very +hard-hearted. Want of thought is a great cause of needless cruelty, I +know; and I am trying to put some kind thoughts into your heads, which +you may be thankful for when you are older. I can tell you one thing, +which is, that it is impossible for a cruel man to be happy: it is +entirely <strong style="font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: normal">impossible</strong>. He may laugh and shout, and sing, and dance, and +tell you that he is very happy; but it is not so. There is in his heart +something always whispering, “Your turn will come. The great God, the +holy, just, merciful God, whose creatures you now torment, sees it all, +knows it all; and he will punish you. Every one of us must appear before +the judgment-seat of Christ, to give an account of the things done in +the body; and you will be forced to own all your cruelties, before +angels and men: and then what follows? ‘<strong style="font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: normal">He shall have judgment without +mercy who hath shown no mercy!</strong>’” A bad man will never confess to you +that such is his feeling: for bad men always will try to make you as bad +as themselves: but now, mind, after what I have told you, if you have +not the same terror of God’s vengeance coming over you when you do a +cruel thing. If not, it is because you are already hardened by Satan; +but I should grieve to think it was so with you. Oh! remember that the +blessed Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil; and pray to him +now to deliver you from the power of that evil one. He will hear, and +help, and save. +</p> + +<p> +Even as to animals that we may destroy when they injure us, we should +not forget the good they also do: as an instance, the <strong style="font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: normal">rat</strong> may be +mentioned. It is, indeed, a very troublesome and sometimes dangerous +creature: it will kill and carry off young chickens, pigeons, and other +defenceless things; besides making sad havoc among the grain and +eatables of every sort. It is often more than a match for a grown +kitten, or even a weak cat: and where they are in numbers, they have +been known to overpower a man. I confess, the rat is a very disagreeable +enemy, whom we may fairly get rid of when we can. But when it is +necessary to kill them, we should do it mercifully; do not put them to +needless pain. Why should you? Is it manly? Is it generous? Is it what +you think God will approve? Will it make you wiser, or better, or +happier to feel that you are giving pain to a poor creature? +</p> + +<div class="illustration"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/014.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="352" height="259" /> +</div> + + + + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-top: 12em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/015.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="515" height="455" /> +</div> + +<h1> +Chapter VI. + +<span class="chapter_title">Birds.</span> +</h1> + + +<p> +<span class="first_word">Having</span> now, I think, mentioned all the “four-footed beasts” about which +I had any thing particular to say, I will pass on to another and still +more beautiful portion of God’s handy-work—the birds. The account of +their creation is thus given: “And God said, Let the waters bring forth +abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly +above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great +whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought +forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his +kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be +fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl +multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth +day.” The beasts were not made until the sixth day; so that, if I had +been writing a history of the creation, I should have put the birds and +fishes first. Notice these expressions, “God saw that it was good; and +God blessed them.” Every thing when it came from his glorious hand was +very good; and man was the only being who became bad by his own fault, +despised the blessing, and brought the curse on himself, with all its +sad consequences to the whole earth and every creature. “God blessed +them;” and what right have we to make their little lives miserable? This +thought has often come over me when I have seen any cruel thing done. +God said, that the fowl were to “fly above the earth, in the open +firmament of heaven;” but he has made some fowls that are very useful to +man, willing to stay upon the earth. If hens and ducks were to lay their +eggs in high trees, and among rocks, as many birds do, we should get +very few of them; and as they lay many more than they can hatch, it +would be a great and wasteful loss. By this we are sure that poultry was +intended for our use; and if you take care not to frighten or tease +them, you may bring up chickens to be as tame and familiar as dogs or +cats. I remember a droll proof of this. Once, out of a great many fowls, +belonging to a dear friend in whose house I lived, there was only one +that would not be friends with me. She was a fine old speckled black and +white hen, very wild; and her running away from me vexed me; for I +cannot bear that any one of God’s creatures should think I would be so +cruel as to hurt it. Well, I set myself to wheedle this hen into being +on better terms; taking crumbs to her, and persuading her by degrees to +feed from my hand, like the rest. This was very good: but it did not +stop here. Whether Mrs. Hen was flattered by so much attention, or +whether she was desirous of making up for her former rudeness, or how it +was, I don’t know; but she became so unreasonably fond of me, that if a +door or window were opened she would pop in to look for her friend, +running up and down stairs, into the parlour, the drawing-room, the +bed-rooms, and making no little work for the servants. At first, every +body was amused at it; but, after a time, the poor hen became so +troublesome that we were obliged to give her away. Jack, the dumb boy, +would put his hands to his sides, and laugh till he lost his breath, to +see “my fat hen,” as he called her, waddling after me, without minding +either dogs or strangers, and he was in great trouble when she was sent +away. Jack’s care of the poultry, and his anxiety to prevent their being +hunted, or hurt, would have delighted you. Nothing pleased him better +than to see that fine fellow, the cock, when he had scratched up or +found any nice thing, calling the hens and chickens about him, bidding +them take it, and never seeming even to wish for it himself. Jack used +to say, “Good; beautiful! God made poor bird.” When he was a little boy, +he had seen some cock-fighting; and he used to tell me of it, in his +way, with so much grief and anger. He said, “God see bad man hurt poor +birds—make birds fight.” The tears would come into his eyes, when he +thought how the birds were tortured; but he always ended by pitying the +men and boys who suffered Satan to tempt them into such wickedness, for +which they would be dreadfully punished at last. +</p> + +<p> +Jack was very fond of small birds: I suppose you think, then, that he +had some in a cage; and that he caught them in traps, for he was very +ingenious. No; Jack would as soon, and sooner, have gone to prison +himself. He could not bear the idea of imprisoning a bird. Canaries, +indeed, and such others as could not live in our cold climate, and +which, having been hatched in a cage, would not have known how to use +their liberty, he did not object to, but took great pleasure in giving +them pans or saucers of clean water, to bathe themselves in; and plenty +of fresh sand, and nice food: but most birds he could not bear to see +within the bars of a prison. The robin, the thrush, the blackbird, the +linnet, the sparrow, he knew it was a sin to deprive of their liberty. I +have seen him persuade other boys to break their traps, or to let the +poor frightened captives go: and I have seen him clap his hands with joy +as they spread out their pretty wings, and flew “above the earth, in the +open firmament of heaven,” as they were made to do; but I do not believe +that a whole pocket full of silver and gold would have tempted Jack to +catch and sell a bird. Indeed, I am sure it would not; for he knew that +neither silver nor gold, nor any thing that is to be bought with them, +would make a person’s heart feel happy; and that the commission of a sin +would make him feel very unhappy; for nothing was so dreadful to Jack as +the idea of offending his gracious God, or grieving the Holy Spirit, +who dwells in the heart of every true believer. Now, perhaps, you will +say, “I would not catch and sell birds to put money in my own pocket; +but may I not do it to earn a little for those who really want it?” But +robbing is not earning. If you catch a bird, or a fish, not belonging to +another person, to kill and eat it, or to sell or to give it to others +for food, you do what God has permitted; and if it is done for this +purpose, and not for sport, nobody can blame you. But, though the Lord +has given you the bodies of his creatures for food, he has never given +you their natural liberty, either for your amusement or profit. +</p> + +<p> +As for keeping birds in a cage to sing, if you look at the hundred and +fourth Psalm, you will find that they were made to “sing among the +branches.” Go into the fields, and listen to their happy little songs of +liberty, and take from them a lesson of thankful joy: or, if you want +them at home, put crumbs and grains of corn on the windows, and they +will learn to come and pick them up, and thank you with their merry +notes. Only do not be so mean and treacherous as to draw a snare or +close a trap over the poor things when they come, as they think, to be +fed by your bounty. People who love music so well as to make an innocent +creature miserable that they may enjoy its songs will wish, some day, +that they had been born deaf. +</p> + +<p> +But there is one thing that I am sorry to see many boys doing every +spring, and which they cannot defend by any such excuses. I often wonder +who was the first to begin such a disgraceful custom, the most cruel, +senseless, and babyish piece of folly: I mean what is called +bird-nesting. God said to the creatures, “Be fruitful and +multiply,”—“let fowl multiply in the earth.” At the same time, He gave +them a wonderful instinct and skill, such as man’s reason cannot +imitate. The birds must keep their eggs very warm for a certain number +of days, to bring to life the little creatures that are forming within +them; and the eggs being so very delicate and brittle, they must also +have a soft place to lie in, close enough for the bird’s body to cover +them all; and be out of reach of rats, and other enemies. So, when the +bird is going to lay, she and her mate set to work, and what wonderful +work it is! These little creatures, without any hands, or even paws like +four-footed animals, to help them, and with only the bits of stick, hay, +grass, dead leaves, wool, hairs, and moss, that they can pick up with +their bills, presently form a soft, snug, warm, strong apartment, as +round as a tea-cup, and exactly of the proper size; placed, too, where +it will be little seen, sheltered above from the wet, yet airy enough to +keep it fresh and wholesome, and so smooth on the inside that even the +delicate naked body of a bird just hatched cannot be made uneasy by a +rough point. It costs the parent-birds a great deal of trouble; and if +you leave a nest untouched from one year to another, neither disturbing +the eggs nor the nestings, you will find it the next spring nicely +repaired and new lined, and a new family in it. Oh! I do wish that boys, +remembering how, by the goodness of our equal laws, a poor man’s house +is his castle, would let a poor bird’s little nest be its castle too! He +is the bravest boy who will defend the weak from the strong; and he is +the best boy who loves and is kind to the least of God’s creatures for +the sake of the glorious Creator. +</p> + +<p> +But perhaps you may say, “Well, I will not spoil the nest; I will only +take the eggs.” No, pray do not take the eggs. What pleasure in the +world can a parcel of little eggs afford you, compared with the delight +that the poor harmless mother takes in them as she sits in her warm +house, of her own making, listening for the first faint chirp of the +tiny creature within? Birds only bring up one family in a year; and if +you take from them the eggs that are to produce that one, you rob them +of all the happiness for which they took so much trouble. You are not +enough of a hen to hatch the eggs, though you may be enough of a goose +to try: then think, and be too much of a man to do such a silly, cruel +thing. You like, perhaps, to blow the inside out, and string the shells +in a row. Oh you thoughtless child! You must certainly be a very little +child to take pleasure in such a babyish thing; and you are very, very +thoughtless and wrong to do it at the expense of a poor innocent bird +which never injured or wished to injure you, though you can rob it of +all its delight, to please such a silly fancy. If you want a pretty +thing to ornament your room, go and pick up some round, clear pebbles, +of different colours, and give one side of them a polish at the +grindstone; then get some pieces of brick, and join them together in the +shape of an arch, or any thing you fancy, with a little mortar; spread +more mortar, thick and rough, over the front, and, while it is wet, +stick in your pebbles, with the shining side outmost, with bits of +glass, moss, sealing-wax, and any gay thing that comes in your way. I +have seen such pretty contrivances, and have said to myself, “The boy +who made this is skilful, and may come to be a good builder, or other +artisan, some day;” but when I see bird’s eggshells hung up, I turn away +with a feeling of pain, because I know that somebody must be there, +either idle and cruel, or encouraging their children to be so. +</p> + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 2em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/016.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="368" height="329" /> +</div> + +<p> +But there is something far worse than this. When the mother bird has +made her nest, and sat long days and nights on her eggs, and heard the +little ones chirp within, and helped them to break the thin shell, and +felt their little warm bodies cuddling themselves among her soft +feathers, and seen their yellow beaks open to ask her for the food that +it gives such joy to her affectionate heart to put into them; oh, THEN, +can you turn all her honest happiness into misery and mourning, and kill +those baby-birds with a miserable death, by cold and hunger, if not by +other tortures. If ever you have done this, pray to the Lord God to +forgive your sin, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Do you think He will forgive +you? Yes, you say, because he is very merciful. Indeed he is and for +that very reason he hates cruelty: but while you look to the Lord’s +mercy for pardon, you must steadily resolve to offend no more by doing +what he hates; else you only mock him. +</p> + +<p> +I do not myself understand how anybody can bear to hurt little birds, +they are such endearing creatures; but I have seen it with my own eyes, +and am obliged to believe it. Bad example will go a great way. Boys, and +men too, will do what they see others do, without stopping to think of +the great truth that God sees them too. But, then, good example goes +far also; and the person who is careful not to do wrong has the comfort +of knowing that he is showing others the right way. While I write this +little book, I am praying to the Lord to make it the means of persuading +many young readers to be merciful; and that their good example will +persuade many more, who may not see the book; and so good will be done, +greater than you now think. +</p> + +<p> +I have a cockatoo. A friend brought him from India, and a funny bird he +is, but terribly noisy. He soon began to bark like Fid, and to growl +like Bronti; to cackle like the hens, and to imitate every loud noise +that he heard. We hoped, if he had a good teacher, he would learn to +sing, instead of making such a riot, as he whistles uncommonly well +after his master. So we went to buy a Canary bird, and you may be sure +we bought two; for it is very cruel to shut up a bird alone in a cage. +The cockatoo is not in a cage, but on a stand, dancing and chattering +all day. We put our canaries into a very large cage, with a good-sized +pan of fresh water every day, clean gravel, and plenty of seed. Nothing +could be happier, or tamer, than these little things; but one day the +hen got at some green paper, which she pecked at through the wires, and +the stuff that coloured it killed her at once. We got another directly +in her place, and there they are in the sunshine, on a table close by +me, splashing the paper on which I write with the water; for they +delight to plunge into it, till they are wet in every feather. Nothing +is more necessary to animals and birds than plenty of fresh water. My +pigeons have a pan of it to wash in, and it wants changing several times +a day; and you do not know how much birds in confinement suffer if that +is neglected. A glass hung outside, if always kept full, is good to +drink out of; but a bath <em>in</em> the cage is the great luxury. +</p> + +<p> +Perhaps you will ask, Has the cockatoo learned to sing? No, I am sorry +to say, he is as noisy as ever, and not at all musical. We keep him +quiet by giving him sticks to break, and knotted cord to untie; and when +he has been good I take him on my lap, and rub his head and wings, which +he greatly likes. I never yet saw the animal, down to a little mouse, +that would not be fond of those who treated it tenderly; and the +pleasure of being loved is so great, that I only wonder how anybody can +neglect to win the love of the creatures which were made for man’s use +and benefit. There is a wonderful deal of happiness among them, showing +how, as the Psalm says, the Lord’s “tender mercies are over all his +works;” and a little kindness makes them so familiar, that we are always +reminded how sociable they were with Adam in the garden of Eden; and how +happy they and we should all be together now, if sin had not entered +into the world to destroy the beauty and blessedness that were upon +every thing when God first made them, and saw that they were all “very +good.” +</p> + + + + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-top: 12em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/017.jpg" alt="[Illustration]" width="386" height="494" /> +</div> + +<h1> +Chapter VII. + +<span class="chapter_title">Fishes—Insects.</span> +</h1> + + +<p> +<span class="first_word">A story</span> about Jack. When he was a little fellow, soon after he came to +me, and before he knew many words, he made me understand that he wanted +a very long, slender stick. I asked a gardener of a friend, and he cut +him a fine one from a particular sort of tree. Then Jack laid out a +penny, all that he had, on a coarse bit of line, such as fishermen use; +and, lastly, he came to me for some large pins: one of which he bent +like a hook; explaining to me that he was going to dig for worms to put +upon it, that he might fish. I shook my head, saying, “No.” Jack nodded +his head, and said “Yes.” I said “bad;” Jack said “good;” and then I +took up his little red hand, and pretended I was going to run the hook +through the flesh. He snatched it away in a fright, saying “Bad, bad!” +but I nodded, and said “Good, good!” He said, “Bad Mam, hurt Jack!” and +I answered, “Bad Jack, hurt worm: God made Jack—God made worm.” He +shook his head, and said, “No;” and what do you think was the reason he +gave? He reminded me that God is high up above, and that the worms come +from below, under the ground. The little fellow did not know that the +world is round; he thought it was flat: still less did he then +understand that God is everywhere, and made all things, above and +beneath. Then I told him that the Lord did so; and that worms and other +things were put into the earth by him, even as we were made to walk upon +its surface. Jack considered a little; and then said the worms were +rolled up in the world as apples were in a dumpling, and that they eat +their way through the crust. It was an odd idea, and made me smile; on +which he said, “Good,” and told me he would fish with a piece of meat or +bread for a bait. +</p> + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 2em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/018.jpg" title="The tadpole or young frog." alt="[Illustration: The tadpole or young frog.]" width="376" height="306" /> +<div class="caption">The tadpole or young frog.</div> +</div> + +<p> +Next morning, Jack came to me, and after reminding me of this, he asked +me if God also made the little newts, tadpoles, and frogs, and other +things that he had seen in the muddy ditches? I replied, “Yes, all.” +“Did God make fishes?” “Oh yes,” I answered, “he made fishes and every +thing.” Then, in a very lively manner, he made me understand, that if +God did not like to have him hurt the worms, neither would he like to +have him hurt the fish. “Poor fish!” he said, showing me how its mouth +would be torn by the hook; and then, to my surprise, he got a small +hatchet, and chopped up his fine fishing-rod into walking-sticks; and +from that day he could never bear to see anybody angling. He used to +tell him, if they wanted to fish to eat or sell, to catch them with a +net, and to kill them at once; and I believe that the sight of the deaf +and dumb boy, taking such pains to plead for the creatures which are not +only dumb, but have no way of pleading for themselves, was the means of +checking many persons in cruel practices. He knew very little compared +with what you, perhaps, know; but he knew one blessed truth—he knew +that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that +whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting +life;” and by always thinking on this great mercy of God to man, and the +exceeding love of our Lord Jesus Christ, in dying for poor sinners like +us, Jack came to hate whatever he knew to be displeasing to that +gracious Lord and heavenly Father; and the happiness that he felt in his +own soul made him delight in seeking the happiness of every creature +around him. +</p> + +<p> +Jack died of a slow decline. He had much pain, but I never saw him look +impatient or unhappy. He felt what David so beautifully describes in the +twenty-third Psalm: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of +death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” He knew quite well +that he was going to die; but it never made him uneasy. He knew that God +was at peace with him, through the merits of the Redeemer; and he was at +peace with all the world. His dying pillow was not made a pillow of +thorns by the remembrance of having made any living thing suffer +torment; nor were his short sleeps disturbed by terrible dreams of what +he had forgotten until the time drew near to appear before God. I could +tell fearful stories of some who died as young as Jack, and whose +death-beds can never be forgotten by those who saw them. They had been +cruel to God’s dumb creatures, and never gave a thought to what they had +done; but when death was near, when the poor weak body could not rise +from the bed, nor the soul be any longer deceived with the thought of +years to come, it was horrible to hear the cries they uttered, and the +wild things that they said about beasts, and birds, and insects tortured +by them in the days of their health and strength. There was one in +particular, a butcher’s boy, who could not be comforted: he said, the +calves, the sheep, and the lambs, had provoked him by their +unwillingness to be caught and driven into the slaughter-yard, and he +had revenged himself by making their deaths as painful as he could; and +that he saw them then—whether his eyes were open or shut, he always saw +them—all bleeding, and torn, and struggling, as they used to do: and +whatever was said to him, or whatever noise was made, he heard their +cries of agony louder than all. When he was told that God was merciful, +he answered, “Yes; but I had no mercy, and there is no mercy for me.” I +wish I could tell you that he died praying for pardon; but, alas! he +died shrieking out that he must go to hell. At that time, I was asked to +write a book about it, to warn others; but I was so much shocked that I +could not write about it. I mention it now, to show you that sometimes, +even in this world, the dreadful work of judgment is begun—judgment +without mercy, to those who show no mercy. +</p> + +<p> +But you must not suppose that Jack’s happiness and peace, and confidence +in God, came from any thing that he had done, or any thing that he had +refrained from doing. No, it was all from believing with his whole heart +that God loved him for the sake of his dear son, the Lord Jesus Christ. +Now, if Jack has said, or fancied, that he loved God, and had at the +same time been cruel, or lived in any other sin, it would have proved +that he was mistaken, and he would have had no real peace. If you pass +by a garden and see clusters of fine ripe grapes hanging from the boughs +of a tree, and anybody should say to you, “That’s a fine vine,” you +would agree with him at once; but if he pointed to a tree where +horse-chestnuts were growing, and called it a vine, you would laugh at +him; you know the difference between a sweet juicy grape, and a hard, +bitter, uneatable horse-chestnut. Yet you would not say that the grapes +made the vine, would you? No, they did not make it a vine, but they +proved it to be one. If a boy were to tie bunches of grapes to a +horse-chestnut tree, and tell you it was a vine, you would say no, it is +not a real vine—the fruit did not grow upon it. +</p> + +<p> +In this way, I may say that I knew Jack to be a true child of God: +because the fruit of good works grew upon him. It was not in look only, +but really and indeed, that he was the character I have described; and +if you read carefully, very carefully, the fifteenth chapter of St. +John’s Gospel, you will see what I mean. In that beautiful chapter, our +Lord Jesus Christ compares himself to a vine, his people to the +branches, and the good works that they do to the grapes; and he shows us +that if we do not really belong to him, and keep close to him, (which we +can only do by believing and praying,) then we are like the branches cut +off from the vine, which cannot possibly bring forth any grapes. You may +think little of this now; but you must think of it, whether you will or +no, when you come to die. Perhaps you say to yourself, “Ay, but when I +come to die, I will pray, and make my peace with God.” Do not deceive +yourself with such a vain hope: there is a very terrible warning given +in the first chapter of Proverbs, which you must not forget. The Lord is +addressing such as mean to put off repenting and praying, and serving +him, to another time, when sickness or some other calamity shall +frighten them into calling on him for pardon and help. These are the +words: “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my +hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and +would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity; I will +mock when your fear cometh, when your fear cometh as desolation, and +your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh +upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they +shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hate +knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of +my counsel: they despised all my reproof.” Does not this alarm you? Then +do not be found a day longer among those who refuse to hear the gracious +voice of the Lord Jesus, who invites you to come to him for eternal +life; and who will, if you ask it in his name, send the Holy Spirit to +guide you in the good way, and make you real branches of the good Vine, +as he made the dumb boy. When Jack was eleven years old, he became a +true servant of the Lord; and he died at nineteen, and went to live in +heaven with the blessed Master whom he had delighted to serve upon +earth. +</p> + +<p> +His religion made him so happy, there was not a merrier boy to be found. +Some people will tell you that being religious makes a boy feel dull and +melancholy. Ask them if they think you so silly as to believe that +walking in the summer sunshine will make you feel dark and cold? True +religion is to man what the bright sunshine is to the little insects +that sport upon the wing, and who find in it not only their light but +their life. +</p> + +<div class="illustration" style="margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 2em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/019.jpg" title="The woolly bear caterpillar." alt="[Illustration: The woolly bear caterpillar.]" width="347" height="303" /> +<div class="caption">The woolly bear caterpillar.</div> +</div> + +<p> +Does any boy’s conscience smite him at my naming the insects? I hope +not. I hope you have not been tempted by Satan to do any harm to the +little harmless, and often useful, creatures that cross your path. A +butterfly, a cockchaffer, a house-fly, a snail, a caterpillar, a +worm—these, and all others, are God’s handy-work; and if you could see +them through a glass that magnifies very much indeed, you would be more +astonished than I can tell you. The small powder, scarcely seen on your +finger’s end, from the wing of a butterfly, is a lump of the most +beautiful feathers, so delicate that the gentlest touch will rub some of +them off: the wing itself is made of lovely net-work, like silver +threads, stretched on strong wires; and all the skill of all the most +skilful men in the world could make nothing to equal the coarsest part +of the plainest insect. But it is not their beauty—though we ought to +see and to glorify the Creator’s hand in that—it is their delicate +sense of feeling that should keep us from hurting them. The common worm +is very useful in dividing the clods of earth, which would otherwise +become so hard as to prevent the fine fibres of the roots of plants from +forcing their way, and then the plants would die. Man has not discovered +all the uses of the different insects; but God has made nothing in vain: +and though, for our own safety and comfort, we must destroy some sorts, +still we are bound to do it in the quickest and most complete manner, or +else we must give an account to their Creator and ours for the cruelty +we commit. I have killed insects myself, for no reason but because I saw +that they must fall into the hands of boys, or others, whom I knew to be +so dreadfully wicked as to take pleasure in torturing them; but I did it +sorrowfully; feeling that I could not give life to the meanest reptile, +and that I must be able to render to God a reason for taking it away. I +have found poor harmless insects alive, most cruelly maimed, with their +wings or legs torn off, or their bodies pierced through; and I shuddered +to think how the eye of God was fixed on those who did it, never losing +sight of them; and I have prayed that he would change their wicked +hearts before it was too late. +</p> + +<p> +And now I have finished my book. While I was writing it, more than a few +funerals passed my window, the coffins being those of very young people; +and this made me more anxious to go on; for I thought to myself, +“Perhaps some boy or girl will read it who has never thought rightly +about these things, and will presently determine not to go on in sin, +but to become merciful and obedient, and all that they ought to be.” If +they try to do this of themselves, they will soon find that the sinful +nature of Adam is too strong in them; and the more they try to mend +themselves, they will find Satan is the more busy, leading them into +more wickedness. Then, perhaps, they will mind what I have said about +the need not only of pardon, but of help from the Lord Jesus Christ. +They will pray to God, for his sake, to give them a new heart, holy, +humble, obedient, and merciful. This prayer will be heard; for our +gracious God hears and answers the prayer of the poorest child as +readily as that of the mightiest king. Then they will know what it +really is to love God, and to keep his commandments, because they love +him; and what a sweet example they will set to others, and how happy +they will be themselves, and what a blessing to all belonging to them! +Perhaps, too, they will make a little party among the kindest-hearted of +their playmates, all giving a promise to each other not willingly to +hurt any of God’s creatures; but to do the best they can to persuade +every one to be merciful to the dumb animals, birds, fishes, and +insects. If they live, they will grow up to be such men and women as we +want, to bring a blessing on this land; and in their own children they +will reap the reward of having shown tenderness to the helpless. If they +die young, they will be like my happy boy Jack, not afraid of death; but +willing and rejoiced to go to the Saviour, whom they sought and found so +early. Oh, may the Lord grant this blessing to my little book, that at +the great day of judgment I may meet with some happy spirits to tell me +that it was not written in vain! “<strong style="font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: normal">Blessed are the merciful, for they +shall obtain mercy.</strong>” Matt. v. 7. +</p> + +<div class="illustration" style="padding-bottom: 12em; margin-top: 2em"> +<img class="illustration" src="images/020.jpg" title="Finis." alt="[Illustration: Finis.]" width="356" height="203" /> +</div> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Kindness to Animals, by Charlotte Elizabeth + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KINDNESS TO ANIMALS *** + +***** This file should be named 17961-h.htm or 17961-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/9/6/17961/ + +Produced by Ben Beasley and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Kindness to Animals + Or, The Sin of Cruelty Exposed and Rebuked + +Author: Charlotte Elizabeth + +Release Date: March 10, 2006 [EBook #17961] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KINDNESS TO ANIMALS *** + + + + +Produced by Ben Beasley and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + +[Illustration: FRONTISPIECE.] + + + + +KINDNESS TO ANIMALS; + +OR, THE + +Sin of Cruelty + +EXPOSED AND REBUKED. + + +[Illustration] + + +REVISED BY THE COMMITTEE OF PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL +UNION. + + +PHILADELPHIA: +AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, +146 CHESTNUT STREET. + + + + +Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1845, by HERMAN COPE, +Treasurer, in trust for the American Sunday-school Union, in the Clerk's +Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. + + + + +KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. + + + + +KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. + +[Illustration] + +CHAPTER I. + +ABOUT THE BEGINNING. + + +Many books have been written about animals, and very good books too, +giving a great deal of information. Most of them are called works of +Natural History; and they usually give some description of the birds +and beasts, fishes and insects, that are known to man. I am not going to +write such a book as that; but to say a little about different kinds of +creatures that we are all in the habit of seeing, and to tell you a few +things of some which have belonged to me, or have come under my own +observation; so that, at least, I can promise to write nothing but what +I know to be true. I have not learned their characters and habits from +books, but by watching them ever since I was a very young child; and +many a happy hour I have spent in that delightful employment. + +One of the first things that it came into my little head to ask was, +"How were the animals made; and why were any of them made wild and +cruel, while some are tame and quiet?" I was told that the Bible gave an +answer to that question; and so it does. If we look in the first chapter +of Genesis, where there is an account of the creation of the world, we +find that on the fifth day God created the fishes to move in the water, +and the fowls to fly in the air; and on the sixth day, "God made the +beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and +every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw +that it was good." From this we learn, that there was no violence or +cruelty in any of them, as they first came from the hand of the holy and +merciful God. And I would have you take particular notice of what +directly follows: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our +likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over +the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and +over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Now, the great +God is invisible--a Spirit--and not a body, as I think you all know; and +when it is said that God made man in his own image, it must mean that +man was made to be holy, and just, and good, and merciful; and he was +made to be a careful and loving ruler over the poor dumb creatures, as +the Lord God is a careful and loving ruler over all that he has +created. + +Then, in the next chapter, we have a beautiful picture before us: I do +not mean a print, or drawing, but a description in words, that, if we +think a little, will make us fancy we see a lovely sight, such as we +cannot now see anywhere. We are told that out of the ground the Lord God +formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and then +that He "brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and +whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name +thereof." + +Was it not a wonderful and a beautiful sight? There, in a very delicious +garden, full of all manner of rich fruit and bright flowers, with soft +warm air, and calm sunshine, was the first and only man in all the +world! He was righteous and good, without any malice, or cruelty, or +covetousness, or pride in his heart, looking with delight upon the +creatures that came about him as their rightful ruler, to receive their +names. + +Can you not fancy how he must have admired the noble and beautiful +creatures as they meekly and lovingly came to him? The mighty lion, +shaking the curls of his mane, and fixing his eyes (not then fierce and +fiery, but bright and joyous) on the man, who, by God's gift, was +mightier than he; the great elephant, putting out his trunk to caress +his new master, and passing on to rest under the shadow of some stately +tree; the horse, with his arching neck and prancing movements; the fond +dog; the gentle sheep; the peacock, with its plumes of blue, and green, +and gold; the majestic snow-white swan; the little linnet; the +robin-redbreast; and that most beautiful, tiny creature, the +humming-bird; the gay butterfly; the bee. It is impossible to go over +the names of even what we know by sight, of the good creatures of God, +who on that sixth day of the creation came about our first father, to +receive just what name he was pleased to give them. But I often think +about it, because it keeps me in mind that the Lord God never overlooks +any thing which he has seen good to make. + +But what changed the animals so sadly as they must have been changed, +to become what some of them are now? That we learn in the next chapter. +Eve listened to the wicked temptation of Satan, and disobeyed the good +and gracious Lord God, and persuaded Adam to do the same. So every thing +was altered: they were driven out of that fair garden into the wide +world, the ground of which was cursed for man's sake; and this curse, +which fell upon the earth, made it bring forth thorns and thistles, and +then it was very difficult for man to make it fruitful, till he had cut +and bruised it with iron spades and ploughshares, and bestowed a great +deal of labour upon it. This sad curse was on the animals too; not by +their fault, poor things! but by man's dreadful sin. For, you see, it +was God who made them subject to man; and when man became a rebel and +traitor to God, the creatures turned against him, and against each +other. Oh, it is sad to think of all the misery and crime brought into +the world by the ungrateful disobedience of man to his heavenly King and +Father! + +However, it did happen once again that a thing as wonderful though not +so beautiful was seen: indeed, we may say more wonderful, considering +how the nature of the creatures had been changed for the worse. When all +the world had become so wicked that God resolved to destroy every human +being from off the face of the earth, except Noah and his family, He +directed that pious man to make an ark, as you all know--an immense +ship, or floating house--in which he was to be preserved on the surface +of the waters for many days. When this great ark was ready, God caused a +pair of each from among all the animals and birds to come to Noah, and +to enter into the ark. Of some kinds there were seven, and of none less +than two. This was a very great miracle; and it shows us, too, how +perfectly the Lord knows and numbers all the works of his hands, and how +tenderly he cares for them all. This is one of the things that we are +apt to forget when have a beast, or a bird, or a fish, or an insect, in +our power. We are too ready to say to ourselves, "This is mine, and I +may do what I like to it." Not so; it is a creature of God's, not of +ours; and if we do to it any thing that he does not approve of, he will +surely reckon with us for it. When I call this to mind, I am +alarmed--though I do not think I have often been cruel to animals, or +any such thing--and I am ready to pray, "Lord, if I have hurt any of thy +creatures, pardon my past sin, for Jesus Christ's sake, I beseech thee; +and give me grace to be merciful for the future." + +Now, having told you how I got instructed when I was little, I shall +give you the history of some animals and birds that I have had, and how +I treated them, and what amusement they gave me. I am sure if you knew +how very amusing they all are, when left to their own harmless ways, and +gently restrained from ways that are not harmless, you would think it a +great loss to have them so altered as they are by bad management. If I +had been a great traveller, I could tell you more wonderful stories; but +having only been in England, and Ireland, and part of North America, my +store of anecdotes is not so great. However, I will try my best to give +you some notion of what I do know; and as I shall often have occasion to +name Jack, I will begin by telling you who he was. + +Jack was a little Irish boy, who became deaf while he was still a baby; +and because, as you know, babies learn to talk by hearing those around +them, Jack, not hearing anybody talk, could not learn, and so he grew up +dumb. It is a sad thing to be deaf and dumb. A person who is so, cannot +possibly learn any thing about God and our Lord Jesus Christ, until he +has been taught to read; and it is so very difficult to teach them, that +if some benevolent people, who have money, did not subscribe to keep up +charitable schools on purpose for the deaf and dumb poor, I do not +suppose that one in a thousand of them would ever learn so much as that +they have a soul to be saved or lost: and you may judge what a miserable +life they must lead, in total ignorance, nobody speaking to them, and +they not able to speak to anybody. Jack was in this state when I first +saw him, at eleven years old; he was a poor boy, and I took him, and +taught him, and he lived with me above seven years, till he died of a +consumption. He died very happy indeed, full of love to God for his +great mercy in sending his Son into the world to save sinners: and +depending on the Lord Jesus for salvation. He was always with me, +speaking by means of his fingers, but in an odd, that is, an imperfect +sort of language, that would make you smile. So when I mention Jack, you +will know who I mean; and we will now have some talk about the domestic +animals. + +When I say domestic, I mean such as we are used to see in our houses, +streets, and fields. Lions, tigers, elephants, and such as are shut up +in caravans, or only taken about for a show, do not belong to these; +though I am not sure that I shall not have a word or two to say about +bears and monkeys. I want to amuse you, my young friends, and to make +you think a little too; for all the good things given us of God become +more valuable to us when we think about them in a right way. Jack knew +this: he used to rub his forehead with his fingers' ends, shake his head +wisely, and spell, "Very good think." I hope you will judge the same; +and when you have come to the end of my little book, be able to say you +have had a "very good think" too. + +[Illustration] + + + + +[Illustration] + +CHAPTER II. + +THE HORSE. + + +The great mistake that people seem to me to make about animals is this: +they fancy that they must be frightened into obedience, and kept from +disobeying their masters by being made afraid of punishment. I dare say +that animals, like human beings, often need correction; but two things +are necessary to make such correction useful. One is, not to punish them +too severely, which only hardens them in rebellion; the other is, never +to hurt them at all except for a real fault--something that they know +to be a fault, and know that they will be punished for doing. Otherwise, +the poor beast, not knowing when or why it may be beaten, gets confused +and foolish, and does wrong, as any boy might do, from being in a great +fright. The truth is, that the animals are very sensible, and very +willing to do their best. They are fond of being praised and rewarded; +they become very much attached to those who treat them kindly; and when +they are so attached, they are very happy, and show off all the fine +qualities that make them both valuable and entertaining. I am going to +tell you some stories about my own favourites; and, to prevent your +thinking that they were different from others of the same kind, I shall +begin by letting you into the secret of making them so knowing. + +First, I tried to find out their habits; and I will tell you what they +are. All very young animals like to sleep a good deal, and to be let +alone. It both frightens and hurts them to be pulled about, and makes +them fretful and ill-tempered; spoils their growth, and prevents their +loving you. A puppy or a kitten is very fond of play, and will jump and +bounce about with you for a long while; but the moment they begin to get +tired, they should be left alone, to rest as much as they like. You may +suppose, that if, when you are comfortably going to sleep at night, a +rough-handed man were to come and shake you, and bawl out in your ears, +and wake you continually, you would soon become fretful and ill too, and +feverish, and be very glad to get out of the way of such a tormentor. So +my rule is, when creatures are young, to let them have as much sleep as +they will. It may sometimes prevent their being playthings when you want +them; but it will be made up in their health, and good-temper, and +gratitude to you. + +Next, all creatures like liberty: a horse or a dog is never so happy as +when bounding across the fields in perfect freedom. Why does chaining or +tying up a dog make him savage? Because he then looks on mankind as his +enemies, and fancies that everybody he meets is going to take away his +liberty. My dogs have known as little about chains as possible: two of +them had been used to be tied up before I had them, and I never could +break them of being savage. As to beating it out of them, it would be +like putting on coals to keep a fire from burning. That, you know, makes +the fire look dull for a little while; but the moment you stir it, up it +blazes, much higher and brighter than if no coals had been put on. I +knew a horse that was not naturally good-tempered, and bad usage had +made him much worse: he was then bought by a gentleman, who gave him +enough of the whip, and spur, and sharp iron bit to cure him, if that +could have done it; but it only made him cunning and revengeful. Poor +beast! a little patient kindness would have gone much farther. I will +tell you an instance of this. + +Once I had a mare, and such a beautiful creature she was! She lived on a +sort of farm, where they had not put her to work, and where the +children had been used to play with her. She was hardly full grown. I +lived then in a house with very low windows, and the pretty mare was +grazing on the outside. One warm day, the windows were all open, and I +was sitting at work, when she popped her beautiful head and neck in at +the one nearest to me. I gave her a bit of bread that was lying by me, +and told her to go away; but she would not. I said to myself, "Why +should I drive her away? God made the animals to be loving and confiding +towards man; and if this lonely creature wants me to be a friend to her, +why should I not? The Bible says, 'A righteous man regardeth the life of +his beast;' and what is life to a poor animal that has no hereafter to +look to, if its life be without comforts?" So I put down my work, and +went and rubbed her forehead, stroked her long white face, patted her +shining neck, and talked to her. After this when I was alone at my +morning work, she was sure to put her head in at one of the windows, to +ask, in her dumb way, to be petted; and many an apple, many a handful +of oats, did she get by coming there. She would soon listen for my +footstep about the house, and I seldom could look out from any window +without seeing her under it, or before it. She would also follow me like +a dog when I walked in the grounds where she grazed. + +[Illustration] + +One day, a gentleman's groom undertook to ride her; but he began by +whipping and by jerking the bridle, which is a very cruel thing. My mare +did not like this; and as he went on doing it, she lost her patience; +and after a long trial as to who should be master, she threw him over +her head, and trotted home to her stable. He was not hurt, but very much +mortified, being a soldier, and a great horseman; and he told his master +that she was the most vicious beast in the world, not safe for anybody +to ride. I did not like my pretty mare to get such a bad name: so I told +my own groom to put on the side saddle, and I asked the gentleman to +mount his fine English horse, and to ride out, and see if she were not +easily managed. We had a long ride over mountains, and through little +streams, and crossing deep torrents by the unsteady bridges made of +trunks of trees, and he said he never saw an animal so full of spirit +and good-temper as my mare. I never touched her with the whip, but spoke +gently to her; and I can truly say, that for the year and a half of my +riding her every day, she never brought me into danger, nor ever +disobeyed me. You may say, "But this was a particular sort of horse, not +like others." I have only to answer you, that the bad, vicious horse I +spoke of before, was bred in the same place, lived in the same stable, +and the only difference between them was the different usage that they +had received. + +The horse is one of the most sensible and most affectionate of +creatures. You see, every day, how they will obey the man who drives +them, going on, stopping, moving to the right or left, and turning any +corner, all without the driver going near them. They have learned the +meaning of his words, or they could not do this; and is it not dreadful +that a creature able to understand, and most willing to obey the voice, +should be beaten and tortured as horses are? Why does a horse go as fast +as he can when he is cruelly whipped, and his poor mouth wounded by the +hard bit? Because he is trying to get away from the man or boy who +treats him so. Ah, when God brought his beautiful creatures to the first +man, to be named, and gave them into his care, there was no appearance +of man ever becoming so cruel, or the animals so miserable as they now +are! Yet the Lord loves mercy and judgment, and hates tyranny and +wrong, as much now as he did then: and we may be quite certain of this, +that every cruelty committed is an offence in his sight, and will be +terribly punished, if it be not repented of, and left off; for when a +person says he repents, and goes on doing the same thing as before, he +is deceiving himself and provoking God. + +The horse must bear a great deal of dreadful pain and suffering to be +made fit for the use man puts him to, in drawing carriages, and other +things. It is not natural to him to have even a bridle and saddle on +him; much less to be loaded with harness, to wear blinders on his eyes, +and to drag a great heavy weight as fast as he can run, keeping always +attentive to the least touch of the reins, and turning accordingly, to +prevent running his carriage against others. His fine spirit must be +broken, his liberty quite taken away, and many a bitter smart must the +poor, dumb, harmless, helpless creature suffer. But surely this ought to +be enough; and you would not be the cruel wretch to add to his pains? +Sometimes people _must_ go fast; but one who would distress and torment +a horse to make him go fast, just because it pleases the driver to be +moving quickly, is doing a very wrong thing; and so is the person who +could neglect to give food and drink to a horse when he wants it. I +wonder when I see the poor doing this. They know what it is to be +overworked, and to want as much as they could eat; they are often cold, +and cannot get fuel enough: and if they were tied up, and not able to +run about, or to help themselves, having no servants to wait on them, +how very badly off they would think themselves! Yet a poor horse is much +worse off; he can neither do any thing for himself, nor express his +wants to others: he does his best, serves us faithfully, obeys all that +he understands; and then to be ill-used, neglected, starved! It is a +thing that I cannot bear to think of; and I hope my readers will always +set their faces against such wickedness. Remember that promise which the +Lord has given, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain +mercy." + +I dare say you have heard of the Arabs--a wild people, the descendants +of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, who possess a great deal of country in +the east; and are powerful, and much feared, because nobody has been +able to conquer them. Their greatest strength consists in having the +boldest, fleetest, most docile horses in the whole world. Arabian horses +may be known in a moment by their uncommon beauty, their delicate arched +necks, waving manes, and long tails; but though a great price is given +for them, and they are lodged, and fed, and tended with all the care +possible, they cannot be so happy in a king's palace, as in the tent or +hut of their poor masters at home. The Arab treats his horse like a +child; gives it to eat of his own victuals, to drink of his own bowl of +milk, and lets it sleep in the midst of his family. Of course, the +animal becomes so fond of him, that it serves him for love, carries him +through all dangers, and has often been known to defend him with its +life. We cannot bring up our horses in this way, nor treat them as the +wild Arab does; but knowing what sense, and feeling, and gratitude, and +love, this noble creature can and does show, we ought to be always +watching to avoid giving it unnecessary pain, and to persuade others to +be equally kind. + +I cannot tell you how it used to grieve my dumb boy, Jack, when he saw a +horse ill-used; or how very kind he was to one that he had the care of. +He would sooner have wanted food and drink himself, than have allowed +his master's horse to feel hunger or thirst. He was very tender when +rubbing it down, if there was any, sore place; and if the animal got +cross or impatient, he would say to me in signs, "Poor horse not know: +horse tired: soon go sleep, poor horse!" That was a very strong, +spirited animal, and needed a steady hand to rein him in; but I often +saw the dumb boy jump on his back, and with only the halter over his +head, guide him where he chose. I never saw him give that horse a blow +or a kick, in all the two years that he tended him. Jack was fourteen +when he began, and sixteen when he left off being his groom. He was +strong and healthy then; but at nineteen he died; and he told me that it +made him very happy to think that he had never been cruel to any of +God's poor creatures. But I must not say any more now about the noble +horse. There is another animal, the natural companion of man, the dog, +which comes next in value; for though it cannot take us on a long +journey, or convey our goods from place to place, it stands sentry over +us and our property, being not only a good servant, but a most +intelligent, fond, and faithful friend. It does not need to be broke in, +like the horse; it learns the ways and the wishes of those around it; +and the more liberty you give it, the more eager it is to serve and +please you. The dog deserves a chapter to himself, and shall have it. + + + + +[Illustration] + +CHAPTER III. + +THE DOG. + + +There is a great deal of sorrow in the world: perhaps, through the +goodness of God, you have been kept from suffering much yourselves, but +you must have seen trouble among your friends and neighbours; sickness +and death, perhaps. And it often happens that great distress comes on +people, so as to keep them hungry and cold, for want of what would buy +enough food and fuel. Besides this, how often the bad conduct of one in +a family will make the rest unhappy! A single drunkard, or thief, or +violent person, will bring shame and misery on all the rest. The world +is full of troubles; but I do not think that we often find, even among +those of our own nature, men, women, boys, and girls, not related to us, +a person with so little selfishness as to be always sorry and sad when +we are so, and because we are so. When we meet with any one so +kind-hearted, we love that person, and would do a great deal to serve or +oblige such a feeling friend. + +Now, I always observed that a dog, when kindly treated and taken care +of, will show his concern for the troubles of his master or mistress, in +a wonderful way. Indeed, I never, in my life, had a dog that would not +do so; and seeing this has convinced me that it is worse than cruel to +treat a dog ill--it is most ungrateful. It does sometimes happen that a +dog has a bad and violent temper, even from a puppy; and if very careful +treatment does not soon cure this, I should say that such a dog ought to +be destroyed, by a quick and easy death; not making the poor brute +suffer for what it cannot help. But in ninety-nine cases out of a +hundred, a dog's savageness is the fault of those who have brought him +up: and few things are more wicked than to teach or encourage a dog to +fight his own race, or to bark and fly at human beings. When the world +was as God made it, there was no hatred in it, no quarrelling, no wish +in any living creature to frighten or hurt any other living creatures; +but when Adam became a sinner, his sin broke through all this beautiful +order, and peace, and love, and set the animals against each other, and +against himself. I am trying always to remember this; for when they +alarm or distress me, and I am thinking to punish them, I ought not to +forget what first made the brutes vicious, and brought so much suffering +on them. It was man's sin alone: man should therefore do the best he can +to make them amends; and not increase their misery, as he often does, by +cruel severity. I think you will agree with me in this. Besides, it is a +certain truth, that God's eye is upon us and on the animals about us, +as much as it was on Adam and the living creatures that came to him to +be named; and though we and they are much changed for the worse, yet the +Lord God never does or can change. He is as righteous, as holy, as +merciful, and as just to-day, as he was then. How often has Jack, when +he saw a thoughtless boy hurting a dog, or any other animal, gone up to +him, and said, on his fingers, in a very quiet, gentle, but earnest +manner, "God see--God angry." He felt much for the dumb beast, suffering +pain; but more for the boy who was forgetting that the Lord's hand would +yet punish him, when he least expected it: for Jack very well knew that +the Bible says, "He shall have judgment without mercy that hath showed +no mercy." + +Dogs have been a great amusement to me ever since I was a baby; and I +never have been without one in the house when I could keep one. Ladies +and gentlemen are not often willing to let their carpets be soiled by +dogs; but the poor people, who are not troubled with carpets, make +companions of them. I am writing this book in a room with a carpet and +good furniture, but I have my two dogs with me. There is little Fiddy, +the small spaniel, at my feet, where he has lain every day for eight +years; and there is Bronti, the fine big Newfoundlander, lying, where do +you think? Why the rogue has got upon the sofa, and when I shake my head +at him, he wags his long tail, and turns up his large bright eyes to my +face, as much as to say, "Pray let me stop here; it is so comfortable." +But no, Bronti, you must walk down, my fine fellow, or some lady coming +to see me may have her gown soiled, which would not be fair. We have no +right to make our pets a plague to other people, and, perhaps, a means +of injuring them too. + +That was enough for Bronti; no need of a loud, cross, or threatening +voice. He saw that I wished him to leave the sofa, and he wags his tail +as contentedly on the carpet. I can manage him with a word, almost with +a look, because he was born in the house, and has never been away from +me; but master Fiddy was a year or two old when I had him, and some +things he will do in spite of me. He will hunt a cat, kill a bird, and +growl most furiously over a bone. Bronti has the same nature, but his +love for us overcomes it all. He would live peaceably with a cat, it we +had one; he will let the chickens and pigeons perch upon him, or walk +between his feet; and last year I had half a dozen tame mice, which I +used to let out upon him, when they would nestle in his warm coat, run +races over and under him, and he would not move a limb, for fear of +hurting one. As to a bone, he will allow me to take it out of his mouth +at any time; and, what is more, he will readily give it up to Fiddy, +whose little teeth can only nibble off the meat; and when he has done +that, Bronti takes it, and munches the bone. + +His mother was full grown when I had her, and she was very fierce: if +any workman came to the house, unless her master or I was by to +restrain her, she would put him in fear of his life; and would have +bitten him too, if she could have seized him. We gave her away to a +friend who would be kind to her, and keep her out of mischief; and we +brought up a puppy for ourselves, this same Bronti. Now he is more than +three years old; and though he will sometimes fight a big dog who +affronts him in the street, he never frightened anybody who came to the +house. He watches, and gives one single, deep, quiet bark, to let us +know that there is a stranger; and seeing that we are satisfied, he sits +with one ear thrown back, listening and watching. If he meets a workman +in the house, he does not even growl; only keeps him in sight, following +him about, but with such a sweet-tempered look, that the greatest +coward, if honest, could not contrive to be afraid of him. I might leave +a joint of meat under his care, if he were ever so hungry; he would not +touch it, because he is truly honest: and as to his sense, you would +hardly believe if I told you how sensible he is. When I am putting on +my boots, he comes up to me, and looks very eagerly in my face; if I say +"Yes," or, "Bronti shall go," he is just wild with joy, tearing about, +barking, and making no small riot. If I say "No," or shake my head +sorrowfully and say nothing, he steals away, lies down, and never +attempts to follow me: but he gets on a chair, and Fiddy on a table, to +see me go out at the gate; and then they both begin to cry and moan most +piteously, so that nobody can comfort them. + +On Sunday morning, Bronti looks very melancholy; how he knows the day I +cannot tell. Of course, we all go to church, but he begins to be sad as +soon as we get up. Neither he, nor Fiddy would attempt to follow us +then, if the doors and gate were all set open: they seat themselves at +the window to see us go. And now I recollect one time when Bronti was as +savage as his mother. You shall hear about it. + +One Sunday, when were all at church, a friend, just landed from a +voyage, came to the house. He opened the garden gate, and was walking +towards the door, when up jumped Bronti on a chair at window, barking, +growling, and behaving so violently, that he really dared not try to get +into a house where such a wild beast stood ready to seize him. So he +went off to the church, found us, and after service returned with us; +and Bronti, seeing him as a friend of the family, gave him an +affectionate welcome. Then he told us of his ferocious behaviour; and we +were very glad to find that our gentle dog knew how to protect our house +and property when it was left entirely to his care. + +A book larger than this might be filled, all through, with stories about +the dog, besides what are already published; but any one of you may see +enough to delight you every day in the affectionate creature, it you +will only be patient and kind. It is too often the custom to punish a +dog when he does not do just what you like; and you may like things +quite different at different times. Now, the poor brute cannot tell +exactly what you wish; and if he is used to get a blow, or an angry +scolding, he will be so afraid of doing wrong, that what little sense +he has left will fail him, and he will be so confused as to make him do +wrong. An animal, or a boy either, living in constant fear of ill-usage +whether he deserves it or not, will get either so stupid or so careless, +as seldom to do what is required. Think a little, and you will +understand this. An angry tone and hard words agitate a dog very much. +Mr. Blaine, who wrote a book about their diseases and cures, says that +he has often known a dog, weakened by illness, to go into convulsions on +hearing another dog violently scolded. I tell you this to explain why +some dogs are hard to manage: they are frightened out of their senses; +to say nothing of the cruel pain that they are often made to suffer. I +have seen a person beat a dog one day for not following him when he +wished it, and the next day for following when he was not wanted. I have +seen a dog set at another to fight, being encouraged, and irritated, and +made savage on purpose; and soon after beaten for flying at some person, +or thing that he was not wanted to attack. No wonder if the poor +creature loses all his fine qualities under such treatment. + +All that he wishes is to be allowed to love you, and follow you, and +serve you. He wants the help of your reason to keep him from doing +wrong; and he wants you to explain to him how he may please you. It has +made my heart ache, many a time, to see a poor dog obey his master's +call, coming up to him in a crouching, crawling way, trembling with +fear, and seeming to say, "Pray, pray do not hurt me! I am ready to do +what you wish, and to lay down my life for you; but you are going to +beat or to kick me, and I am a poor creature, without any one to take my +part. I _could_ bite you, I _could_ seize you by the throat, or tear the +flesh off your leg, but I will not do so. I come because you call me; +pray do not hurt me!" And I have seen the meek, obedient creature +struck, and put to cruel pain, without the smallest reason in the world. +And when I recollected the words of the Bible, "Verily there is a God +that judgeth in the earth," I have grieved the more to think what +punishment that cruel man or boy was bringing on himself. + +If we call one of our dogs, even when at high play in the fields, he +instantly comes bounding up, puts his head on one side, pricks up his +ears, and looks full in our faces as if saying, "Well, here I am; what +do you want me to do?" A beating is the last thing that they would think +of. I am not now speaking of Bronti and Fiddy in particular, but all the +dogs that ever I had. The reason is, that the dog is the very fondest +creature that breathes; and any but a really ill-tempered dog may be +managed by means of this fondness; while, as I before remarked, a really +bad-tempered one should not be kept to be punished, but speedily +destroyed. + +You know what a terrible thing the bite of a mad dog is. The wound may +be so small as hardly to leave a scar, and it may heal, and be +forgotten, perhaps for weeks and months; still, the deadly poison is in +the person's blood, and when it breaks out, a most fearful death +follows, after such sufferings as nobody, who has not seen them, can +have an idea of. But, perhaps, you do not know that the angry bite of a +dog, when teased or hurt, has often produced the same awful madness. I +remember a neighbour's son dying most horribly of it, who had only had +his finger wounded, as if by a pin's point, by the tooth of a little dog +which he was teasing and provoking in play. This shows us how very +dangerous it is to irritate an animal; for you never know what peril you +may run into. These things do not fall out by chance. The Lord God +orders them all; and sometimes he does very terrible things, in judgment +on those who knowingly transgress, and for an example to others. May +you, dear young readers, be loving, and merciful, and kind; and never +stand for a moment in the hateful character of oppressors, where it is +alike your duty and your happiness to help the defenceless and to +protect the weak! + + + + +[Illustration] + +CHAPTER IV. + +THE CAT--THE COW--THE SHEEP--THE ASS. + + +Poor Puss! I have not so much to say for her as for the noble dog. The +cat is more selfish, and not so trustful; neither does she often show so +much affection for us. The cat's habits are more like those of a wild +animal, than are the habits of any other of our domestic creatures. It +is hardly possible to keep her from straying about, or to teach her to +do no mischief. I have had a cat that would not steal, and a dog that +would: both proving that every rule has an exception. I often think, +when I see Puss watching for mice and birds, and choosing them rather +than meat, what a wonderful thing it is that God should have taught a +beast of prey to attach itself to man, so far as to rid him of other +creatures which, by increasing too fast, would eat up what he wants to +live upon. At the same time, I grieve to remember that this war between +us and the smaller animals, and between them and each other, comes from +our rebellion against God; and I dare not set one creature to destroy +another, any farther than is necessary for my own safety, and the +support of my family. + +Still the cat is an interesting animal, beautiful, cleanly, graceful, +and often very loving. A kitten is even more engaging than a puppy. Its +fun and frolic are more diverting because of its light, active +movements. A grave old cat, sitting in the sunshine, with her eyes half +shut, and a merry little kitten, playing with her tail, bounding over +her back, and comically boxing her ears, is a sight that I cannot help +stopping to admire. But how much to be pitied is a kitten in the hands +of children too young to know, or too cruel to care what pain they may +put it to! As to setting dogs to hunt and worry cats, or tormenting them +on purpose, as some will, I do not wish to think that anybody who can +read the Bible, or hear it read, is capable of such wickedness; nor +should I like to believe that anybody born in this free country, among a +brave people, could be so mean a coward. A boy may fancy himself very +courageous, if he is able and willing to fight anybody who doubts his +being so; but if he is capable of wantonly hurting one of God's +creatures, when he gets it into his power, he is a real coward. He alone +is truly brave who fears none because he would injure none, but would +use all the strength and all the influence that he has, to protect the +weak from those who are too powerful for them. + +I have seen wild cats abroad: most terrible-looking they are, and more +dangerous than many larger animals. Nobody would offer to play any +unfeeling tricks with them; a single look from their fierce, fiery eyes, +glaring from the branches of a tree, round which they twist their long +tails, would send the boldest of you scampering away. They grow larger, +and their fur becomes much richer, when in a wild state. The good +providence of God supplies them with very warm, thick coat, when they +have no longer the benefit of a corner by the fireside. Oh that we would +learn lessons of tender mercy by seeing how compassionately the Lord +cares for the meanest creature that he has made! + +But about young kittens: there are two things, often done through +thoughtlessness, which are both very cruel indeed. One is to kill all +her little ones, which not only causes great distress, but severe pain +too, to the poor mother. God gives her milk to nourish the little +creatures, and if one is not left to draw it off, the animal suffers +much torment and fever from it. The other thing is one that no +kindhearted person could do, or allow to be done, after being once told +how exceedingly inhuman it is: I mean, putting the young ones to death +in the mother's sight. The agonies of a bitch, when she sees her puppies +drowned, are really a call for divine vengeance on the wretch who could +purposely be guilty of such an outrage on the tenderest feelings of +nature. The cat, though inferior to the dog in many points, is a most +loving mother, and very sagacious in protecting her young. She will +often hide them so cunningly, that nobody can reach them; and I have +seen a family astonished by the return of a cat which they had supposed +was lost, with four or five wild-looking, lean kittens behind her, all +their faces being well scratched by the sticks or other rubbish among +which they were hidden. The dog never does so: its confiding character +leads it to commit its young to its master's care, little as he +sometimes deserves such a trust. + +[Illustration] + +Have you a cow? People who live in cities very seldom indeed have one; +but in the country, many, who are not rich, contrive to keep one; and a +more gentle, quiet, patient animal is not to be found. Jack's mother +was a poor Irishwoman, but she had two cows, and sold their milk to +support her family. I have often met her, stepping so stately and +steadily, because she had a brim-full pail of milk balanced on her head, +and never even put up her hand to support it. Jack was very fond of his +mother; and next after his parents, brother, and sisters, he certainly +loved the cows. It was his business, when quite a little fellow, to +serve up to them the pail of hot potatoes in winter; and many a walk he +took to the green fields where they pastured in summer, to see that all +was safe and right about them. Three years after his leaving home, we +also kept a cow; and Jack insisted on having the care of it, and milking +it himself. It was quite a lesson to see how kind and thoughtful the +dumb boy was about the poor cow: and what a happy life she led under his +management might be easily known by her being always good-tempered and +fearless. Often, when standing on the lawn, feeding my chickens, I have +been surprised by finding her gently rubbing her horns against my +shoulder, and asking to be petted, as every animal will ask when +encouraged. She gave a great deal more milk than any one expected--for +kind usage is a wonderful help in making any creature thrive; and I +never shall forget the joyful looks of Jack, when, one morning, he came +jumping and skipping to me, spelling as fast as he could, "Cow baby--cow +baby." He did not know the right name for a calf, and our cow had a very +pretty one, born in the night. + +Then Jack's sweet disposition showed itself farther in the care that he +took not to distress the poor creatures more than was necessary. He did +not ill-use the cow for being unwilling to leave her young one, and very +eager to return to it again; nor did he frighten or hurt the tender +little calf for crying and struggling to get to its mother. In all these +things there is opportunity for being merciful and kind: and because +Satan knows that the Lord hates cruelty, and will punish those who +afflict his helpless creatures, there he chooses these occasions to +tempt people into the wanton wickedness of offending the Most High by +the abuse of such power as he has intrusted them with. Jack knew it. I +have seen the colour rise to his face, with the effort that he made to +overcome the impatience that was provoked by the eagerness of the +animals to break through the fence which separated them; but he did +overcome it, and said with a smile, "Poor baby cow! Jack not hurt--no; +God see!" Ah, it is a happy and a blessed thing to be able to rejoice +that God sees us! Less than three years after that, Jack was called to +appear before the Lord; and I am sure the recollection of having +purposely given pain to others never disturbed the quietness of his +death-bed. He felt the blessedness of having been merciful. For my own +part, I never can see a man or boy driving cattle with sticks and goads; +torturing the poor creatures for being tired, and lame, and thirsty, and +faint; and cruelly punishing them for wishing to rest, or do drink, or +to crop the green grass; or for being confused and frightened in the +noisy, crowded streets of a city, after the quiet country places that +they were reared in; I say, I never see such things without a feeling of +horror and dread: for the Lord God will surely call to a terrible +account those who act as if there were no just, holy, and merciful +Creator, to hear the cry of his tormented creatures, and to prove before +men and angels that they did not cry to him in vain. + +[Illustration] + +The next animal that I shall talk to you about is the SHEEP. People call +them "silly sheep," because they are so easily frightened, and show very +little sense of judgment when running away. This is owing to their +being driven about. We seem to think it right to make every creature +afraid of us, and by that means we weaken their faculties; or, to speak +in common words, we frighten them out of their wits. In eastern +countries it is quite different. There the flocks are not driven, but +led. You will remember that beautiful description in the tenth chapter +of John, where our blessed Lord Jesus Christ compares himself to a +shepherd, and his people to sheep. It is now above eighteen hundred +years since He spoke those words; but travellers tell us that it is +exactly the same at this day. Speaking of the shepherd, our Lord says, +"The sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and +leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth +before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a +stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not +the voice of strangers." Only fancy what a different sight it must be +from what we often witness! Instead of a poor, frightened, agitated +crowd of panting creatures, running here and there, with perhaps a man +or boy shouting after them, outspreading his arms to increase their +terror, and a rough dog jumping and barking among them, to see a +quiet-looking, happy flock walking after their shepherd, pressing +forward to get near him, and each coming readily when called by its +name. Of course, not being taught to run away from man, they are not +flurried and thrown into confusion so easily as ours are. But sheep are +always timid, weak, defenceless creatures, and therefore the Lord often +speaks of his disciples as sheep; because we are all as little able to +protest ourselves from our enemy, Satan, as a flock of sheep is to +defend itself from a wolf, or a lion; and he would have us keep close to +him for protection as the eastern sheep do to their careful shepherd. + +There is nothing to prevent our sheep from being as manageable as any +others. I once had a lamb given to me, because its mother could not +nurse it; and I kept it in some nice hay in a large basket, and fed it +with warm milk from the spout of a teapot. As it gained strength, I let +it run about the house, and it was a droll sight to see the big lamb +come bouncing and scampering into a room full of company, hunting the +cat about, leaping over chairs, and playing just like a frolicsome +kitten. If I walked out, it would, like the eastern sheep, follow me. I +have taken it for miles along the public road, and never saw it appear +frightened. It was stolen and killed before it became quite a sheep; but +I have no doubt it would have continued as tame, and as bold, and as +happy. If you look into the faces of a flock of sheep, you will see a +great variety of countenances among them, and some are very intelligent. +There is a field near me, where I often go to walk; and a number of +young sheep in it have taken such a fancy to Bronti, that when he stands +still they will come almost close to him, the ram foremost, as if +wishing to play with him; but if he goes towards them, off they trot, +poor things, to the other end of the field. + +Not long ago, I saw something that made me quite unhappy; and indeed it +was one reason for my writing this little book. A boy was driving a few +sheep, and he got them into a corner, on some very high ground, from +which they could not possibly get away without jumping down where they +must have broken their necks, or limbs. Then this bad boy called +another, and they both took up large stones that were lying about the +road, and threw them at the innocent sheep--or rather lambs, for they +were not full grown. I saw them hit on their heads and eyes, and nearly +mad with pain and terror. I never saw a more cruel thing: I thought +Bronti would have seized the boys, he was so angry. I could not help +thinking how awful would be the state of those boys, if they were cut +off by death in such wickedness. Alas! the agonies of one hour +hereafter, would be worse than all the tortures that could be inflicted +on God's creatures during their whole lives. But instead of an hour, it +is for ever and ever that all who go to that dreadful place of +punishment must remain. It made me very miserable to see the poor lambs +so cruelly hurt, and to think what judgment those boys were bringing on +themselves. I ran for Bronti's master, and we met the bruised, bleeding +little innocents limping along, and the inhuman boy, tired of his savage +sport, following them. We stopped him, and that gentleman spoke very +plainly to him of his sin, and God's anger. The boy looked alarmed, but +sulky; and I sadly fear he was hardening his young heart against the +Lord. Let us pray that we may be kept from hardness of heart, and made +tender to keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man. + +It was a donkey-boy who had helped the other to throw stones at the +lambs; and this reminds me that I have something to say about the ass; +the most despised and the worst-used of all animals, and yet the one on +which the greatest honour has been put, being chosen for its humble, +gentle, patient character to assist in setting forth the wonderful +humiliation of the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who in the greatness +of his everlasting majesty and power condescended to stoop low for our +sakes. I think you will remember at once what I mean. In the ninth +chapter of the book of Zechariah, it is written, "Rejoice greatly, O +daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King +cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding +upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." + +And you know how this was fulfilled. When our Lord Jesus was about to +enter, for the last time, into the holy city of Jerusalem, before his +enemies had laid their cruel hands on him, he sent two of the disciples, +saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway +ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring +them unto me. They did so; and this meek and lowly Saviour, this King of +heaven and earth, descended from the mount of Olives, and rode into +Jerusalem, not as the monarchs of this world ride, on a fiery war-horse +with proud trappings and surrounded by gleaming swords and spears. No, +the blessed Jesus chose no such pomp. He made choice of the humble, +despised ass; her trappings were the outer garments of those poor men, +fishermen and such like, who followed him; and who took them off, to +make, as it were, a saddle and saddle-cloth for their beloved Master; +while others, seeing that no more were wanted for that purpose, spread +theirs on the ground that he might ride over them. Ah, the day will come +when the King of kings and Lord of lords shall ride in vengeance over +the persons of his rebellious enemies, as he then rode in meek and +lowly state over the garments of his loving friends. And, as you would +avoid his wrath on that terrible day, provoke him not now by wanton +cruelty to the creatures which he has made. He is very, very merciful to +them, and to you. They do you no wrong; do no wrong to them. + +How often have I thought of that beautiful scene on the green side of +the gently sloping mount of Olives, which rises eastward of the city of +Jerusalem, with the brook Kedron sparkling at its feet! You know the +Bible tells us, concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, that by Him God made +the world; and again, "All things were made by him, and without him was +not any thing made that was made." Yet he, the Maker of all things, took +upon him the nature of man; and so you see, for once, a poor animal +enjoyed even greater privilege and happiness than when the creatures +were first brought to Adam; and that animal was no other than the +persecuted ass! The Lord showed his tenderness in not separating the +dam from her young one: He commanded both to be brought; and the little +creature tripped so happily beside its mother, while both enjoyed the +sheltering protection of Him who made the worlds! Yes, I very often +think of this, when I see the cruelties committed on some overworked +animal, in a cart, or ridden by an unfeeling person; and the mischief, +the wicked mischief, that Satan finds for idle hands to do, in the +field, or by the way-side, where the poor ass is quietly nibbling at +such coarse weeds as neither horse, nor cow, nor sheep would touch. The +little foal too, with its innocent face, and broad forehead covered with +shaggy hair, looking as if it longed to have a game of play with you. +Can you put it to pain? Alas! it has a life of cruel labour and +suffering before it: and you should not be so inhuman as to rob it of +its very short time of freedom and repose. Some boys are cruel on +purpose. Satan leads them captive at his will; and if they continue to +do his wicked will, they must expect to be with him for ever in the +place of fire. But many are cruel from thoughtlessness only; and I hope +this little book will lead such to reflect, and to cease from what is a +great sin against God, whether they think it to be so or not. + +I have said nothing about the wonderful story of an ass which you will +find in the book of Numbers, chapter xxii.: you can read it for +yourselves. I will finish this subject by giving you a text from the +wise and gracious laws which it pleased the Lord God to lay down for his +people Israel, when he was himself their own King. It is a most +beautiful precept: it teaches at once to overcome an evil feeling +against a fellow-man, and to show mercy to a suffering animal. "If thou +see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest +forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him," Ex. xxiii. 5; and +in the 12th verse we read a reason given for keeping holy and quiet the +Sabbath day, "that thine ox and thine ass may rest." + +This is a long chapter; but I had a good deal to say in it, and I hope +you are not tired, and that you will think it over, and pray God to +enable you to profit by it. + +[Illustration] + + + + +[Illustration] + +CHAPTER V. + +BEARS, MONKEYS, RATS. + + +Now, I think, you are laughing at the heading of this chapter, and +wondering what I can have to say about such creatures; but wait a +little, and you will find I am not afraid to put in a good word for +them. You must know that I once had a young bear, a mere cub, which was +given to me by one of the wild Indians, as they are called. These +Indians, by the way, are not half so wild as some boys of my +acquaintance, who are a great deal better taught; and they were very +fond of me--merely because it pleased God to keep me mindful of a +gracious command which he has given us. You will find it in the first +Epistle of Peter, chap. ii., verse 17: "Honour all men." Man, whether he +be black, or white, or tawny; whether he be rich or poor, bond or free; +man was at first made in the image of God, and would have kept the image +if Adam had not sinned and lost it; so that none of his posterity are +now born in that holy, happy state in which Adam was created. But then, +lost as man is, and deprived of all honour, it pleased the eternal Son +of God to take upon Him the name and the nature of man, free from all +its sinfulness, though deprived of its first glory, and this he did that +he might, by suffering death, atone for the sin of the world. So now, as +there is no person so miserable, so despised, or even so sinful, that by +coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, and believing in Him alone, he may not +have his sins blotted out, and himself made an inheritor of the kingdom +of heaven, I am sure that every man ought to be treated with some +respect, as one of that race whom God created, and for whom Christ died. +Indeed, it would be enough for me, if only the Bible said, "Honour all +men," without my being able to see why I ought to do so. It is my duty +to obey every one of my Lord's commands: but it is very pleasant to +think about his gracious commandments, and to see, as we must then do, +how very lovely they are. Now you know why I treated the wild Indians of +the woods with gentle, kind respect; and they felt it, and loved me +greatly, and used to bring me their little gifts. One day, two rough +Indian men came to me, in their very strange dresses, with their stiff +black hair hanging down, never having been combed in their lives, I +should think. They each brought a young bear into my large kitchen; and +while I told them to sit down and eat something, the two cubs began to +examine the place for themselves. It was a funny sight, so I will tell +you about it. + +Under a table, there lay a good long barrel on its side, and two very +friendly cats had each got some kittens in it. They had made themselves +little beds in the straw, one near the mouth of the barrel, the other +farther in. So one young bear, (they were but a few weeks old, poor +little animals!) in the course of his travels about the kitchen, poked +his nose into this barrel, and out flew the old gray cat, in a great +rage, or fright, I hardly know which, and began to spit most furiously +at the cub, who ran away as fast as he could, into a distant corner, +followed by puss. She did not choose to go too near such an odd-looking +creature; but sat watching him, to prevent his leaving that corner. + +Meantime, the other cub, thinking, I suppose, that, "as the cat was +away, the bear might play"--at least with the kittens, went boldly close +to the barrel, when lo! out sprang the tortoise-shell cat from the +farther end, and this master Bruin was not slower than his brother in +scampering away, the cat following him also. No harm was done; none of +them had any wish to fight, and the scene was so droll that the +servants were in fits of laughter; while the Indians, who I must tell +you are very grave, and even sad-looking people, and seldom seen to +smile, for once laughed heartily too. I took pity upon the frightened +cub, at whom the gray cat was still growling and spitting, and took him +up my arms; for which he seemed so thankful, that I continued to stroke +his shaggy coat, until one of the Indians, with a grin, offered to give +him to me. I accepted him, making a present in return; and for some days +I took delight in my bargain; for he was a most innocent little +creature, and played merrily with a puppy dog: but those who understood +the nature of a bear better than I did, persuaded me to give him up; +because they had known a young lady who was killed by a tame bear in a +sudden passion. + +But I want to convince you how wrong we are in treating any animal as if +it could not feel attachment to us. Some soldiers' wives used to pet my +little cub, even with tears in their eyes; and they told me the reason. +They said, that a short time before, the regiment to which they belonged +was quartered in Canada, and the soldiers had a bear, which they brought +up tame. This creature had a strange office--he was nurse to all the +babies in the barrack. So great was his love for them, that whenever the +mothers wanted to have their infants well taken care of, they would +place them under this animal's charge, who was delighted to smooth for +them the clean soft straw that they gave him; and whose tender care over +the babes was, they told me, the most beautiful thing ever seen. The +poor bear was always trying to help and oblige his friends; and on +washing days he had plenty of babies to mind, when the weather was mild +enough to have them out of doors; but one cold day they were all left +within, and the bear had nothing to do. So, seeing a woman leave her +washing-tub, which she had just filled with boiling water, he thought he +would do some of her work, and put his paws into it: the pain made him +snatch them out, and in so doing he upset the tub--all the scalding +water fell over him--and his agonies were such that, in mercy, some +soldier shot him dead at once. The women, when they told me this, sobbed +with grief, saying, "He was so kind to our babies! he would have died in +their defence, poor fellow!" I assure you, that when I see a poor bear +led through the streets, chained, beaten, and made to dance, as they +call it, which it is taught to do by cruel tortures, I always remember +this story; and think, how much love and gratitude might that miserable +sufferer feel, and how happy he might be made, if those who have taken +him from his native woods, and made a slave of him, would only show +mercy now instead of such barbarity! We often hear the expression, "As +savage as a bear;" but, I fear, in general, the man is the greater +savage of the two. + +[Illustration] + +MONKEYS are diverting creatures; and if you saw their fun and frolic +where they have liberty among the boughs of a tree, you would not know +how to leave off laughing. It is a different thing, however, to see +them also chained, and beaten, and with their limbs confined in +unnatural clothing, forced by fear, and hunger, and pain, to play the +antics which they would do of their own accord if treated differently. I +never could understand how people can be amused by any thing that causes +pain to the creature doing it. They must either be very stupid, or very +hard-hearted. Want of thought is a great cause of needless cruelty, I +know; and I am trying to put some kind thoughts into your heads, which +you may be thankful for when you are older. I can tell you one thing, +which is, that it is impossible for a cruel man to be happy: it is +entirely IMPOSSIBLE. He may laugh and shout, and sing, and dance, and +tell you that he is very happy; but it is not so. There is in his heart +something always whispering, "Your turn will come. The great God, the +holy, just, merciful God, whose creatures you now torment, sees it all, +knows it all; and he will punish you. Every one of us must appear before +the judgment-seat of Christ, to give an account of the things done in +the body; and you will be forced to own all your cruelties, before +angels and men: and then what follows? 'HE SHALL HAVE JUDGMENT WITHOUT +MERCY WHO HATH SHOWN NO MERCY!'" A bad man will never confess to you +that such is his feeling: for bad men always will try to make you as bad +as themselves: but now, mind, after what I have told you, if you have +not the same terror of God's vengeance coming over you when you do a +cruel thing. If not, it is because you are already hardened by Satan; +but I should grieve to think it was so with you. Oh! remember that the +blessed Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil; and pray to him +now to deliver you from the power of that evil one. He will hear, and +help, and save. + +Even as to animals that we may destroy when they injure us, we should +not forget the good they also do: as an instance, the RAT may be +mentioned. It is, indeed, a very troublesome and sometimes dangerous +creature: it will kill and carry off young chickens, pigeons, and other +defenceless things; besides making sad havoc among the grain and +eatables of every sort. It is often more than a match for a grown +kitten, or even a weak cat: and where they are in numbers, they have +been known to overpower a man. I confess, the rat is a very disagreeable +enemy, whom we may fairly get rid of when we can. But when it is +necessary to kill them, we should do it mercifully; do not put them to +needless pain. Why should you? Is it manly? Is it generous? Is it what +you think God will approve? Will it make you wiser, or better, or +happier to feel that you are giving pain to a poor creature? + +[Illustration] + + + + +[Illustration] + +CHAPTER VI. + +BIRDS. + + +Having now, I think, mentioned all the "four-footed beasts" about which +I had any thing particular to say, I will pass on to another and still +more beautiful portion of God's handy-work--the birds. The account of +their creation is thus given: "And God said, Let the waters bring forth +abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly +above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great +whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought +forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his +kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be +fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl +multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth +day." The beasts were not made until the sixth day; so that, if I had +been writing a history of the creation, I should have put the birds and +fishes first. Notice these expressions, "God saw that it was good; and +God blessed them." Every thing when it came from his glorious hand was +very good; and man was the only being who became bad by his own fault, +despised the blessing, and brought the curse on himself, with all its +sad consequences to the whole earth and every creature. "God blessed +them;" and what right have we to make their little lives miserable? This +thought has often come over me when I have seen any cruel thing done. +God said, that the fowl were to "fly above the earth, in the open +firmament of heaven;" but he has made some fowls that are very useful to +man, willing to stay upon the earth. If hens and ducks were to lay their +eggs in high trees, and among rocks, as many birds do, we should get +very few of them; and as they lay many more than they can hatch, it +would be a great and wasteful loss. By this we are sure that poultry was +intended for our use; and if you take care not to frighten or tease +them, you may bring up chickens to be as tame and familiar as dogs or +cats. I remember a droll proof of this. Once, out of a great many fowls, +belonging to a dear friend in whose house I lived, there was only one +that would not be friends with me. She was a fine old speckled black and +white hen, very wild; and her running away from me vexed me; for I +cannot bear that any one of God's creatures should think I would be so +cruel as to hurt it. Well, I set myself to wheedle this hen into being +on better terms; taking crumbs to her, and persuading her by degrees to +feed from my hand, like the rest. This was very good: but it did not +stop here. Whether Mrs. Hen was flattered by so much attention, or +whether she was desirous of making up for her former rudeness, or how it +was, I don't know; but she became so unreasonably fond of me, that if a +door or window were opened she would pop in to look for her friend, +running up and down stairs, into the parlour, the drawing-room, the +bed-rooms, and making no little work for the servants. At first, every +body was amused at it; but, after a time, the poor hen became so +troublesome that we were obliged to give her away. Jack, the dumb boy, +would put his hands to his sides, and laugh till he lost his breath, to +see "my fat hen," as he called her, waddling after me, without minding +either dogs or strangers, and he was in great trouble when she was sent +away. Jack's care of the poultry, and his anxiety to prevent their being +hunted, or hurt, would have delighted you. Nothing pleased him better +than to see that fine fellow, the cock, when he had scratched up or +found any nice thing, calling the hens and chickens about him, bidding +them take it, and never seeming even to wish for it himself. Jack used +to say, "Good; beautiful! God made poor bird." When he was a little boy, +he had seen some cock-fighting; and he used to tell me of it, in his +way, with so much grief and anger. He said, "God see bad man hurt poor +birds--make birds fight." The tears would come into his eyes, when he +thought how the birds were tortured; but he always ended by pitying the +men and boys who suffered Satan to tempt them into such wickedness, for +which they would be dreadfully punished at last. + +Jack was very fond of small birds: I suppose you think, then, that he +had some in a cage; and that he caught them in traps, for he was very +ingenious. No; Jack would as soon, and sooner, have gone to prison +himself. He could not bear the idea of imprisoning a bird. Canaries, +indeed, and such others as could not live in our cold climate, and +which, having been hatched in a cage, would not have known how to use +their liberty, he did not object to, but took great pleasure in giving +them pans or saucers of clean water, to bathe themselves in; and plenty +of fresh sand, and nice food: but most birds he could not bear to see +within the bars of a prison. The robin, the thrush, the blackbird, the +linnet, the sparrow, he knew it was a sin to deprive of their liberty. I +have seen him persuade other boys to break their traps, or to let the +poor frightened captives go: and I have seen him clap his hands with joy +as they spread out their pretty wings, and flew "above the earth, in the +open firmament of heaven," as they were made to do; but I do not believe +that a whole pocket full of silver and gold would have tempted Jack to +catch and sell a bird. Indeed, I am sure it would not; for he knew that +neither silver nor gold, nor any thing that is to be bought with them, +would make a person's heart feel happy; and that the commission of a sin +would make him feel very unhappy; for nothing was so dreadful to Jack as +the idea of offending his gracious God, or grieving the Holy Spirit, +who dwells in the heart of every true believer. Now, perhaps, you will +say, "I would not catch and sell birds to put money in my own pocket; +but may I not do it to earn a little for those who really want it?" But +robbing is not earning. If you catch a bird, or a fish, not belonging to +another person, to kill and eat it, or to sell or to give it to others +for food, you do what God has permitted; and if it is done for this +purpose, and not for sport, nobody can blame you. But, though the Lord +has given you the bodies of his creatures for food, he has never given +you their natural liberty, either for your amusement or profit. + +As for keeping birds in a cage to sing, if you look at the hundred and +fourth Psalm, you will find that they were made to "sing among the +branches." Go into the fields, and listen to their happy little songs of +liberty, and take from them a lesson of thankful joy: or, if you want +them at home, put crumbs and grains of corn on the windows, and they +will learn to come and pick them up, and thank you with their merry +notes. Only do not be so mean and treacherous as to draw a snare or +close a trap over the poor things when they come, as they think, to be +fed by your bounty. People who love music so well as to make an innocent +creature miserable that they may enjoy its songs will wish, some day, +that they had been born deaf. + +But there is one thing that I am sorry to see many boys doing every +spring, and which they cannot defend by any such excuses. I often wonder +who was the first to begin such a disgraceful custom, the most cruel, +senseless, and babyish piece of folly: I mean what is called +bird-nesting. God said to the creatures, "Be fruitful and +multiply,"--"let fowl multiply in the earth." At the same time, He gave +them a wonderful instinct and skill, such as man's reason cannot +imitate. The birds must keep their eggs very warm for a certain number +of days, to bring to life the little creatures that are forming within +them; and the eggs being so very delicate and brittle, they must also +have a soft place to lie in, close enough for the bird's body to cover +them all; and be out of reach of rats, and other enemies. So, when the +bird is going to lay, she and her mate set to work, and what wonderful +work it is! These little creatures, without any hands, or even paws like +four-footed animals, to help them, and with only the bits of stick, hay, +grass, dead leaves, wool, hairs, and moss, that they can pick up with +their bills, presently form a soft, snug, warm, strong apartment, as +round as a tea-cup, and exactly of the proper size; placed, too, where +it will be little seen, sheltered above from the wet, yet airy enough to +keep it fresh and wholesome, and so smooth on the inside that even the +delicate naked body of a bird just hatched cannot be made uneasy by a +rough point. It costs the parent-birds a great deal of trouble; and if +you leave a nest untouched from one year to another, neither disturbing +the eggs nor the nestings, you will find it the next spring nicely +repaired and new lined, and a new family in it. Oh! I do wish that boys, +remembering how, by the goodness of our equal laws, a poor man's house +is his castle, would let a poor bird's little nest be its castle too! He +is the bravest boy who will defend the weak from the strong; and he is +the best boy who loves and is kind to the least of God's creatures for +the sake of the glorious Creator. + +But perhaps you may say, "Well, I will not spoil the nest; I will only +take the eggs." No, pray do not take the eggs. What pleasure in the +world can a parcel of little eggs afford you, compared with the delight +that the poor harmless mother takes in them as she sits in her warm +house, of her own making, listening for the first faint chirp of the +tiny creature within? Birds only bring up one family in a year; and if +you take from them the eggs that are to produce that one, you rob them +of all the happiness for which they took so much trouble. You are not +enough of a hen to hatch the eggs, though you may be enough of a goose +to try: then think, and be too much of a man to do such a silly, cruel +thing. You like, perhaps, to blow the inside out, and string the shells +in a row. Oh you thoughtless child! You must certainly be a very little +child to take pleasure in such a babyish thing; and you are very, very +thoughtless and wrong to do it at the expense of a poor innocent bird +which never injured or wished to injure you, though you can rob it of +all its delight, to please such a silly fancy. If you want a pretty +thing to ornament your room, go and pick up some round, clear pebbles, +of different colours, and give one side of them a polish at the +grindstone; then get some pieces of brick, and join them together in the +shape of an arch, or any thing you fancy, with a little mortar; spread +more mortar, thick and rough, over the front, and, while it is wet, +stick in your pebbles, with the shining side outmost, with bits of +glass, moss, sealing-wax, and any gay thing that comes in your way. I +have seen such pretty contrivances, and have said to myself, "The boy +who made this is skilful, and may come to be a good builder, or other +artisan, some day;" but when I see bird's eggshells hung up, I turn away +with a feeling of pain, because I know that somebody must be there, +either idle and cruel, or encouraging their children to be so. + +[Illustration] + +But there is something far worse than this. When the mother bird has +made her nest, and sat long days and nights on her eggs, and heard the +little ones chirp within, and helped them to break the thin shell, and +felt their little warm bodies cuddling themselves among her soft +feathers, and seen their yellow beaks open to ask her for the food that +it gives such joy to her affectionate heart to put into them; oh, THEN, +can you turn all her honest happiness into misery and mourning, and kill +those baby-birds with a miserable death, by cold and hunger, if not by +other tortures. If ever you have done this, pray to the Lord God to +forgive your sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Do you think He will forgive +you? Yes, you say, because he is very merciful. Indeed he is and for +that very reason he hates cruelty: but while you look to the Lord's +mercy for pardon, you must steadily resolve to offend no more by doing +what he hates; else you only mock him. + +I do not myself understand how anybody can bear to hurt little birds, +they are such endearing creatures; but I have seen it with my own eyes, +and am obliged to believe it. Bad example will go a great way. Boys, and +men too, will do what they see others do, without stopping to think of +the great truth that God sees them too. But, then, good example goes +far also; and the person who is careful not to do wrong has the comfort +of knowing that he is showing others the right way. While I write this +little book, I am praying to the Lord to make it the means of persuading +many young readers to be merciful; and that their good example will +persuade many more, who may not see the book; and so good will be done, +greater than you now think. + +I have a cockatoo. A friend brought him from India, and a funny bird he +is, but terribly noisy. He soon began to bark like Fid, and to growl +like Bronti; to cackle like the hens, and to imitate every loud noise +that he heard. We hoped, if he had a good teacher, he would learn to +sing, instead of making such a riot, as he whistles uncommonly well +after his master. So we went to buy a Canary bird, and you may be sure +we bought two; for it is very cruel to shut up a bird alone in a cage. +The cockatoo is not in a cage, but on a stand, dancing and chattering +all day. We put our canaries into a very large cage, with a good-sized +pan of fresh water every day, clean gravel, and plenty of seed. Nothing +could be happier, or tamer, than these little things; but one day the +hen got at some green paper, which she pecked at through the wires, and +the stuff that coloured it killed her at once. We got another directly +in her place, and there they are in the sunshine, on a table close by +me, splashing the paper on which I write with the water; for they +delight to plunge into it, till they are wet in every feather. Nothing +is more necessary to animals and birds than plenty of fresh water. My +pigeons have a pan of it to wash in, and it wants changing several times +a day; and you do not know how much birds in confinement suffer if that +is neglected. A glass hung outside, if always kept full, is good to +drink out of; but a bath _in_ the cage is the great luxury. + +Perhaps you will ask, Has the cockatoo learned to sing? No, I am sorry +to say, he is as noisy as ever, and not at all musical. We keep him +quiet by giving him sticks to break, and knotted cord to untie; and when +he has been good I take him on my lap, and rub his head and wings, which +he greatly likes. I never yet saw the animal, down to a little mouse, +that would not be fond of those who treated it tenderly; and the +pleasure of being loved is so great, that I only wonder how anybody can +neglect to win the love of the creatures which were made for man's use +and benefit. There is a wonderful deal of happiness among them, showing +how, as the Psalm says, the Lord's "tender mercies are over all his +works;" and a little kindness makes them so familiar, that we are always +reminded how sociable they were with Adam in the garden of Eden; and how +happy they and we should all be together now, if sin had not entered +into the world to destroy the beauty and blessedness that were upon +every thing when God first made them, and saw that they were all "very +good." + + + + +[Illustration] + +CHAPTER VII. + +FISHES--INSECTS. + + +A story about Jack. When he was a little fellow, soon after he came to +me, and before he knew many words, he made me understand that he wanted +a very long, slender stick. I asked a gardener of a friend, and he cut +him a fine one from a particular sort of tree. Then Jack laid out a +penny, all that he had, on a coarse bit of line, such as fishermen use; +and, lastly, he came to me for some large pins: one of which he bent +like a hook; explaining to me that he was going to dig for worms to put +upon it, that he might fish. I shook my head, saying, "No." Jack nodded +his head, and said "Yes." I said "bad;" Jack said "good;" and then I +took up his little red hand, and pretended I was going to run the hook +through the flesh. He snatched it away in a fright, saying "Bad, bad!" +but I nodded, and said "Good, good!" He said, "Bad Mam, hurt Jack!" and +I answered, "Bad Jack, hurt worm: God made Jack--God made worm." He +shook his head, and said, "No;" and what do you think was the reason he +gave? He reminded me that God is high up above, and that the worms come +from below, under the ground. The little fellow did not know that the +world is round; he thought it was flat: still less did he then +understand that God is everywhere, and made all things, above and +beneath. Then I told him that the Lord did so; and that worms and other +things were put into the earth by him, even as we were made to walk upon +its surface. Jack considered a little; and then said the worms were +rolled up in the world as apples were in a dumpling, and that they eat +their way through the crust. It was an odd idea, and made me smile; on +which he said, "Good," and told me he would fish with a piece of meat or +bread for a bait. + +[Illustration: THE TADPOLE OR YOUNG FROG.] + +Next morning, Jack came to me, and after reminding me of this, he asked +me if God also made the little newts, tadpoles, and frogs, and other +things that he had seen in the muddy ditches? I replied, "Yes, all." +"Did God make fishes?" "Oh yes," I answered, "he made fishes and every +thing." Then, in a very lively manner, he made me understand, that if +God did not like to have him hurt the worms, neither would he like to +have him hurt the fish. "Poor fish!" he said, showing me how its mouth +would be torn by the hook; and then, to my surprise, he got a small +hatchet, and chopped up his fine fishing-rod into walking-sticks; and +from that day he could never bear to see anybody angling. He used to +tell him, if they wanted to fish to eat or sell, to catch them with a +net, and to kill them at once; and I believe that the sight of the deaf +and dumb boy, taking such pains to plead for the creatures which are not +only dumb, but have no way of pleading for themselves, was the means of +checking many persons in cruel practices. He knew very little compared +with what you, perhaps, know; but he knew one blessed truth--he knew +that "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that +whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting +life;" and by always thinking on this great mercy of God to man, and the +exceeding love of our Lord Jesus Christ, in dying for poor sinners like +us, Jack came to hate whatever he knew to be displeasing to that +gracious Lord and heavenly Father; and the happiness that he felt in his +own soul made him delight in seeking the happiness of every creature +around him. + +Jack died of a slow decline. He had much pain, but I never saw him look +impatient or unhappy. He felt what David so beautifully describes in the +twenty-third Psalm: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of +death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me." He knew quite well +that he was going to die; but it never made him uneasy. He knew that God +was at peace with him, through the merits of the Redeemer; and he was at +peace with all the world. His dying pillow was not made a pillow of +thorns by the remembrance of having made any living thing suffer +torment; nor were his short sleeps disturbed by terrible dreams of what +he had forgotten until the time drew near to appear before God. I could +tell fearful stories of some who died as young as Jack, and whose +death-beds can never be forgotten by those who saw them. They had been +cruel to God's dumb creatures, and never gave a thought to what they had +done; but when death was near, when the poor weak body could not rise +from the bed, nor the soul be any longer deceived with the thought of +years to come, it was horrible to hear the cries they uttered, and the +wild things that they said about beasts, and birds, and insects tortured +by them in the days of their health and strength. There was one in +particular, a butcher's boy, who could not be comforted: he said, the +calves, the sheep, and the lambs, had provoked him by their +unwillingness to be caught and driven into the slaughter-yard, and he +had revenged himself by making their deaths as painful as he could; and +that he saw them then--whether his eyes were open or shut, he always saw +them--all bleeding, and torn, and struggling, as they used to do: and +whatever was said to him, or whatever noise was made, he heard their +cries of agony louder than all. When he was told that God was merciful, +he answered, "Yes; but I had no mercy, and there is no mercy for me." I +wish I could tell you that he died praying for pardon; but, alas! he +died shrieking out that he must go to hell. At that time, I was asked to +write a book about it, to warn others; but I was so much shocked that I +could not write about it. I mention it now, to show you that sometimes, +even in this world, the dreadful work of judgment is begun--judgment +without mercy, to those who show no mercy. + +But you must not suppose that Jack's happiness and peace, and confidence +in God, came from any thing that he had done, or any thing that he had +refrained from doing. No, it was all from believing with his whole heart +that God loved him for the sake of his dear son, the Lord Jesus Christ. +Now, if Jack has said, or fancied, that he loved God, and had at the +same time been cruel, or lived in any other sin, it would have proved +that he was mistaken, and he would have had no real peace. If you pass +by a garden and see clusters of fine ripe grapes hanging from the boughs +of a tree, and anybody should say to you, "That's a fine vine," you +would agree with him at once; but if he pointed to a tree where +horse-chestnuts were growing, and called it a vine, you would laugh at +him; you know the difference between a sweet juicy grape, and a hard, +bitter, uneatable horse-chestnut. Yet you would not say that the grapes +made the vine, would you? No, they did not make it a vine, but they +proved it to be one. If a boy were to tie bunches of grapes to a +horse-chestnut tree, and tell you it was a vine, you would say no, it is +not a real vine--the fruit did not grow upon it. + +In this way, I may say that I knew Jack to be a true child of God: +because the fruit of good works grew upon him. It was not in look only, +but really and indeed, that he was the character I have described; and +if you read carefully, very carefully, the fifteenth chapter of St. +John's Gospel, you will see what I mean. In that beautiful chapter, our +Lord Jesus Christ compares himself to a vine, his people to the +branches, and the good works that they do to the grapes; and he shows us +that if we do not really belong to him, and keep close to him, (which we +can only do by believing and praying,) then we are like the branches cut +off from the vine, which cannot possibly bring forth any grapes. You may +think little of this now; but you must think of it, whether you will or +no, when you come to die. Perhaps you say to yourself, "Ay, but when I +come to die, I will pray, and make my peace with God." Do not deceive +yourself with such a vain hope: there is a very terrible warning given +in the first chapter of Proverbs, which you must not forget. The Lord is +addressing such as mean to put off repenting and praying, and serving +him, to another time, when sickness or some other calamity shall +frighten them into calling on him for pardon and help. These are the +words: "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my +hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and +would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity; I will +mock when your fear cometh, when your fear cometh as desolation, and +your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh +upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they +shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hate +knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of +my counsel: they despised all my reproof." Does not this alarm you? Then +do not be found a day longer among those who refuse to hear the gracious +voice of the Lord Jesus, who invites you to come to him for eternal +life; and who will, if you ask it in his name, send the Holy Spirit to +guide you in the good way, and make you real branches of the good Vine, +as he made the dumb boy. When Jack was eleven years old, he became a +true servant of the Lord; and he died at nineteen, and went to live in +heaven with the blessed Master whom he had delighted to serve upon +earth. + +His religion made him so happy, there was not a merrier boy to be found. +Some people will tell you that being religious makes a boy feel dull and +melancholy. Ask them if they think you so silly as to believe that +walking in the summer sunshine will make you feel dark and cold? True +religion is to man what the bright sunshine is to the little insects +that sport upon the wing, and who find in it not only their light but +their life. + +[Illustration: THE WOOLLY BEAR CATERPILLAR.] + +Does any boy's conscience smite him at my naming the insects? I hope +not. I hope you have not been tempted by Satan to do any harm to the +little harmless, and often useful, creatures that cross your path. A +butterfly, a cockchaffer, a house-fly, a snail, a caterpillar, a +worm--these, and all others, are God's handy-work; and if you could see +them through a glass that magnifies very much indeed, you would be more +astonished than I can tell you. The small powder, scarcely seen on your +finger's end, from the wing of a butterfly, is a lump of the most +beautiful feathers, so delicate that the gentlest touch will rub some of +them off: the wing itself is made of lovely net-work, like silver +threads, stretched on strong wires; and all the skill of all the most +skilful men in the world could make nothing to equal the coarsest part +of the plainest insect. But it is not their beauty--though we ought to +see and to glorify the Creator's hand in that--it is their delicate +sense of feeling that should keep us from hurting them. The common worm +is very useful in dividing the clods of earth, which would otherwise +become so hard as to prevent the fine fibres of the roots of plants from +forcing their way, and then the plants would die. Man has not discovered +all the uses of the different insects; but God has made nothing in vain: +and though, for our own safety and comfort, we must destroy some sorts, +still we are bound to do it in the quickest and most complete manner, or +else we must give an account to their Creator and ours for the cruelty +we commit. I have killed insects myself, for no reason but because I saw +that they must fall into the hands of boys, or others, whom I knew to be +so dreadfully wicked as to take pleasure in torturing them; but I did it +sorrowfully; feeling that I could not give life to the meanest reptile, +and that I must be able to render to God a reason for taking it away. I +have found poor harmless insects alive, most cruelly maimed, with their +wings or legs torn off, or their bodies pierced through; and I shuddered +to think how the eye of God was fixed on those who did it, never losing +sight of them; and I have prayed that he would change their wicked +hearts before it was too late. + +And now I have finished my book. While I was writing it, more than a few +funerals passed my window, the coffins being those of very young people; +and this made me more anxious to go on; for I thought to myself, +"Perhaps some boy or girl will read it who has never thought rightly +about these things, and will presently determine not to go on in sin, +but to become merciful and obedient, and all that they ought to be." If +they try to do this of themselves, they will soon find that the sinful +nature of Adam is too strong in them; and the more they try to mend +themselves, they will find Satan is the more busy, leading them into +more wickedness. Then, perhaps, they will mind what I have said about +the need not only of pardon, but of help from the Lord Jesus Christ. +They will pray to God, for his sake, to give them a new heart, holy, +humble, obedient, and merciful. This prayer will be heard; for our +gracious God hears and answers the prayer of the poorest child as +readily as that of the mightiest king. Then they will know what it +really is to love God, and to keep his commandments, because they love +him; and what a sweet example they will set to others, and how happy +they will be themselves, and what a blessing to all belonging to them! +Perhaps, too, they will make a little party among the kindest-hearted of +their playmates, all giving a promise to each other not willingly to +hurt any of God's creatures; but to do the best they can to persuade +every one to be merciful to the dumb animals, birds, fishes, and +insects. If they live, they will grow up to be such men and women as we +want, to bring a blessing on this land; and in their own children they +will reap the reward of having shown tenderness to the helpless. If they +die young, they will be like my happy boy Jack, not afraid of death; but +willing and rejoiced to go to the Saviour, whom they sought and found so +early. Oh, may the Lord grant this blessing to my little book, that at +the great day of judgment I may meet with some happy spirits to tell me +that it was not written in vain! "BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL, FOR THEY +SHALL OBTAIN MERCY." Matt. v. 7. + +[Illustration: FINIS] + + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Kindness to Animals, by Charlotte Elizabeth + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KINDNESS TO ANIMALS *** + +***** This file should be named 17961.txt or 17961.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/9/6/17961/ + +Produced by Ben Beasley and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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