Sop. It is that which puzzles me.
Pa. There are many other animals which we call noxious, and which are so far from being useful to us, that we take all possible pains to get rid of them. More than that, there are vast tracks of the earth where few or no men inhabit, which are yet full of beasts, birds, insects, and all living things. These certainly do not exist there for his use alone. On the contrary, they often keep man away.
Sop. Then what are they made for?
Pa. They are made to be happy. It is a manifest purpose of the Creator to give being to as much life as possible, for life is enjoyment to all creatures in health and in possession of their faculties. Man surpasses other animals in his powers of enjoyment, and he has prospects in a future state which they do not share with him. But the Creator equally desires the happiness of all his creatures, and looks down with as much benignity upon these flies that are sporting around us, as upon ourselves.
Sop. Then we ought not to kill them, if they are ever so troublesome.
Pa. I do not say that. We have a right to make a reasonable use of all animals for our advantage, and also to free ourselves from such as are hurtful to us. So far our superiority over them may fairly extend. But we should never abuse them for our mere amusement, nor take away their lives wantonly. Nay, a good natured-man will rather undergo a little inconvenience, than take away from a creature all that it possesses. An infant may destroy life, but all the kings upon earth cannot restore it. I remember reading of a good-tempered old gentleman that having been a long time plagued with a great fly that buzzed about his face all dinner-time, at length, after many efforts, caught it. Instead of crushing it to death, he held it carefully in his hand, and opening the window, “Go,” said he,—“get thee gone, poor creature, I won’t hurt a hair of thy head; surely the world is wide enough for thee and me.”
Sop. I should have loved that man.
Pa. One of our poets has written some very pretty lines to a fly that came to partake with him of his wine. They begin:—
“Busy, curious, thirsty fly,
Drink with me, and drink as I;