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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



in such offices of love.* The fact is, people 

 do not, — will not, study the various phases 

 of human nature. Purely selfish, they will 

 be all or nothing ; strangely and unaccount- 

 ably forgetting all the moral precepts they 

 pray (morning and evening) may be " en- 

 grafted in their hearts." 



Our time in this world is very short. Let 

 us then, good friends, make the best of every* 

 thing while we are here. Not to be tedious, 

 we would say, — let brotherly and sisterly 

 love continue ; and may none of us forget 

 the real heartfelt pleasure resulting from the 

 possession of an honest conscience and a 

 mutual desire to benefit one another. This 

 is the true " Philosophy of Common Life." 



* A " key " to this secret may be found in our 

 opening article, — "Sympathy and its Delights." 

 The human heart is our most favorite study, — 

 and ever will be. There is a mine of gold in it, 

 — -if we only know " how to work it." 



ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. 



Robins, Cats, Canaries, Flowers, and a Gossip 

 on " Things in General." — I was truly grieved, 

 my dear sir, to read that graphic account of 

 yours, — describing, first, the happiness of the pair 

 of pet robins, — and then, the cruel act of spolia- 

 tion and murder by the treacherous cat. I have 

 no sympathy with any of the feline race, and 

 am quite of your opinion that they are" Vermin." 

 They rarely venture on your premises till 

 after dark, which proves they know they have 

 no business there. I can see nothing noble 

 about a cat. She is treacherous from first to last. 

 She is never to be depended on. She creeps 

 along so stealthily, that her footfall is not audible. 

 We all know what a dog's good qualities are. A 

 cat is, in every respect, the extreme opposite. You 

 cannot " pet" her, nor take her safely into your 

 confidence. This reminds me of your " Treatise 

 on the Canary." I have it; and am delighted 

 with it. Your advice about cats is excellent; and 

 so are the Illustrations, showing how cats should 

 be " disposed of." They have no right to any 

 footing in a house where birds are ; and she must 

 be a cruel mistress indeed who can consent to 

 keep both. I like the plain open manner in which 

 you avow this opinion. Your little book has set 

 me quite on the qui vive. [So it has done some 

 hundreds of others.] Next season, I hope to have 

 such a treat in rearing canaries ; and I will get 

 you, please, to come down here to superintend, 

 advise, fit up, plan, scheme, and instruct us in all 

 that is needful. [We will do so right willingly. 

 Nobody understands this better than we. We 

 will help each other " nicely."] I should like to 

 try the plan of out-door operations. 1 think our 

 grounds are suitable, do not you ? [They may 

 easily be made so, by planting a few more trees 

 and evergreens.] Would the pigeons at all inter- 

 fere with them ? [Not in any way. The more 

 domestic animals there are about the pre- 

 mises, the better. We shall have to talk to you 

 a little (privately) about the cats. These will 

 want "thinning out." We know all about that 



too !] The robins (whose nest I told you last 

 month w r as built in the tool house) have now Jive 

 young children, all but ready to fly. They do 

 lork so pretty, as they sit wedged in side by side 

 to each other ! They are quite used to my peep- 

 ing at them, and seem to expect my visit. At 

 what an early age does the "mind" of a bird 

 expand! The swallows, under my window, have 

 laid their eggs; and are sitting close. I expect, 

 daily, to hear " a pretty confusion of sweet little 

 voices." Our roses are now in full perfection. We 

 have succeeded with them better than most of our 

 neighbors, — but then, you know, I am seldom out 

 of the garden ; and I attend to them as affection- 

 ately as if they were children. All our " annuals" 

 are coming nicely forward. They were checked 

 a little by the cold winds ; but they have not 

 suffered much. The feathered tribes are now 

 becoming gradually silent. The cuckoo, however, 

 is singing away merrily, as I write this. The 

 blackbird too is pouring out some of his finest wild 

 notes. We have scores of young birds in the 

 garden; and I have made them so tame ! [Every 

 thing must be "tame," Honeysuckle, where you 

 are. We speak feelingly. Such gentleness as 

 yours (we are no flatterer) secures the heart at 

 once.] " Trim" wags his tail right merrily. He 

 has been more than usually " waggish" this 

 week. He seems to be expecting to see " some- 

 body," who will take him out for another run in 

 the fields. He is a very sagacious dog; and I am 

 prepared for some sudden (agreeable) surprise. It 

 is so delightful for an old friend to drop in unex- 

 pectedly ! We all enjoy it. And only to think ! 

 When I again read what I am now writing, Our 

 dear Journal will have ceased to breathe. Think ! 

 I cannot, — I will not think of it. However, as I 

 know its Editor, and like him a wee bit, let me be 

 thankful for that. I love to have my mind im- 

 proved, and my heart kept innocent and honest. 

 His company will secure me that privilege. Your 

 paper upon " Innocence" (see page 257) will im- 

 mortalise you and Our Journal also. I am much 

 mistaken if your pen will be permitted to rest for 

 any great length of time. Honest sentiments, 

 so honestly expressed, are not met with every day. 

 But (as usual) I have said " nothing ;" and yet 

 must, for modesty's sake, withdraw. I occupy 

 much space I fear, to little purpose. Adieu, — au 

 revoir I — Honeysuckle, Henley, June 20. 



[We rarely give publicity to all the contents of 

 private letters ; but we have ever made an excep- 

 tion in your case, Honeysuckle. Innocent ideas, 

 innocently expressed, are productive of so much 

 real good to society, that we have no heart to sup- 

 press one word of what you have written. If you 

 are proud of us as an instructor, equally delighted 

 are we to have so charming a pupil. Farewell !] 



A Goatsucker seen and shot near Barnsley. 

 — Whilst walking, on the morning of the 18th 

 May, in the meadows on the lower side of the 

 Aqueduct, in quest of a specimen of the Tree 

 Sparrow, to assist some youthful inquirers in 

 discriminating this from the House Sparrow, the 

 clogs disturbed a large bird among the gorse and 

 thorn -bushes in the angle between the aqueduct 

 and its furthest buttress. It w r as some time after, 

 that my companion noticed it taking wing ; and 

 then it clung to the ledges in ascending. When 



