Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-09
TALKS To MOTHERS.

W. - bNAA~
TALKS TO MOTHERS.
The Need Of . Boys Training In Humans
4 fly.
Written for The star by Olive Thorne Miller
tnNE or THE MOST IMPORTANT DUTIES
~ OF q mother is 60 teach her son kindness
to animals. No sight In our boosted age Of
civilization is more painful, and none more dis
graceful, than the cruelty practiced by bows.
and, regret to say. by men as well. upon the
helpless animals in their power. refrain from
repeating the narrowing tales could tell. q
torture and abuse unworthy the rudest savage.
which i have myself seen on the streets OF a
city priding itself upon lite civilization and hu-
manity. Within its boundaries dozens of ins,j-
buttons cherish and minister to not only the
afflicted, but the idle and vicious members OF
the human family, and thousands OF mothers
give their very lives 10 this service. while their
young sons grow up 10 torment the cat, NAL
treat the dog and kill and maim every smaller
creature they can get their hands upon. His
burning and crying shame upon us as a
race IN this nineteenth century, aud especially
upon US as mothers.
No one need say, II can't help it! my boy VIII
do so." Doubtless he will not obey when she
orders him 20 desist; command. even punish-
ment, will not eradicate that brutal inclination.
q survival from the dRys when every man 9
hand was against his neighbor. But IL the
mo,her eoes TO work properly she can accom-
plish even this task.
AROUSE YOUR BOYS INTELLIGENCE.
The boy is a little savage. his tenderness cam
NOS be counted upon, his sympathy is an un-
known quantity; but he il q bundle Of curiosity.
his attention oan be roused-and here Is the
point to attack him. He must be instructed ana
interested IN the lives of the lower orders Of
creatures. To this end the mother must begin
with herself She must know something Of the
wonderful facts OF natural history. SO that when
she hnds that hopeful son of hers mutilAting
hies and teasing the kitten she can tell him
some curious and entertaining facts in the lives
OF those snimals-show him how the ty ia
developed, the Office IL performs. and. il po.-
sibie, Its marvellous beauty under the micro
scope.
The world Of life below ms Is brimmine with
wonders, and the child is fairly hungerine for
information. He will not throw stones nt a
bird whose movements he hss learned to under-
stand, whose actions he is entertained bv nor
win he crush an ant whose strange and remark
able life history he knows something Of; ne viii
rather want to see what it will do. His inteIli-
gence must be aroused and fed, and US he be-
comes older bis sympsthles Will grow.
CRUELTY NOT A VIRTUE
In the days when q mans strength OF arm
and indifference to the sufferings Of Others was
the only protection 10 his family il was thourht
mat hardness Of heart and cruelty we're manly
virtues, but the world has moved little, and
happily We have fallen upon better time. The
example Of the Christ life has not been utterly
without fruit. and the nobler men are now
waking to the fact that cruelty 10 animals IL not
only an outrage upon the animal. but a thousand
times worse TOR the man or boy who prac-
tees il.
How mother protesting to model her life
upon that meek and gentle one in Judea nearly
nineteen hundred years ago. can permit her
sons to come up like the brutal sayAges who
have a Tar different ideal n problem am
unable 10 solve.
kwRoNG TO THE BoY.
Much could be said on the rights Of the AMI.
mails fellow creatures and co-teuauts Of the
earth; much also could be brought forward 90
prove their usefulness 90 mankind but passing
over these points with mere mention and
putting the case upon the most selfish grounds
Il Is a deadly wrong to Ihe boy Ia let him in
dulge IN cruelty. Every act Of brutality hardens
HIM and makes him more ready for crimes
against his fellow man. 1 will not now open
the question OF the value 20 a boy Of being able
70 maintain his rights among his playfelloWs bv
''hghting, which by many is thought TO be an
essential part Of manly boys training. This
ID by no means n settled question, but GER
tainly, whatever may be ones opinion on thai
point there u not a shadow of excuse for his
being brutal 10 the unfortunate creatures Who
are helpless In his hands.
THE ISuUNASITy oy our RAcR
is something frightfu 10 think of when ono
stops to consider it, The heart of any ono
possessing common sensibility Is wrung when
be looks into the faces Of the patient horses on
the streets, servants 20 our pleasure, and
treated as IL they were machines of wood and
iron for the rough usage OF men. Verify. II We
have not some day to atone for our uumerciful
treatment Of the horse there can be no justice
anywhere.
And the dog-man's humble slave, Ones
blood bolls at the memory of the outrages per-
petrated upon that faithful being. OF tho
wrongs OF the cat ut the hands Of the self
styled lord Of creation. ''little lower than tho
angels" as be claims to be, dare not trust N.Y.
self to speak.
All this IL Is in the power OF mothers TO alter.
1t VIII be the work Of generation; not ono.
nor one thousand mothers can do it-but each
one can help, and every boy that come. to man.
mood just and humane will forward TIM good
work.
AZ to the civiIizing and humanizing tendency
OF kindness 20 animals some curious and signi-
hcant statistics have been collected. II has
been discovered by search among the criminal
classes, inmates Of prisons and penitentiaries,
thai q man who In boyhood owns and cares foe
animals very rarely becomes a criminal