PSEUDO-PHILANTHROPISM. 



which he advanced apparently cogent reasons. All 

 our late English apiarians, Mr. Huish at their head, 

 oppose themselves redoubtedly to the practice of de- 

 struction. As to the grand point, that of interest, little 

 has been hitherto advanced on either side of a very 

 preponderating nature. Under the system, almost 

 universal, of destroying the bees, no deficiency of 

 those insects, of which I have ever been apprised, has 

 occurred. On the other hand, perhaps some small 

 deterioration of the quality of the honey may accrue 

 from the fumigation by which they are destroyed. 



With respect to the argument of HUMANITY, it is 

 by far too fine-spun, to endure the wear and tear of 

 ratiocination. Boasting, as we bipeds do, of our 

 reason, and all that, I shall not insist on the argu- 

 ment of the lex talionis, furnished by the cruel con- 

 duct of these half-reasoning insects to their fellows. 

 Yet since drones are murdered, why not murder 

 their murderers ? Did we not suffocate them, their 

 fragile lives would naturally cease in two or three 

 little months, or many of them would perish miserably, 

 by the thousand accidents to which they are liable. 

 The grand argument of Mr. Secretary Isaac f the 

 Creator has not authorized me to destroy one without 

 cause,' is thoroughly seasoned with the flummery and 

 blarney of modish pseudo-philanthropism. We find 

 special good cause for the slaughter of lambs and 

 calves, and of every living thing which it appears to 

 be our interest to kill; and therein we follow a 

 primary law of universal nature. The cowardly and 

 irrational dread of putting a period to animal life, is 

 the constant source of protracted and horrible animal 



