SPIDERS. 



As one walks forth from his house on a calm spring 

 morning, when every grass-blade is gemmed with dew; 

 when the scented air is all embroidered, as it were, with 

 shining strands of melody from the song-birds hidden in 

 the fresh green leaves; when the cattle crop the tender 

 grass and the hens cluck cheerily as they scratch in the 

 moist roadway dust; when all around the sky is rimmed 

 with cock-crow answering to cock-crow, one stops a 

 moment and exclaims, ' How calm and peaceful is the 

 scene! ' Something stirs within the breast, something 

 that calls to higher, better things, something that asks 

 us why we cannot always be kind and gentle and forbear- 

 ing, honest and just in all our dealings. A genial warmth 

 o'erspreads the soul and we resolve- And just then 



we jam our hats down tight over our eyes and run like 

 the Indians were after us, for we hear our train coming, 

 and we were late to the office yesterday morning. 



It is a good lesson, though, to take and keep, but 

 Nature is a poor instructor in kindness, gentleness, for- 

 bearance, honesty, and justice. Don't let anybody 

 humbug you with the notion that she is. Man is the 

 prime discoverer of these virtues, and their only known 

 exemplar in the universe. Perhaps he does not exem- 

 plify them to any alarming extent just now, but you must 

 remember he has not been at it very long, comparatively 



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