170 PREJUDICE COMBATED 



sally disliked. But in proof that the latter prejudice may be 

 overcome not by argument, nor yet by ridicule but by the 

 seeing of the eye, we must be allowed to quote our old domes- 

 tic, in whom it was the growth of seventy years, and deep- 

 rooted in the weedy soil of ignorance. Like all persons of her 

 class, and many of a higher, she held the orders of beetle and 

 caterpillar in especial abhorrence; and when we first began 

 to keep " our hobby " in the house, Martha was almost 

 as highly disconcerted as if we had brought home a new 

 housekeeper. 



We value our humble friend a great deal too highly ever to 

 feel quite indifferent about her opinion far less her feelings 

 however founded in lack of knowledge or in weakness. We 

 essayed, therefore, quite as much for our sake as for hers, to over- 

 come her prejudice against the insect race, and we have 

 succeeded ; but it was by means of going to work very gently 

 with her antipathies. 



We fanned them with the wings of butterflies dazzled them 

 by the lustre of our golden chafers amused and fairly deceived 

 them by the oddity of our caterpillar " puss." Having thus 

 cleared a loop-hole for its entrance, we threw in on each of our 

 subjects a ray of light, by the double evidence of eyes and 

 spectacles, convinced our wondering convert that butterflies are 

 of caterpillars come that there is no such great difference, 

 after all, betwixt the green chafer, our love among the roses, 

 and the black-beetle her horror among insects and even that 

 there are not wanting strong features of family likeness between 

 the sitting "puss" of the willow and the common crawler of 

 the cabbage. 



These were steps of progression ; and we have now brought 

 her or, perhaps we should say, more generously, she has 

 brought herself to look with complacency on our insect 

 menagerie nay, what is more, has brought her fingers to 

 bring us, and with a smile of triumph, what she (poor soul), 

 in spite of all our schooling, takes for something new albeit, 



