MORAL CONVERSATIONS
AND
STORIES.
CHAP. I.
The Treatment of Animals—The Ant—The Bee—Goodneſs—The Lark's Neſt—The Aſſes.
ONE fine morning in ſpring, ſome time after Mary and Caroline were ſettled in their new abode, Mrs. Maſon propoſed a walk before breakfaſt, a cuſtom ſhe wiſhed to teach imperceptibly, by rendering it amuſing.
The ſun had ſcarcely diſpelled the dew that hung on every blade of graſs, and filled the half-ſhut flowers; every proſpect ſmiled, and the ſreſhneſs of the air conveyed the moſt pleaſing ſenſations to Mrs. Maſon's mind; but the children were regardleſs of ſurrounding beauties, and ran eagerly ſome inſects to deſtroy them. Mrs. Maſon ſilently obſerved their cruel ſports, without appearing to do it; but ſtepping ſuddenly out of the foot-path into the long grasſ, her buckle was caught in it, and ſtriving to diſentangle herſelf, ſhe wet her feet; which the children knew ſhe wiſhed to avoid, as ſhe had been lately ſick. This circumſtance rouſsed their attention; and they forgot their amuſement to enquire why ſhe had left the path; and Mary could hardly reſtrain a laugh, when ſhe was informed that it was to avoid treading on ſome ſnails that were creeping acroſs the narrow footway. Surely, ſaid Mary, you do not think there is any harm in killing a ſnail, or any of thoſe naſty creatures that crawul on the ground? I hate them, and ſhould ſcream if one was to find its way from my clothes to my neck! With great gravity, Mrs. Maſon aſked how ſhe dared to kill any thing, unleſs it were to prevent its hurting her? Then, reſuming a ſmiling face, ſhe ſaid, Your education has been neglected, my child, as we walk along attend to what I ſay, and make the beſt anſwers you can; and do you, Caroline, join in the converſation.
You have already heard that God created the world, and every inhabitant of it. He is then called the Father of all creatures; and all are made to be happy, whom a good and wiſe God has created. He made thoſe ſnails you deſpiſe, and caterpillars, and ſpiders; and when he made them, did not leave them to periſh, but placed them where the food that is moſt proper to nouriſh them is eaſily found. They do not live long, but He who is their Father, as well as your's, directs them to depoſit their eggs on the plants that are fit to ſupport their young, when they are not able to get food for themſelves.—And when ſuch as great and wiſe Being has taken care to provide every thing neceſſary for the meaneſt creature, would you dare to kill it, merely becauſe it appears to you ugly? Mary began to be attentive, and quickly followed Mrs. Maſon's example, who allowed a caterpillar and a ſpider to creep on her hand. You find them, ſhe rejoined, very harmleſs; but a great number would deſtroy our vegetables and fruit; ſo birds are permitted to eat them, as we feed on animals; and in ſpring there are always more than at any other ſeaſon of the year, to ſurniſh food for the young broods.—Half-convinced, Mary ſaid, But worms are of little conſequence in the world. Yet, replied Mrs. Maſon, God cares for them, and gives them every thing that is neceſſary to render their exiſtence comfortable. You are often troubleſome—I am ſtronger than you—yet I do not kill you.
Obſerve thoſe ants; they have a little habitation in yonder hillock; they carry food to it for their young, and ſleep very ſnug in it during the cold weather. The bees alſo have comfortable towns, and lay up a ſtore of honey to ſupport them when the flowers die, and ſnow covers the ground: and this forecasſt is as much the gift of God, as any quality you poſſeſs.
Do you know the meaning of the word Goodneſs? I ſee you are unwilling to anſwer. I will tell you. It is firſt, to avoid hurting any thing; and then, to contrive to give as much pleaſure as you can. If ſome inſects are to be deſtroyed, to preſerve my garden from deſolation, I have it done in the quickeſt way. The domeſtic animals that I keep, I provide the beſt food for, and never ſuffer them to be tormented; and this caution ariſes from two motives:—I wiſh to make them happy; and, as I love my fellow-creatures ſtill better than the brute creation, I would not allow thoſe that I have any influence over to grow habitually thoughtleſs and cruel, till they were unable to reliſh the greateſt pleaſure life affords,—that of reſembling God, by doing good.
A lark now began to ſing, as it ſoared aloft. The children watched its motions liſtening to the artleſs melody. They wondered what it was thinking of—of its young familiy, they ſoon concluded; for it flew over the hedge, and drawing near, they heard the young ones chirp. Very ſoon both the old birds took their flight together, to look for food to ſatisfy the craving of the almoſt fledged young. An idle boy, who had borrowed a gun, fired at them—they fell; and before he could take up the wounded pair, he perceived Mrs. Maſon; and expecting a very ſevere reprimand, ran away. She and the little girls drew near, and found that one was not much hurt, but that the other, the cock, had one leg broken, and both its wings ſhattered; and its little eyes ſeemed ſtarting out of their ſockets, it was in ſuch exquiſite pain. The children turned away their eyes. Look at it, ſaid Mrs. Maſon; do you not ſee that it ſuffers as much, and more than you did when you had the ſmall-pox, when you were ſo tenderly nurſed. Take up the hen; I will bind her wing together; perhaps it may heal. As to the cock, though I hate to kill any thing, I muſt put him out of pain; to leave him in his preſent ſtate would be cruel; and avoiding an unpleaſant ſenſation myſelf, I ſhould allow the poor bird to die by inches, and call this treatment tenderneſs, when it would be ſelfiſhneſs or weakneſs. Saying ſo, ſhe put her foot on the bird's head, turning her own another way.
They walked on; when Caroline remarked, that the neſtlings deprived of their parents, would now periſh; and the mother began to flutter in her hand as they drew near the hedge; though the poor creature could not fly, yet ſhe tried to do it. The girls, with one voice, begged Mrs. Maſon to let them take the neſt, and provide food in a cage, and ſee if the mother could not contrive to hop about to feed them. The neſt and the old mother were inſtantly in Mary's handkerchief. A little opening was left to admit the air; and Caroline pepped into it every moment to ſee how they looked. I give you leave, ſaid Mrs. Maſon, to take thoſe birds, becauſe an accident has rendered them helpleſs; if that had not been the caſe, they ſhould not have been confined.
They had ſcarecly reached the next field, when they met another boy with a neſt in his hand, and on a tree near him ſaw the mother, who, forgetting her natural timidity, followed the ſpoiler; and her intelligible tones of anguiſh reached the ears of the children, whoſe hearts now firſt felt the emotions of humanity. Caroline called him, and taking ſixpence out of her little purſe, offered to give it to him for the neſt, if he would ſhew her where he had taken it from. The boy conſented, and away ran Caroline to replace it,—crying all the way, how delighted the old bird will be to find her brood again. The pleaſure that the parent-bird would feel was talked of till they came to a large common, and heard fome young aſſes, at the door of an hovel, making a most dreadful noiſe. Nrs. Maſon had ordered the old ones to be confned, leſt the young ſhould ſuck before the neceſſary quantity had been ſaved for ſome ſick people in her neighbourhood. But after they had giventhe uſual quantity of milk, the thoughtleſs boy had left them ſtill in confinement, and the young in vain implored the food nature deſigned for their particular ſupport. Open the hatch, ſaid Mrs. Maſon, the mothers have ſtill enough left to ſatisfy their young. It was opened, and they ſaw the ſuck.
Now, ſaid ſhe, we will return to breakfaſt; give me your hands, my little girls, you have done good this morning, you have acted like rational creatures. Look, what a fine morning it is. Inſects, birds, and animals, are all enjoying this ſweet day. Thank God for permitting you to ſee it, and for giving you an underſtanding which teaches you that you ought, by doing good, to imitate Him. Other creatures only think of ſupporting themſelves; but man is allowed to ennoble his nature, by cultivating his mind and enlarging his heart. He feels diſintereſted love; every part of the creation affords an exerciſe for virtue, and virtue is ever the trueſt ſource of pleaſure.