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]