The loyal Georgian., 1866-03-03
CHILDRENaS COLUMN.


hours in Aunt Esthers parlor talking
with her. Her favorite .subiec' was al,
ways the habits and character, of different
animals, and their various ways and ms
stincts, and she used to tell US so many
wonderful, yet perfectly authentic, stories
about all these things, that the hours
passed away very quickly.
Some Of Per rules for the treatment
and care Of animals have impressed them
selves So distinctly on my mipd, that |
shall never forget them, and am going
to repeat some of them to you.
One was, never to frighten an animal
FIR sport. recollect. | had a little white
kitten, Of which | Was very fond, AID one
day | was amusing myself with making
her walk up and DOM the keyboard Of
the piano, and laughing to see her fright
at the strange noises which came from
under her feet Puss evidently thought
the place was haunted, and tried to
escape; it never occurred to me, however,
that there was any cruelty in the opera.
ton, till Aunt Esther said to me, & My
dear, you must never frighten an animal.
/ have suffered enough from fear to know
that there is No suffering more dreadful
and a helpless animal, that cannot speak
to tell its f light, and cannot III derstand
an explanation Of what alarms it, ought to
move your pity.
had never thought Of this before, and
then I remembered h W, when | was a
very, very little girl, a grown>up boy
amused himself. with me and my little
brother much the same way as that in.
which | had amused myself with the
kitten. He hunted US under one Of the
school room tables by threatening to cut
our ears off if we came OUT, aud took out
his penknifc, ard opened it, aud shook it
at US whenever we offered to move. Very
likly he had not the least idea that we
really could be made to suffer wit fear
at SO absurd a threat-any more than
had that my kitten could possibly be
afraid of the piano; but our suffering was
in fact as real as if the boy really had in.
tended what he said, AID was really able
to execute it.
Another thing which Aunt Esther im>
p es~ed strongly on my mind vas, that
when there were domestic animals about
a house which were not wanted iu a
family it was far kinder to have them
killed in some quick and certain way than
to chase them out Of the house, and leave
them to wander homeless, to be starved,
beaten, and abused. Aunt Esther was
a great advocate for killing anic ais, and,
tender hearted az she was, she gnve US
many instructions in the kindest and
quickest way Of disposiDg Of one whose
life must be sacrificed.
Her ms ructions sometimes bore most
remarkable ui's. | recollect one little
girl, who had been trained under Aunt
Esthers care, was once coming home
from school across Boston Common, when
she saw a party Of noisy boys and dogs
tormenting poor kitten by the side Of
the frog pond The little wretches would
throw it into the water, and then laugh at
irs vain efforts to paddle out, while the
dogs addeG to its fright by their fero>
cious barking. Belle was bright eyed,
spirited little puss, and her whole soul
was reused in indignation she dashed
in among the throng Of boys and dogs
aud rescued the poor half,drowned little
animal. The boys, asham d, Sunk away,
and little Bale held the poor, cold,
shivering little creature, considering what
to do for it. twas half dead already,
and She vas embarrassed by the refec-
ton that at home there was, no room for
another pet, for both cat and kitten never
we're wanting in their family. Poor
kit" she said, '"you must die, but will
see that you are not tormented; and
she knelt braveIy down and held the little
thing under water, with the tears rum
ming down her own checks, till all its
earthly sorrows we're over, and little kit
was beyond the reach Of dog or boy.
This Aas real brave humanity. Many
people call themselves tender. earied
because they are unwilling TO have 1T
ter IF kittens killed, and so they 60 and
throw them ever fences INTO peoples back
yards, anu comfort themselves with the
reflection that they will do well enough.
Wat becomes Of the poor little defence
less things? LII niue cases out of ten
They i've i hunted, miserable lie, crying
from hunger, shiycring with cold, harass
Ell BY cr Tel dogs, aud tortured to make
p7rt for brutal boys. How much kin,l-
er and more really humane to take upon
ourselves the monetary suffering of
causing the death of al animal, than to