MORAL CLASS-BOOK. CONDUCT TOWARDS ANIMALS. THERE are many harmless little animals, as flies, snails, worms, and frogs, which some people torture and kill whenever they see them. We ought not to do so, because it is wrong to cause unnecessary pain to any creature. Besides, from being cruel to little animals, we are led to become cruel to our fellow-creatures, and thus by and by may do very wicked actions. When we are tempted to hurt or kill any such creatures, we should consider how we should like if any greater being than ourselves were to do the same by us. If we keep any animal, as a horse, or a dog, for our convenience or pleasure, it is our duty to treat it well-to give it sufficient food and proper lodging-and not to make it work beyond its strength. It is shameful to lash a horse or ass for going slow, when probably it is too old, or too much fatigued, or too sparingly fed, to go any faster. It is allowable to kill animals which may thereby become of use to us. But though we may kill them, we ought not to give them unnecessary pain. They should not be ill used on their way to the market, and they ought to be put to death as quickly as possible. Even a butcher may be, to a certain extent, humane. THE BOYS AND THE FROGS: A FABLE. On the margin of a large lake, which was inhabited by a great number of frogs, a company of boys happened to be at play. Their diversion was duck and drake; and whole volleys of stones were thrown into the water, to the great annoyance and danger of the poor terrified frogs. At length one of the most hardy, lifting up his head above the surface of the lake, "Ah, dear children," said he, "why will you learn so soon to be cruel? Consider, I beseech you, that though this may be sport to you, it is death to us." JAMES AND ROBERT. James and Robert were brothers, the one being about seven years of age, and the other less than five. James was a boy of good sense and fine dispositions. Robert was as good a boy; but, being younger, he had less knowledge and sense, and more frequently did wrong. One day these two boys took a walk into the fields. As they passed along, Robert observed a bird's nest in a hedge. The parent bird, which was sitting in the nest, flew out at their approach; and when they looked in, they saw three young ones, which she had just been feeding. Robert wished to take the young ones out, and carry them home. But James prevented him. "My papa," he said, "told me long ago that it is wrong to rob birds' nests. The birds love their young ones just as much as our father and mother love us. When their little ones are taken away, they grieve as much for them as our papa and mamma would grieve if any wicked person were to come to our house and take away us and the little babies. Besides, young birds can only thrive under a mother's care, and when boys take them, they almost always die miserably. It will be much better to let the poor bird keep her little family at home in her nest, till they are fit to fly, and to take care of themselves." Robert had not thought of this before, but he now saw that it would be wrong to give so much pain even to a bird, and he resolved to follow his brother's advice. It happened that the father of James and Robert was on the other side of the hedge, where he heard all that his children had said. He now came across to them, and told them that they had been very good boys, and he loved them more than he had ever done before. The grief of a little bird THE PRISONER AND THE RATS. 13 was, he said, a trifle; but the wickedness of a little boy, who could wantonly rob so harmless an animal, was not a trifle. Boys who could do that, showed that they had cruel hearts, and were likely to be more cruel afterwards. He was delighted to think that he had two sons who already felt it to be wrong to rob birds' nests. THE CRUEL BOY AND THE MICROSCOPE. A certain youth indulged himself in the cruel entertainment of torturing and killing flies. He tore off their wings and legs, and then watched with pleasure their vain attempts to escape from him. Sometimes he collected a number of them together, and crushed them at once to death, glorying in the wickedness he committed. His tutor remonstrated with him in vain on this barbarous conduct. He could not persuade him to believe that flies ever feel pain, and have a right, no less than ourselves, to life, liberty, and enjoyment. The signs of agony which they expressed by their movements, the cruel boy neither understood nor would attend to. The tutor had a glass for enabling us to see small objects, and he desired his pupil one day to examine a most beautiful and surprising animal. "Mark," said he, "it is studded from head to tail with black and silver, and its body is covered all over with the most curious bristles! The head contains a pair of lively eyes encircled with silver hairs, and the trunk consists of two parts which fold over each other. The whole body is ornamented with plumes and gildings, which surpass the dress of the greatest princes." Pleased and astonished with what he saw, the youth was impatient to know the name and properties of this wonderful animal. It was withdrawn from the magnifier; and when presented to his naked eye, proved to be a poor fly, which had been the victim of his wanton cruelty. THE PRISONER AND THE RATS. In Paris there was once a large fortress called the Bastile, which was used as a prison. When the king was offended with any one, he caused him to be taken to the Bastile, and confined there. Some prisoners were kept in confinement for many years: they were loaded with heavy chains; they were never allowed to go into the open air; and they were not permitted to see any of their relations. There was once in the Bastile a prisoner named La Tude. He was put in when twenty-three years of age, and kept there and in other prisons for thirty-five years, so that he was quite an old man when he got free. This poor man was kept for many years in a little room, where he had no company. He saw no one but the jailor who brought him his food. This was the greatest of all his afflictions, for there are few things more necessary to happiness than the society of our fellow-crea tures. In La Tude's room there was no light, except what came through a horizontal slit in the wall; and as the wall was thick, this slit was very deep. One day as he was looking through the slit, he saw a rat come to the farther end of it. Rats are creatures which human beings do not in general like to have near them; but La Tude was so solitary, that he was glad of the approach of any living thing. He threw the rat a small piece of bread, taking care not to frighten it by any violent movement. It came forward and took the bread, and then seemed to wish for more. La Tude threw another piece to a less distance, and the animal came and took that piece also. He then threw another to a still less distance, by which the rat was tempted to come still nearer to him. Thus he induced the creature to have some confidence in him. As long as he threw bread, it remained; and when it could eat no more, it carried off to its hole the fragments which it had not devoured. Next day the rat appeared again. He threw it some bread, and also a small piece of beef, which it seemed to relish very much. On the third day it came again, and was now so tame as to eat from La Tude's hands. On the fifth day it changed its residence to a small hole near the inner end of the slit, apparently wishing to be nearer to its benefactor. It came very early next morning to get its breakfast from La Tude, and appeared no more that day. On the ensuing morning it came again, but it now had a |