BENEVOLENCE TOWARDS ANIMALS. 



83 



his guns, and snares, and other arts of destruc 

 tion, which make them shy, even in cases of ne 

 cessity, of trusting themselves to his generosity 

 and protection. How many amusing and in 

 structive associations might be formed with this 

 class of animals, if the kindness and benevolence 

 of man were to secure their confidence ! Even 

 the beasts of the forest, the elephant, the lion, 

 and the tiger,* have had their ferocious disposi 

 tions softened by kindness and attention, and 

 have become the protectors and the friends of 

 man. 



Although the lower animals seem to be inca 

 pable of making improvements when left to them 

 selves, yet experience has proved, that, under 

 the tuition of man, they are capable of making 

 considerable advancement in knowledge, and in 

 the exercise of the benevolent affections. Kind 

 ness and affection will frequently soften the most 

 savage and obdurate dispositions among &quot;man 

 kind ; and it is not improbable, that a judicious 

 and universal display of friendly attentions to 

 wards those animals which occasionally associ 

 ate with man, would go far to counteract their 

 malevolent propensities, and to promote their 

 harmony and affection. I never was more delight 

 ed with an exhibition of animals than on a late 

 occasion, when I beheld &cat, a bird, and a motive 

 living in the same cage, in the most cordial har 

 mony and peace a fact which demonstrates that 

 the strongest antipathies of the animal tribes may 

 be overcome by the care and attention of man. 

 And as such an experiment could not have 

 been attempted with success, except wlien these 

 animals were very young, it shows us the im 

 mense importance of an early attention to the 

 training of our youth in habits of kindness and 

 affection towards each other, and of humanity 

 towards every sensitive being ; and that it ought 

 to be the great care of parents, nurses, and ser 

 vants, to counteract \hejirst appearance of ma 

 levolent dispositions in very early life, however 

 trivial the circumstances in which such disposi 

 tions are manifested. 



The famous Baron Trenck, when confined in 

 his dungeon in Magdeburg, had so tamed a 

 mouse, that it would play round him, and, eat 

 round him, and eat from his mouth. When he 

 whistled, it would come and jump upon his 

 shoulder. After his cruel keepers had given 

 orders that he should be deprived of its society, 

 and had actually taken it away blindfolded, it 

 found its way back again to the door of his dun 

 geon, waited the hour of visitation, when the door 

 would be opened, and immediately testified its 

 joy, by its antic leaping between his legs. This 

 mouse was afterwards carried off, and put into a 



An experiment was lately exhibited, by the 

 keeper of the animals in the Tower of London, 

 which demonstrates, that even the tiger is capable 

 of being tamed, and rendered susceptible of friendly 

 feelings towards man. 



cage, where it pined, refused all sustenance, and, 

 in a few days, was found dead. &quot; In this small 

 animal,&quot; says the Baron, &quot; I discovered proofs 

 of intelligence too great to easily gain belief. 

 Were I to write them, such philosphers as sup 

 pose man alone endowed with the power of 

 thought, allowing nothing but what they call in 

 stinct in animals, would proclaim me a fabulous 

 writer, and my opinions heterodox to what they 

 suppose sound philosophy.&quot; A nobleman of 

 France, a Count Lauzun, was condemned to a 

 rigid imprisonment. Cut off from all human 

 society, and allowed no means of diverting his 

 solitude, he made a companion of a spider, who 

 had spun her web in the corner of his cell. He 

 at length familiarized her so far, that she would 

 come upon his hand, and eat from it a portion of 

 his food which he gave her. The jailer, totally 

 devoid of feeling, thoughr. this too great an in 

 dulgence for the unfortunate prisoner, and crush 

 ed the spider to death. 



Many such instances could be brought forward 

 to illustrate the affection of the inferior tribes, 

 and their capability of improvement. But al 

 though they were entirely destitute of mental 

 qualities and affections, as they are sensitive be 

 ings, susceptible of pleasure and pain, the truly 

 benevolent man will never intentionally inflict 

 upon them unnecessary pain, and far less will 

 he ever enjoy a savage delight, like some mon 

 sters inhuman shape, in beholding them writhing 

 under the agonies occasioned by barbarous treat 

 ment. He will feel a joy in their comfort, and 

 will endeavour to counteract their malignant 

 propensities, and to train them up in those ha 

 bits by which they may be rendered useful to 

 man, and pleasing to ach other. Were such a 

 kind and humane disposition towards the lower 

 animals generally to prevail, we might ulti 

 mately expect the literal accomplishment of 

 those predictions recorded in ancient prophecy : 

 &quot; In that day will I make a covenant for them 

 with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls 

 of heaven, and with the creeping things of the 

 ground ; and I will break the bow and the sword, 

 and the battle out of the earth, and will make 

 them to lie down safely.&quot; &quot; I will cause the 

 evil beasts to cease out of the land, and they 

 shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep 

 in the woods.&quot; &quot; The wolf shall dwell with 

 the lamb : the cow and the bear shall feed in 

 one pasture, and their young ones shall lie down 

 together; the sucking child shall play on the 

 hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put 

 his hand on the adder s den. They shall not 

 hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith 

 the Lord.&quot; 



The remarks which have been stated in this 

 section, in reference to the practical influence 

 of the principle of benevolence, are intended 

 merely as a few insulated hints in regard to some 

 of the modes in which it may be made to ope- 



