HAPPINESS OF THE BKUTE CREATION. 381 



of the water and remain suspended for a moment in the air, as 

 if desirous of exhibiting his colossal size to the astonished sea- 

 birds. On falling back again into his congenial element, high 

 foam- crested fountains spout forth on all sides, and great 

 waves spread in widening circles over the sea. Or else he 

 raises his bulky head vertically on high, so that the deceived 

 mariner fancies he sees some black rock looming out of the 

 distant waters. But suddenly the fancied cliff begins to 

 move, and brandishes .playfully its enormous flukes in the 

 air, or lashes the waters with such prodigious power that the 

 sound rolls far away like thunder over the deserts of the ocean. 



On the icy shores of Spitzbergen, the walrus bellows with 

 delight while basking in the sun, and the sea-caves of Orcadia 

 frequently resound with the joyful bark of the seal. On 

 ascending from the banks of the ocean to the Alpine snows, 

 we meet with similar expressions of happiness among the 

 brute creation. There the timid marmot is seen playing 

 with his comrades ; and there, amidst precipices almost inac- 

 cessible to man, the chamois sportively push each other with their 

 horns, or gambol about, revelling in their mountain liberty. 



In one word, wherever we roam over the surface of the globe, 

 we find that in their wild state the quadrupeds are in the 

 enjoyment of a large share of happiness. They have indeed 

 frequently to suffer from illness, privation, or the persecutions 

 of their enemies, for no created being is exempt from pain ; 

 but much more frequently they enjoy the present without being 

 troubled, like man, either by cares for the future, or the remem- 

 brance of the past. It is only in the domesticated state that the 

 life of many a poor horse or dog is an uninterrupted chain of 

 misery, to the shame of his barbarous master. When will at 

 length the reign of justice begin also for the animals ? When 

 will the precepts of our Divine Eedeemer be so universally and 

 deeply engrafted in the breast of man, that he will learn not 

 only to love his brother but to extend his charity to every 

 creature dependent on his power ? 



