What a beautiful creature is the gaudy butterfly! Children, you do
not wish to crush its golden wings, and destroy its brief, sunny
life. O, no; you had rather see it free and happy. How cruel and
wicked it is for children to destroy these beautiful creatures which
God has made!
Here is a story in regard to a little boy and a butterfly.
“I was walking along through a pretty village, one summer day. The
cottages were covered with woodbines and roses. The bees were busy
carrying home honey to the hives, while the children were playing
about so happily. I was thinking how soon the bright summer would be
gone, and the leaves fallen from the trees, when a little boy ran by,
chasing a beautiful butterfly. I was sorry to see him soon catch it,
and hold it fast in his hand. I asked him if he knew how cruel and
unkind it was. He said,—
“No, ma’am; I wanted it, to take home and put under a glass; it looks
so very pretty. I did not know it would hurt it.”
But when I told him how much pain it gave the poor creature, he
opened his little hand to let the butterfly escape.
Alas! poor thing, it was so hurt it could not fly at all; so we were
obliged to kill it, to put it out of pain. The little boy was very
sorry; so were the other children who had gathered round.
Then I showed them the dust upon the wing, and told them if we could
only see it distinctly, how it would look almost like feathers, and
how it hurt the poor creature to have it brushed off. I explained
to them about the caterpillar, and that some of them spin beautiful
webs, and then come the butterflies, which fly about in the bright
sunshine, but die when winter comes.
Then we talked about the great God, who made all these beautiful
creatures, and how he loved dear children to be kind to one another,
and to poor dumb animals that could not tell when they were in pain.
Children may run about the fields, and gather the beautiful flowers,
and bright green ferns; which the little boys and girls said they
would do, and never catch butterflies any more, but only watch them
fly about, so happily basking in the sunshine.”
[Illustration: Group of boys standing.]