The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-05-26
what animals are Made For.

had been a long while leased by the flies
that buzzed about her ears, and settled
ON her nose and forehead as she sat at
work-"pray what were flies made for 2"
"For some good, dare say" replied
her papa.
Sophia. think they do great
deal more harm than good, for am sure
they plague me sadly ; and in the kitch-
en- thew are so troublesome that the
maids can hardly do their work.
Papa.-Flies eat up many things that
would otherwise become corrupt and
loathsome and they serve for food to
birds, spiders, and many other animals.
S.-But we could clean away every
thing that was offensive without their
help and as to their serving for food,
have seen whole heaps of them lying
dead in a window, without seeming to
have done good to anything.
P.-Well, then. Suppose fly capa-
BILE of thinking would he not be as
equally puzzled to find out what men
were good for2 "This great two-legged
monster" he might say, "instead of
helping us to live, devours more food at
a meal than would feast whole legion
of flies. Then he kills us by hundreds
when we come within his reach and l
see him destroy and torment all other
animals too. Aud when he dies, he is
nailed up in box and put great way
under ground, as if he grudged doing
any good after his DEATH" Now, what
would you answer to such reasoning
fy9
ST. would tell him he was very i'm
pertinent for talking so of his betters;
for that he and all other creatures We're
made for the use of man, and not man
for theirs.
P.-But would you tell him true
You have just been saying that you could
not find out what use flies were to us;
whereas, when they suck our blood,
there is no doubt that we are of use to
them.
SIT is that which puzzles me.
P.-There are many other animals
which we call ',oriouS, and which are so
far from being useful to us, that we take
all possible pains to get rid of them.
More than that, there are vast tracts of
the earth inhabited by few or no men,
and yet full of beasts, birds, insects, and
other living things. These certainly do
not exist there for mans use alone. On
the contrary, they often keep man away.
S.-Then what are they made for
P.-They are made to be happy. 1t
is manifest purpose of the Creator to
give being to life, for life is enjoyment
to all creatures in health, and in posses
sion of their faculties. Man surpasses
other animals in his powers of enjoy
ment, and he has prospects III future
state which they do not share with him.
But the Creator equally desires the hap
piness of all His creatures; and looks
down with as much benignity upon these
flies that are sporting around us as upon
ourselves.
S.-Then we ought not to kill them,
if they are ever so troublesome.
Pr do not say that. We have 9
right to make a reasonable use of all an
imals for our advantage, and also to free
ourselves from such as are hurtful to us.
So far our superiority over them may
fairly extend. But we should never i'll
use them for our mere amusement, mol
take away their lives wuntonly. Nay, 9
good-naturcd man will rather undergo 6
little inconvenience than take away from
a creature all that it possesses. An in
FAINT may destroy life, but all the kings
upon earth cannot restore it. / remem
Der reading of a good tempered old gen
tleman who, having been long time
plagued with a great fly that buzzet
about his face all dinner-time, at length
after many efforts, caught it. Instead O
crushing it to death, he held it CAREFUL.
in his hand, and opening the window
600" said he, "get thee gone, poo
creature. / won't hurt hair of tn,
head surely the world is wide enough
for thee and me"
ST. should have loved that man.
P.-One of our poets has written SOM
very pretty lines to q fly that came Il
partake with him OF his wine. The.
begin
Busy. curious, thirsty hy,
Drink with me- and drink as |;
Welcome freely to my cup,
Could'st thou sip and sip II up"
Slow pretty / think they vii
almost make me love flies. But pray
papa, do not animals destroy one onother
P.lThey do, i'deed. The majorit
of them only live by the destruction Q
lie. There is perpetual warfare goin
on, in which the stronger prey upon TN
weaker, and, in their turn, are the pre-
of those stronger than themselves. Eve
the innocent sheep, with every mouthfu
of grass, destroys hundreds of small in
sects. In breathing air and drinkin
water, we infict death on thousands c
invisible creatures.
S.-But is not this very strangel
they were created to live and be happy
why should they be destroyed so fast
P.-They are destroyed no faster tina
others are produced; and If they ell
joyed life while it lasted, they have nc
been made in vain. BY making an
mails the food of animals, Providenc
has, as it we're, filed up every chink {
existence You see these swarms {
flies. During all the hot weather the
are continually coming forth from I'll
state of eggs and maggots, and as SOC