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most powerful of the tribe, is rarely known 

 to commit unnecessary si aughterj and there- 

 fore does the rational animal, man, admire 

 the character of this noble brute. That 

 some men are even pleased with cruel 

 sports and sights, and feel no compunctious 

 visitings of nature in acts which excite 

 horror in others, must, I believe, on ex- 

 amination, be admitted. It seems, there- 

 fore, allowable to suppose that man partici- 

 pates with brutes in possessing, in a greater 

 or less degree, a propensity to injure or 

 destroy that which he dislikes, or which 

 his judgment deems necessary to be de- 

 stroyed. If a man had that kindness of 

 disposition which would induce him, when 

 he had caught an insect that had long 

 vexed and annoyed him, to put it out of 

 the window, saying, " why should I harm 

 thee, the world is wide enough both for 

 thee and me," unbalanced by any opposite 

 feeling, and uncontrolled by the power of 



c 3 



