Man] AND SYMBOLS. 213 



Though a member of the human family, Nature has created him 

 with a peculiarity which makes him a " climbing " man, and not 

 one of those who walk uprightly. He has his representative 

 among the sloths. The three-toed sloth is the only mammal 

 which can neither walk nor stand. He is desperately slow in 

 his motions, but still when he is above, in the winding branches 

 of the trees, he does climb about with some aptitude. On the 

 plain he is helpless ; and even in his climbing he is not of much 

 service. Strange that those who can climb so very high cannot 

 walk on a plain road for bread and cheese. Strange that 

 " climbing " men possess every sense but common sense. I. 



The Vain Man. 



The vain man is like the peacock. But his vanity is offensive, 

 whilst that of the peacock is amusing. Should a word of praise 

 reach the peacock's ear or the hen show herself in his neigh- 

 bourhood, in a moment the flowery wheel is unfolded, he 

 stretches his glittering neck and utters a displeasing, cat-like 

 cry ; while, on the other hand, he retires from the sight of the 

 indifferent observer, and in the moulting season, when he has 

 no fine feathers to show, he withdraws into solitude. His flight 

 is a mere fluttering that raises him very little above the ground ; 

 yet he likes to perch on a neighbouring roof ladder, or some 

 other lofty spot, in order to show himself to advantage and 

 be admired. little Tom Grandsnob, see yourself in this 

 picture ! ST. 



Man a Worse Animal than he was intended to be. 



Some creatures are unquestionably used as scourges ; but 

 perhaps the less we mortals say about such animated pests the 

 better. They act up to their own organisation, but never 

 beyond ; whilst it is far otherwise with mankind. The serpent 

 employs its poisoned fangs to procure food or avert peril, real 

 or fancied ; the jaguar uses its terrible incisors in the destruc- 

 tion of its prey ; and the shark avails itself of its dental ap- 

 paratus to assuage its appetite. But man, says Hugh Miller, 

 must surely have become an immensely worse animal than 



