The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-04-10

t~+h 4" - +-Hff
that man ros. through al the eraIa-
uaa~ and change. nece--arE t3 e.alt-
an Immortal being from s t~sf.leS
EEam. or even from . mo8lusk Z d.
believe tuat Cod NEb made "a. mole
world iH ~iN daE- haI the abst.tt ta
make man outright tEe ma -tet-
piece oI creation ana tetI IS ,h-
history ssys. ne .a< made on the sixth
G and God DreliaeI lufa hlS noStrits
tha breath 81 life ana hr became I'll
living soul and ro him there and then.
God gayo dominion ryer aU created
Things, animals included.
Ia sooner believe THAT some 80 the
animals are descended from man than
THAT man came Up step b. step from
the animal. for since tn. fall OF man.
when left - himself, ne has shown a
disposition To become more like the
animal than 10 ascend 10 the sphere
ana condition OF angels.
II cannot be denied that some men
get 10 be- very much Xix" hog- iii every
! sense Of the word. lacking nothing to
lit them Tor places III the pen bur bris-
ties and tails. some become lions.
some bears. some hNtuaS. some gilaffc~
and not a f." become polecatS. NOT
literally, it is true. but III character
ana Cl-fensIveucsS.
Yes. | think it much more reason4-
bic to suppose that nose. dogs. c1ts.
Nultures, bats. frogs. ants ana flies are
the dWarfings Of s~in-curscd humanity
than that man came W. from such
conditions.
There is not a single text in the BIZ
Die which faVorS evolution. but there
II a text With reference 20 ants which
might be used 10 prove the other
proposition.
The ant is a very small anima-in-
deed one of the very smallest-bu he
hIs intelligence enough TO initiate man
III many things. and. little as he is. he
can do some things a man can't do.
The women don't like some OF his ways
any more than they DO the ways of
flies md of some other insects, which
give housekeepers trouble. The ant is
a noun of multitude and when about
a million Of him gets into anything
there's no. use iii trying to sift or to
strain him out, for he's the whole
thing. And what makes the ant so
much the more To be dreade Is the
fact that he can't be locked out. nor in
any wise kept out Of the pantry. He'll
get in some way. for he's an expert
in finding or making a way.
Talk about civil engineering. cut
ting down hills, boring through noun
tainS, throwing up embankments ana
spanning streams. the ant can do all
these and more, figuratiVely speaking,
if necessary to reach the object for
which he is striving. You just can
stop him.
Or. Hogg tells an interesting story of
some ants he had observed. "a pie was
placed on 4 shelf III q cupboard with
q wide ring Of moIasses enclosing the
plate. The ants discovered it, and,
wanting the ~ie for breakfast, they
set out to get it. They first marched
about the ring, leaving an ant here
and there at places which were seen to
be less wide than the rest of the ring.
Then they carefully selected the a I
rOWest place and going to an Old nail
hole in the wall where the plaStering
was broken they formed and endless
chain of pOrterS each bringing a grain
Of the plaster. They built a causeWay
through the molasses With these bits
of lime and within three hours from
the time of discovery they We're eat
ing pie"
Solomon paid a high compliment to
the intelligence industry and enterprise
Of h ant, by way Of ~rebEking laziness
and improvidence. He said: Go TO
the ant. thou sluggard: consider her
ways and be wise; which having no
guide. OVerseer or ruler, provideth her
meat in the unmer and gathereth her
food in the harvest"
In another place solomon says:
THE ants are d people not strong, yet
they prepare their meat in the sum
mer."
Whether they are people or not they
- SNAHi II ~ III H.
of the wisest man, an ought not to
be spoken of, l guess, in connection
With flies. even if they do forage in
pantries and eat pies and other good
things which the wives and mothers
repair for the sunday dinner. IN
like the fly they are Well behaved
and never disturb a late riser or an
afternoon sleeper. They like some
thin that's good to eat. and, like Peter.
they don't fancy anything that's COM
mon or dncle8n. There's a great Zeal
to be learned from the ant, hat is
commendabIe whereas. the ways of a
fly are hateful and filthy: and the
more you know Of him the less you
like him, and you are just bound 10
know him, for he Will stay around
you.
\ fly mean an ordinary house
fly-is a very insignificant thing,
hasn't much size nor weight, nor does
it make any more noise when going
and coming than the ant does; but
it can be more a~ggravating, in more
ways, in less time, than any other in
sect that has the impudence to come
into a gentleman.s parlor, bedroom,
dining-room. pantry or to the ham,
| mock, under the big oak. where he is
tfEing to take an afternoon nap.
For pure unaduIterated impudence
and persistent the fly mas
no equal. The much dreaded and justly
despised mosquito is i gentleman Of
refinement compared with the mouse
fly; and even Mr.. Bedbug. The sneak
thief that robS you of sleep and rest
and leaves your arms and neck tat
tCoed with the prints of his bill, Is
not so a~ggraVating as the fly. | am
not putting it too strongly when |
say that the Of a fry are
abominabIe, and no amount OF AIS
cipline or rough usage can improve
his morals or his habits. But, while ne
seems to be well posted and rarely
ever fails to find what he is looking
for, he is greatly lacking IN common
| sense. and makes bad mistakes some
times, and has to pay the penalty
thereof with his life. He'll rush INTO
the mouth OF a molasses jug, or pltch
! into a dish of gravy, OF q bowl Oh
sweet milk. or down upon a Leaf of
.'tangle-foot'' with all the fool hardi-
| ness of a youth staggering into 4 par
room. He don't seem to fear death.
if worm let him die as he likes to,
! in honey. molasses or grease; but lie