234 THE PSYCHICAL KINSHIP 



rule may sometimes be more religiously observed 

 in the hearts and homes of outcast quadrupeds 

 than in the palatial lairs of bipeds. The horse, 



^^\io suffers and serves and starves in silence, who 

 endures daily wrongs of scanty and irregular 

 meals, excessive burdens and mangled flanks, 

 who forgets cruelty and ingratitude, and does 

 good to them that spitefully use him, and submits 

 to crime without resistance, misunderstanding 

 without murmur, and insult without resentment, 

 is a better Christian, a better exemplar of the 

 Sermon on the Mount, than many church-goers, 

 in spite of the creeds and interdictions of men. 

 And the animal who goes to church on Sundays, 

 wearing the twitching skins and plundered plumage 

 of others, and wails long prayers and mumbles 

 meaningless rituals, and gives unearned guineas 

 to the missionary, and on week-days cheats and 

 impoverishes his neighbours, glorifies war, and 

 tramples under foot the most sacred principles 

 of morality in his treatment of his non-human 

 kindred, is a cold, hard-hearted hrute, in spite of 

 the fact that he is cunning and vainglorious, and 



'4u,*^^^^^ about on his hinders. 



There are lessons that may be learned from 

 the uncorrupted children of Nature — lessons in 

 simplicity of life, straightforwardness, humility, 

 art, economy, brotherly love, and cheerfulness — 

 more beautiful, perhaps, and more true than may 

 sometimes be learned from the stilted and Machia- 

 vellian ways of men. Would you learn forgiveness? 

 Go to the dog. The dog can stand more abuse 



