THE COMMON-SENSE VIEW 185 



her careful teeth the tiny body of a babe, until five 

 mouthfuls of precious pink were safely lodged 

 within the fortress of the oak. And I could as 

 soon believe that woman, when she saves her 

 children from some fearful harm, is a soulless 

 machine as think that that brave little wood- 

 mother, out there alone under the trees, snatching 

 her darlings from the jaws of death, was a heroine 

 without sense or feeling. That little hairy mother 

 with four feet and bead-like eyes loved her young 

 ones in just the same way and for just the same 

 reason as a human mother loves her young ones. 

 She locked upon her babies, in all probability, 

 with the same mother-love and tenderness as 

 a human mother looks upon hers, and felt in 

 miniature, with evil hovering above them, the 

 same consternation a woman feels when destruc- 

 tion reaches out after those that are nearest and 

 dearest. And when it was all over, when the good 

 angel of deliverance had finally spread its healing 

 white wings over that afflicted family, the heart of 

 that little rodent was doubtless soothed by the 

 same joy as that which, in the hour of deliverance, 

 calms the hearts of humankind. 

 ■/ Ants tend their fields, gather their harvests, 

 domesticate other insects, and keep slaves. They 

 help each other bear heavy burdens, extricate each 

 other from misfortune, speak to each other when 

 they meet, and bury their dead. They build roads 

 and bridges, and manifest wonderful engineering 

 skill in their construction. They even tunnel 

 under rivers. They go far from home, and find 



