Sta] AND SYMBOLS. 333 



in a very few hours the little creature is first spherical, then 

 oval, then triangular, and then spherical again. In this stage 

 of existence it possesses a foot which enables it to crawl after 

 the manner of snails, and also has organs of hearing and sight. 

 It does not enjoy its locomotive powers for any long time, but 

 fixes itself to some suitable object, passes through its last change, 

 becomes a veritable ship-worm, and begins its life-long task of 

 boring. This creature reminds one of the spurious philanthro- 

 pist, who passes through a strange variety of changes before he 

 settles down to his vocation. He is tradesman, bankrupt, can- 

 vasser, collector, accountant, agent, and lecturer, and then, having 

 merely crawled through the first part of his life, finally he passes 

 into his last phase of existence, that of spurious philanthropist. 

 In this stage of being he begins and ends the great work of his 

 life, boring poor humanity in all directions in order to support 

 himself. o. s. 



The Obligation of Permitting Starvation. 



At the end of the season, after successive bands of the 

 worker-wasps have passed through the cells, and the single 

 generation of the males and females has come to maturity, the 

 nest shows symptoms of dissolution. Towards the remaining 

 grubs the wasps change their behaviour. Instead of feeding, 

 tending, and defending them, they pull these helpless white 

 things out of their cradles, carry them far out of the nest and 

 abandon them. It seems a cruelty, but it is a cruel mercy, sub- 

 stituting a quick death by exposure, or perchance being eaten 

 by birds, for a slow and lingering death by starvation within 

 the nest. For the instinct of the workers tells 'them that their 

 labour is over, their course run, and in a short time they will 

 all die, so that the helpless nurselings in the cells would find 

 no food and must perish by starvation. This wonderful fact is 

 pregnant with suggestions worthy the best consideration of 

 magistrates, coroners, and all officials who are charged with any 

 punitive duties in relation to men and women in a state of 

 starvation. Those of them who adopt the Christian faith in 

 its integrity are entitled to say that human life, being sacred, 

 men must not under starvation behave like the wasps. But 



