STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 97 



Under the caption "Seeds of Cruelty and Fear," the Christian 

 Union a year or two ago published a story describing a scene the 

 like of which, alas, we have all seen enacted time and again. I 

 will make a brief extract, it is so apropos : 



"Waiting in a public room in a hotel the other day, I saw a little 

 incident which suggested to ray mind the words at the head of this 

 piece. 



A little boy, perhaps three years old, a lovely child, ran into the 

 room, followed b}- his nurse at a little distance. Crawling on the 

 carpet in front of the fire was a large water-bug. The child caught 

 sight of it at once and stopped to watch it. He showed no signs of 

 either fear or aversion, only of interest and curiosity. The nurse, 

 noting his intent gaze on the floor, hurried up and, seeing what he 

 was looking at, exclaimed, 'Ugh, the horrid thiyuj ! Nasty ! Nasty ! 

 Come away !' at the same time seizing him by the hand and attempt- 

 ing to draw him away. Her tones and gestures expressed fear as 

 well as disgust. The child took the cue instantly ; the expression 

 of his face was transformed in the twinkling of an eye. He screamed, 

 struck out with his fists, stamped his feet, all the time backing away 

 from the poor, harmless little bug. A look of hatred deepened on 

 his features, which one short moment before had been kindled with 

 genuine childlike curiosity and pleasure. 



At this moment the mother entered the room. Breaking away 

 from the nurse, he ran to his mother, took her hand and drew her 

 nearer the fire-place, still continuing his expressions of alarm and 

 dislike, and pointing to the bug with his tiny fingers. 



The mother echoed the nurse's exclamations of disgust and added, 

 'Charley, kill the old bug ! Charley, kill it !' Upon which, the nurse 

 taking the little fellow's other hand, the two women led him to the 

 bug, he all Ihe while half holding back, half fascinated with the ex- 

 citement of the attack. The}- led him closer, the mother repeating, 

 'Yes, Charley, kill the old bug ; it shan't bite Charley ;' until, at last, 

 lifting his small foot, the child crushed the bug to death, and then 

 jumped up and down on it with chuckles of delight, saying, in his 

 broken baby talk, 'Bug dead ! Bug dead !' " 



The writer goes on to saj' : 



"I looked on, speechless with indignation, sorrow and shame. 

 The mother was a person apparently of intelligence and refinement. 

 Her face was a more than usually' attractive one. Her dress and 



