Voices for the Speechless

Part 5 out of 5



You but waste your strength in vain!"
And Bruce for the moment forgot his grief,
His soul now filled with the sure belief
That, howsoever the issue went,
For evil or good was the omen sent:
And come there shadow or come there shine,
The spider is spinning his thread so fine.

As a gambler watches the turning card
On which his all is staked,--
As a mother waits for the hopeful word
For which her soul has ached,--
It was thus Bruce watched, with every sense
Centred alone in that look intense;
All rigid he stood, with scattered breath--
Now white, now red, but as still as death:
Yet come there shadow or come there shine,
The spider is spinning his thread so fine.

Six several times the creature tried,
When at the seventh, "See, see!
He has spanned it over!" the captive cried;
"Lo! a bridge of hope to me;
Thee, God, I thank, for this lesson here
Has tutored my soul to PERSEVERE!"
And it served him well, for erelong he wore
In freedom the Scottish crown once more:
And come there shadow or come there shine,
The spider is spinning his thread so fine.

JOHN BROUGHAM.

* * * * *

THE SPIDER AND STORK.

Who taught the natives of the field and flood
To shun their poison and to choose their food?
Prescient, the tides or tempests to withstand,
Build on the wave, or arch beneath the sand?
Who made the spider parallels design
Sure as De Moivre, without rule or line?
Who bid the stork Columbus-like explore
Heavens not his own, and worlds unknown before?
WHO CALLS THE COUNCIL, STATES THE CERTAIN DAY,
WHO FORMS THE PHALANX, AND WHO POINTS THE WAY?

POPE.

* * * * *

THE HOMESTEAD AT EVENING.--EVANGELINE'S BEAUTIFUL HEIFER.

Now recommenced the reign of rest and affection and stillness.
Day with its burden and heat had departed, and twilight descending
Brought back the evening star to the sky, and the herds to the
homestead.
Pawing the ground they came, and resting their necks on each other,
And with their nostrils distended inhaling the freshness of evening.
Foremost, bearing the bell, Evangeline's beautiful heifer,
Proud of her snow-white hide, and the ribbon that waved from her
collar,
Quietly paced and slow, as if conscious of human affection.
Then came the shepherd back with his bleating flocks from the seaside,
Where was their favorite pasture. Behind them followed the watch-dog,
Patient, full of importance, and grand in the pride of his instinct,
Walking from side to side with a lordly air, and superbly
Waving his bushy tail, and urging forward the stragglers;
Regent of flocks was he when the shepherd slept; their protector,
When from the forest at night, through the starry silence, the wolves
howled.
Late, with the rising moon, returned the wains from the marshes,
Laden with briny hay, that filled the air with its odor,
Cheerily neighed the steeds, with dew on their manes and their
fetlocks,
While aloft on their shoulders the wooden and ponderous saddles,
Painted with brilliant dyes, and adorned with tassels of crimson,
Nodded in bright array, like hollyhocks heavy with blossoms.
Patiently stood the cows meanwhile, and yielded their udders
Unto the milkmaid's hand; whilst loud and in regular cadence
Into the sounding pails the foaming streamlets descended.
Lowing of cattle and peals of laughter were heard in the farm-yard,
Echoed back by the barns. Anon they sank into stillness;
Heavily closed, with a jarring sound, the valves of the barn-doors,
Rattled the wooden bars, and all for a season was silent.

H. W. LONGFELLOW: _Evangeline_.

* * * * *

THE CATTLE OF A HUNDRED FARMS.

And now, beset with many ills,
A toilsome life I follow;
Compelled to carry from the hills,
These logs to the impatient mills,
Below there in the hollow.

Yet something ever cheers and charms
The rudeness of my labors;
Daily I water with these arms
The cattle of a hundred farms,
And have the birds for neighbors.

H. W. LONGFELLOW: _Mad River_.

* * * * *

CAT-QUESTIONS.

Dozing, and dozing, and dozing!
Pleasant enough,
Dreaming of sweet cream and mouse-meat,--
Delicate stuff!

Waked by a somerset, whirling
From cushion to floor;
Waked to a wild rush for safety
From window to door.

Waking to hands that first smooth us,
And then pull our tails;
Punished with slaps when we show them
The length of our nails!

These big mortal tyrants even grudge us
A place on the mat.
Do they think we enjoy for our music
Staccatoes of "scat"?

To be treated, now, just as you treat us,--
The question is pat,--
To take just our chances in living,
Would _you_ be a cat?

LUCY LARCOM.

* * * * *

THE NEWSBOY'S CAT.

Want any papers, Mister?
Wish you'd buy 'em of me--
Ten year old, an' a fam'ly,
An' bizness dull, you see.
Fact, Boss! There's Tom, an' Tibby,
An' Dad, an' Mam, an Mam's cat,
None on 'em earning money--
What do you think of that?

_Couldn't Dad work_? Why yes, Boss,
He's working for gov'ment now,--
They give him his board for nothin',--
All along of a drunken row.
_An' Mam_? Well, she's in the poorhouse,--
Been there a year or so;
So I'm taking care of the others,
Doing as well as I know.

_Oughtn't to live so_? Why, Mister,
What's a feller to do?
Some nights, when I'm tired an' hungry,
Seems as if each on 'em knew--
They'll all three cuddle around me,
Till I get cheery, and say:
Well, p'raps I'll have sisters an' brothers,
An' money an' clothes, too, some day.

But if I do git rich, Boss,
(An' a lecturin' chap one night
Said newsboys could be Presidents
If only they acted right);
So, if I was President, Mister,
The very first thing I'd do,
I'd buy poor Tom an' Tibby
A dinner--an' Mam's cat, too!

None o' your scraps an' leavin's,
But a good square meal for all three;
If you think I'd skimp my friends, Boss,
That shows you don't know me.
So 'ere's your papers--come take one,
Gimme a lift if you can--
For now you've heard my story,
You see I'm a fam'ly man!

E. T. CORBETT.

* * * * *

THE CHILD AND HER PUSSY.

I like little pussy, her coat is so warm,
And if I don't hurt her, she'll do me no harm;
So I'll not pull her tail, nor drive her away,
But pussy and I very gently will play:

She shall sit by my side, and I'll give her some food;
And she'll love me, because I am gentle and good.
I'll pat little pussy, and then she will purr,
And thus show her thanks for my kindness to her.

E. TAYLOR.

* * * * *

THE ALPINE SHEEP.

They in the valley's sheltering care,
Soon crop the meadow's tender prime,
And when the sod grows brown and bare,
The shepherd strives to make them climb

To airy shelves of pastures green
That hang along the mountain's side,
Where grass and flowers together lean,
And down through mists the sunbeams slide:

But nought can tempt the timid things
The steep and rugged paths to try,
Though sweet the shepherd calls and sings,
And seared below the pastures lie,--

Till in his arms their lambs he takes
Along the dizzy verge to go,
Then heedless of the rifts and breaks
They follow on o'er rock and snow.

And in those pastures lifted fair,
More dewy soft than lowland mead,
The shepherd drops his tender care,
And sheep and lambs together feed.

MARIA LOWELL.

* * * * *

LITTLE LAMB.

Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life and made thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,--
Softest clothing, woolly, bright?
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice;
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, I'll tell thee;
Little lamb, I'll tell thee;
He is callen by thy name,
For he calls himself a lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
Little lamb, God bless thee!
Little lamb, God bless thee!

WILLIAM BLAKE.

* * * * *

COWPER'S HARE.

Well--one at least is safe. One sheltered hare
Has never heard the sanguinary yell
Of cruel man, exulting in her woes.
Innocent partner of my peaceful home,
Whom ten long years' experience of my care
Has made at last familiar, she has lost
Much of her vigilant instinctive dread,
Not needful here, beneath a roof like mine.
Yes--thou mayst eat thy bread, and lick the hand
That feeds thee; thou mayst frolic on the floor
At evening, and at night retire secure
To thy straw-couch, and slumber unalarmed;
For I have gained thy confidence, have pledged
All that is human in me to protect
Thine unsuspecting gratitude and love.
If I survive thee I will dig thy grave,
And when I place thee in it, sighing say,
I knew at least one hare that had a friend.

COWPER.

* * * * *

TURN THY HASTY FOOT ASIDE.

Turn, turn thy hasty foot aside,
Nor crush that helpless worm!
The frame thy wayward looks deride
Required a God to form.

The common lord of all that move,
From whom thy being flowed,
A portion of his boundless love
On that poor worm bestowed.

Let them enjoy their little day,
Their humble bliss receive;
Oh! do not lightly take away
The life thou canst not give!

T. GISBORNE.

* * * * *

THE WORM TURNS.

I've despised you, old worm, for I think you'll admit
That you never were beautiful even in youth;
I've impaled you on hooks, and not felt it a bit;
But all's changed now that Darwin has told us the truth
Of your diligent life, and endowed you with fame:
You begin to inspire me with kindly regard.
I have friends of my own, clever worm, I could name,
Who have ne'er in their lives been at work half so hard.

It appears that we owe you our acres of soil,
That the garden could never exist without you,
That from ages gone by you were patient in toil,
Till a Darwin revealed all the good that you do.
Now you've turned with a vengeance, and all must confess
Your behavior should make poor humanity squirm;
For there's many a man on this planet, I guess,
Who is not half so useful as you, Mister worm.

PUNCH.

* * * * *

GRASSHOPPER AND CRICKET.

Green little vaulter in the sunny grass,
Catching your heart up at the feet of June,
Sole voice that's heard amidst the lazy noon,
Whenever the bees lag at the summoning brass;
And you, warm little housekeeper, who class
With those who think the candles come too soon,
Loving the fire, and with your tricksome tune
Nicks the glad silent moments as they pass.

O sweet and tidy cousins, that belong
One to the fields, the other to the hearth,
Both have your sunshine: both, though small, are strong
At your clear hearts; and both seem given to earth
To ring in thoughtful ears this natural song--
Indoors and out, summer and winter, Mirth.

LEIGH HUNT.

* * * * *

THE HONEY-BEES.

Therefore doth Heaven divide
The state of man in divers functions,
Setting endeavor in continual motion;
To which is fixed, as an aim or butt,
Obedience: for so work the honey-bees;
Creatures, that, by a rule in nature, teach
The act of order to a peopled kingdom.
They have a king and officers of sorts:
Where some, like magistrates, correct at home;
Others, like soldiers, armed in their stings,
Make boot upon the summer's velvet buds;
Which pillage they with merry march bring home
To the tent royal of their emperor:
Who, busied in his majesty, surveys
THE SINGING MASONS BUILDING ROOFS OF GOLD;
The civil citizens kneading up the honey;
The poor mechanic porters crowding in
Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate;
The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hum,
Delivering o'er to the executioner's pale
The lazy, yawning drone.

SHAKESPEARE: _Henry V._, Act 1, Sc. 2.

* * * * *

CUNNING BEE.

Said a little wandering maiden
To a bee with honey laden,
"Bee, at all the flowers you work,
Yet in some does poison lurk."

"That I know, my little maiden,"
Said the bee with honey laden;
"But the poison I forsake,
And the honey only take."

"Cunning bee with honey laden,
That is right," replied the maiden;
"So will I, from all I meet,
Only draw the good and sweet."

ANON.

* * * * *

AN INSECT.

Only an insect; yet I know
It felt the sunlight's golden glow,
And the sweet morning made it glad
With all the little heart it had.

It saw the shadows move; it knew
The grass-blades glittered, wet with dew;
And gayly o'er the ground it went;
It had its fulness of content.

Some dainty morsel then it spied,
And for the treasure turned aside;
Then, laden with its little spoil,
Back to its nest began to toil.

An insect formed of larger frame,
Called man, along the pathway came.
A ruthless foot aside he thrust,
And ground the beetle in the dust.

Perchance no living being missed
The life that there ceased to exist;
Perchance the passive creature knew
No wrong, nor felt the deed undue;

Yet its small share of life was given
By the same hand that orders heaven.
'Twas for no other power to say,
Or should it go or should it stay.

ANON.

* * * * *

THE CHIPMUNK.

I know an old couple that lived in a wood--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!
And up in a tree-top their dwelling it stood--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!
The summer it came, and the summer it went--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!
And there they lived on, and they never paid rent--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!

Their parlor was lined with the softest of wool--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!
Their kitchen was warm, and their pantry was full--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!
And four little babies peeped out at the sky--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!
You never saw darlings so pretty and shy--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!

Now winter came on with its frost and its snow--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!
They cared not a bit when they heard the wind blow--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!
For, wrapped in their furs, they all lay down to sleep--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!
But oh, in the spring, how their bright eyes will peep--
Chipperee, chipperee, chip!

UNKNOWN.

* * * * *

MOUNTAIN AND SQUIRREL.

The mountain and the squirrel
Had a quarrel;
And the former called the latter "Little Prig."
Bun replied,
"You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together
To make up a year
And a sphere;
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry.
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track.
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut."

EMERSON.

* * * * *

TO A FIELD-MOUSE.

Wee sleekit, cow'rin', tim'rous beastie,
Oh, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin and chase thee
Wi' murd'ring pattle!

I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken nature's social union,
And justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor earth-born companion
And fellow-mortal!

Thou saw the fields lay bare and waste
And weary winter comin' fast,
And cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till, crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane[2]
In proving foresight may be bain:
The best laid schemes o' mice and men
Gang aft a-gley,
And lea'e us nought but grief and vain,
For promised joy.

BURNS.

[2] Not alone.

* * * * *

A SEA-SHELL.

See what a lovely shell,
Small and pure as a pearl,
Lying close to my foot.
Frail, but a work divine,
Made so fairily well
With delicate spire and whorl.
How exquisitely minute
A miracle of design!

The tiny cell is forlorn,
Void of the little living will
That made it stir on the shore.
Did he stand at the diamond door
Of his house in a rainbow frill?
Did he push when he was uncurled,
A golden foot or a fairy horn
Through his dim water-world?

Slight, to be crushed with a tap
Of my finger-nail on the sand;
Small, but a work divine:
Frail, but of force to withstand,
Year upon year, the shock
Of cataract seas that snap
The three-decker's oaken spine,
Athwart the ledges of rock,
Here on the Breton strand.

ALFRED TENNYSON.

* * * * *

THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS.

This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sails the unshadowed main,--
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.

Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is the ship of pearl!
And every chambered cell,
Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed,--
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!

Year after year beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year's dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft steps its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.

Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wandering sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born
Than ever Triton blew from wreathed horn!
While on mine ear it rings,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:--

"Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven within a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unwresting sea!"

O. W. HOLMES.

* * * * *

HIAWATHA'S BROTHERS.

When he heard the owls at midnight,
Hooting, laughing in the forest,
"What is that?" he cried in terror;
"What is that?" he said, "Nokomis?"
And the good Nokomis answered:
"That is but the owl and owlet,
Talking in their native language,
Talking, scolding at each other."
Then the little Hiawatha
Learned of every bird its language,
Learned their names and all their secrets,
How they built their nests in Summer,
Where they hid themselves in Winter,
Talked with them whene'er he met them,
Called them "Hiawatha's Chickens."
Of all beasts he learned the language,
Learned their names and all their secrets,
How the beavers built their lodges,
Where the squirrels hid their acorns,
How the reindeer ran so swiftly,
Why the rabbit was so timid,
Talked with them whene'er he met them,
Called them "Hiawatha's Brothers."
Then Iagoo, the great boaster,
He the marvellous story-teller,
He the traveller and the talker,
He the friend of old Nokomis,
Made a bow for Hiawatha;
From a branch of ash he made it,
From an oak-bough made the arrows,
Tipped with flint, and winged with feathers,
And the cord he made of deer-skin.
Then he said to Hiawatha:
"Go, my son, into the forest,
Where the red deer herd together,
Kill for us a famous roebuck,
Kill for us a deer with antlers!"
Forth into the forest straightway
All alone walked Hiawatha
Proudly, with his bow and arrows;
And the birds sang ruffed him, o'er him,
"Do not shoot us, Hiawatha!"
Sang the robin, the Opechee,
Sang the bluebird, the Owaissa,
"Do not shoot us, Hiawatha!"
Up the oak-tree, close beside him,
Sprang the squirrel, Adjidaumo,
In and out among the branches,
Coughed and chattered from the oak-tree,
Laughed, and said between his laughing,
"Do not shoot me, Hiawatha!"
And the rabbit from his pathway
Leaped aside, and at a distance
Sat erect upon his haunches,
Half in fear and half in frolic,
Saying to the little hunter,
"Do not shoot me, Hiawatha!"
But he heeded not, nor heard them,
For his thoughts were with the red deer;
On their tracks his eyes were fastened,
Leading downward to the river,
To the ford across the river,
And as one in slumber walked he.

H. W. LONGFELLOW: _Hiawatha_.

* * * * *

UNOFFENDING CREATURES.

The Being that is in the clouds and air,
That is in the green leaves among the groves,
Maintains a deep and reverential care
For the unoffending creatures whom he loves.

One lesson, Shepherd, let us two divide,
Taught both by what He shows, and what conceals,
Never to blend our pleasure or our pride
With sorrow of the meanest thing that feels.

WORDSWORTH.

* * * * *

SEPTEMBER.

And sooth to say, yon vocal grove
Albeit uninspired by love,
By love untaught to ring,
May well afford to mortal ear
An impulse more profoundly dear
Than music of the spring.

But list! though winter storms be nigh
Unchecked is that soft harmony:
There lives Who can provide,
For all his creatures: and in Him,
Even like the radiant Seraphim,
These choristers confide.

WORDSWORTH.

* * * * *

THE LARK.

Happy, happy liver,
With a soul as strong as a mountain river,
Pouring out praises to the Almighty Giver.

WORDSWORTH.

* * * * *

THE SWALLOW.

When weary, weary winter
Hath melted into air,
And April leaf and blossom
Hath clothed the branches bare,
Came round our English dwelling
A voice of summer cheer:
'Twas thine, returning swallow,
The welcome and the dear.

Far on the billowy ocean
A thousand leagues are we,
Yet here, sad hovering o'er our bark,
What is it that we see?
Dear old familiar swallow,
What gladness dost thou bring:
Here rest upon our flowing sail
Thy weary, wandering wing.

MRS. HOWITT.

* * * * *

RETURNING BIRDS.

Birds, joyous birds of the wandering wing
Whence is it ye come with the flowers of spring?
"We come from the shores of the green old Nile,
From the land where the roses of Sharon smile,
From the palms that wave through the Indian sky,
From the myrrh trees of glowing Araby."

MRS. HEMANS.

* * * * *

THE BIRDS.

With elegies of love
Make vocal every spray.

CUNNINGHAM.

* * * * *

THRUSH.

Whither hath the wood thrush flown
From our greenwood bowers?
Wherefore builds he not again
Where the wild thorn flowers?

Bid him come! for on his wings
The sunny year he bringeth,
And the heart unlocks its springs
Wheresoe'er he singeth.

BARRY CORNWALL.

* * * * *

LINNET.

Within the bush her covert nest
A little linnet fondly prest,
The dew sat chilly on her breast
Sae early in the morning.

She soon shall see her tender brood
The pride, the pleasure o' the wood,
Among the fresh green leaves bedewed,
Awake the early morning.

BURNS.

* * * * *

NIGHTINGALE.

But thee no wintry skies can harm
Who only needs to sing
To make even January charm
And every season Spring.

COWPER.

* * * * *

SONGSTERS.

Little feathered songsters of the air
In woodlands tuneful woo and fondly pair.

SAVAGE.

* * * * *

MOHAMMEDANISM.

THE CATTLE.[3]

The "Chapter of the Cattle:" Heaven is whose,
And whose is earth? Say Allah's, That did choose
On His own might to lay the law of mercy.
He, at the Resurrection, will not lose

One of His own. What falleth, night or day,
Falleth by His Almighty word alway.
Wilt thou have any other Lord than Allah,
Who is not fed, but feedeth all flesh? Say!

For if He visit thee with woe, none makes
The woe to cease save He; and if He takes
Pleasure to send thee pleasure, He is Master
Over all gifts; nor doth His thought forsake

The creatures of the field, nor fowls that fly;
They are "a people" also: "These, too, I
Have set," the Lord saith, "in My book of record;
These shall be gathered to Me by and by."

With Him of all things secret are the keys;
None other hath them, but He hath; and sees
Whatever is in land, or air, or water,
Each bloom that blows, each foam-bell on the seas.

E. ARNOLD: _Pearls of the Faith_.

[3] _Koran_, chap. vi.

* * * * *


I cannot believe that any creature was created for uncompensated misery; it
would be contrary to God's mercy and justice.

MARY SOMERVILLE.

* * * * *

THE SPIDER AND THE DOVE.

The spider and the dove,--what thing is weak
If Allah makes it strong?
The spider and the dove! if He protect,
Fear thou not foeman's wrong.

From Mecca to Medina fled our Lord,
The horsemen followed fast;
Into a cave to shun their murderous rage,
Mohammed, weary, passed.

Quoth Aba Bekr, "If they see me die!"
Quoth Eba Foheir, "Away!"
The guide Abdallah said, "The sand is deep,
Those footmarks will betray."

Then spake our Lord "We are not four but Five;
He who protects is here.
'Come! Al-Muhaimin' now will blind their eyes;
Enter, and have no fear."

The band drew nigh; one of the Koreish cried,
"Search ye out yonder cleft,
I see the print of sandalled feet which turn
Thither, upon the left!"

But when they drew unto the cavern's mouth,
Lo, at its entering in,
A ring-necked desert-dove sat on her eggs;
The mate cooed soft within.

And right athwart the shadow of the cave
A spider's web was spread;
The creature hung upon her web at watch;
Unbroken was each thread;

"By Thammuz' blood," the unbelievers cried,
"Our toil and time are lost;
Where doves hatch, and the spider spins her snare,
No foot of man hath crossed!"

Thus did a desert bird and spider guard
The blessed Prophet then;
For all things serve their maker and their God
Better than thankless men.

_Pearls of the Faith_.

* * * * *

THE YOUNG DOVES.

There came before our Lord a certain one
Who said, "O Prophet! as I passed the wood
I heard the voice of youngling doves which cried,
While near the nest their pearl-necked mother cooed.

"Then in my cloth I tied those fledglings twain,
But all the way the mother fluttered nigh;
See! she hath followed hither." Spake our Lord:
"Open thy knotted cloth, and stand thou by."

But when she spied her nestlings, from the palm
Down flew the dove, of peril unafeared,
So she might succor these. "Seest thou not,"
Our Lord said, "how the heart of this poor bird

"Grows by her love, greater than his who rides
Full-face against the spear-blades? Thinkest thou
Such fire divine was kindled to be quenched?
I tell ye nay! Put back upon the bough

"The nest she claimeth thus: I tell ye nay!
From Allah's self cometh this wondrous love:
Yea! And I swear by Him who sent me here,
He is more tender than a nursing dove,

"More pitiful to men than she to these.
Therefore fear God in whatsoe'er ye deal
With the dumb peoples of the wing and hoof."

* * * * *

_Pearls of the Faith_.

* * * * *

FORGIVEN.


Verily there are rewards for our doing good to dumb animals, and giving
them water to drink. A wicked woman was forgiven who, seeing a dog at a
well holding out his tongue from thirst, which was near killing him, took
off her boot, and tied it to the end of her garment, and drew water in it
for the dog, and gave him to drink; and she was forgiven her sin for that
act.

_Table Talk of Mohammed_.

* * * * *

PRAYERS.


It is recorded of the Prophet, that when, being on a journey, he alighted
at any place, he did not say his prayers until he had unsaddled his camel.

POOLE'S _Mohammed_.

* * * * *

DUMB MOUTHS.

By these dumb mouths be ye forgiven,
Ere ye are heard pleading with heaven.

_Pearls of the Faith_.

* * * * *

THE PARSEES.

FROM THE ZEND AVESTA.


Of all and every kind of sin which I have committed against the creatures
of Ormazd, as stars, moon, sun, and the red-burning fire, the _Dog_, the
_Birds_, the other good creatures which are the property of Ormazd, if I
have become a sinner against any of these, _I repent_.

* * * * *


"If a man gives bad food to a shepherd Dog, of what sin is he guilty?"

Ahura Mazda[4] answered:

"It is the same guilt as though he should serve bad food to a master of a
house of the _first rank_."

* * * * *


"The dog, I, Ahura Mazda, have made self-clothed and self-shod, watchful,
wakeful, and sharp-toothed, born to take his food from man and to watch
over man's goods.

"I, Ahura Mazda, have made the dog strong of body against the evil-doer and
watchful over your goods, when he is of sound mind."

[4] Ahura Mazda or Ormazd is the King of Light; the Good. The Zend
Avesta is of great but uncertain antiquity; believed to be three
thousand years old.

* * * * *

HINDOO.


He who, seeking his own happiness, does not punish or kill beings who also
long for happiness, will find happiness after death.

_Dhammapada_.

Whoever in this world harms living beings, and in whom there is no
compassion for living beings, let one know him as an outcast.

_Sutta Nipata_.

* * * * *

THE TIGER.

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And, when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand forged thy dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did He smile his work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

WILLIAM BLAKE.

* * * * *

VALUE OF ANIMALS.


Nobody doubts their general value, as nobody doubts the value of sunlight;
but a more practical appreciation may be felt of their moneyed value if we
look at that aspect of the question in some of its details.

We quote from a hand-book published for the South Kensington Museum:--

"CLASS I.--_Animal Substances employed for Textile Manufactures and
Clothing._ Division I. Wool, Mohair, and Alpaca. Division II. Hair,
Bristles, and Whalebone. Division III. Silk. Division IV. Furs. Division V.
Feathers, Down, and Quills. Division VI. Gelatin, Skins, and Leathers.

"CLASS II.--_Animal Substances used for Domestic and Ornamental Purposes._
Division I. Bone and Ivory. Division II. Horns and Hoofs. Division III.
Tortoise-shell. Division IV. Shells and Marines. Animal Products for
Manufacture, Ornaments, etc. Division V. Animal Oils and Fats.

"CLASS III.--_Pigments and Dyes yielded by Animals."_--Division I.
Cochineal and Kermes. Division II. Lac and its applications. Division III.
Nutgalls, Gall Dyes, Blood, etc. Division IV. Sepia, Tyrian Purple, Purree,
etc.

"CLASS IV.--_Animal Substances used in Pharmacy and in Perfumery."_
Division I. Musk, Civet, Castorem, Hyraceum, and Ambergris. Division II.
Cantharides, Leeches, etc.

"CLASS V.--_Application of Waste Matters_. Division I. Entrails and
Bladders. Division II. Albumen, Casein, etc. Division III. Prussiates of
Potash and Chemical Products of Bone, etc. Division IV. Animal
Manures--Guano, Coprolites, Animal Carcases, Bones, Fish Manures, etc."

From a table of the value of imports of animal origin brought into the
United Kingdom in the year 1875, we take a few items:--

"Live animals, L8,466,226. Wool of various kinds, L23,451,887. Silk,
manufactures of all kinds, L12,264,532. Silk, raw and thrown, L3,546,456.
Butter, L8,502,084. Cheese, L4,709,508. Eggs, L2,559,860. Bacon and hams,
L6,982,470. Hair of various kinds, L1,483,984. Hides, wet and dry,
L4,203,371. Hides, tanned or otherwise prepared, L2,814,042. Guano,
L1,293,436. Fish, cured or salted, L1,048,546."

The value of the domestic stock in Great Britain and Channel Islands, in
1875, is stated to have been:--

"Horses, 1,349,691 at L16, L21,587,056. Cattle, 6,050,797 at L10,
L60,507,970. Sheep, 29,243,790 at L1 10s., L43,865,685. Swine, 2,245,932 at
L1 5s., L2,807,415. Total, L128,768,126."

"When we find," says the compiler of the statistics from which we have
quoted, "that the figures give an estimated money value exceeding
L331,000,000 sterling, and that to this has to be added all the dairy
produce; the poultry and their products for Great Britain; the annual clip
of British wool, which may be estimated at 160,000,000 lbs., worth at least
L8,000,000; the hides and skins, tallow, horns, bones, and other offal,
horse and cow hair, woollen rags collected, the game and rabbits, the sea
and river fisheries; besides the products of our woollen, leather, glove,
silk, soap, and comb manufactures retained for home consumption, furs,
brushes, and many other articles, we ought to add a great many millions
more to the aggregate value or total."--SIMMONDS: _Animal Products_, p.
xix.

* * * * *

SOCIETIES FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.


The first society formed under this name, or for this object, was the
"Royal," of London, in 1825.

The first in America was that of New York, in 1866; that of Pennsylvania,
in 1867; and that of Massachusetts, in 1868.

They all sprang from the same Christian root with the other great voluntary
organizations for religious and moral purposes which distinguished the
century just passed. All helped to widen the consciousness of the world,
and to prepare the way for reformations not then thought of.

In this goodly company of voluntary societies, those for the Protection of
Animals are entitled to an honorable place. It is not too much to say that
any list would be incomplete without them.

But they have gone beyond Europe and America, and are spreading over the
world. Among their devoted members are found the professors of many
religions.

These "Voices," it is hoped, may impel their readers, wherever they may be,
to help on, through such Societies, a long delayed work of justice to the
humbler creatures of God. In many countries the young may find juvenile
societies to promote the cause in schools and neighborhoods.

But whether inside or outside of organizations, the words of Mr. Longfellow
suggest a universal duty,--

"Act, act in the living present,
Hearts within and God o'erhead."




INDEX OF SUBJECTS AND TITLES.

* * * * *

Achilles, Horses of
Action
Ahura-Mazda
Aix, Good News to
Alexander
Allah
Among the Noblest
Ancient Mariner
Animals and Human Speech
Animals, Feeling for
Animals, Happiness
Animals, Innocent
Animals, Products
Animals, Suffering
Another's Sorrow
Arabs
Argus and Ulysses
Aspiration
Asoka Inscriptions
Atri in Abruzzo
Aziola

Baby, Human
Bavieca
Bay Billy
Beaver
Bedouin's Rebuke
Bees, The
Beetle
Beggar and Dog
Be Kind
Bess, Poor
Bible
Bird and Ship
Bird King
Bird, Lost
Bird of the Wilderness
Birds
Birds and Mohammed
Birds at Dawn
Bird's Evening Song
Birds In Spring
Birds Learning to Fly
Birds Let Loose
Bird's Ministry
Birds Must Know
Birds, Our Teachers
Birds Returning
Birds, Shadows of
Birthday Address
Birth of the Horse
Blanco
Bloodhound
Bluebird
Bob-o'-link
Bride
Brotherhood
Buddhism
Butrago, Lord of

Cage
Canary
Can they Suffer?
Cat
Care for the Lowest
Chick-a-dee-dee
Child, Lydia Maria
Chipmunk
Choir, Hymeneal
Choir, Invisible
Cid and Bavieca
Cock's Shrill Clarion
Compassion
Concord
Cormorant
Crane
Cricket
Crow
Cruelty, Effect of, on Man
Cuckoo

Damascus
Darwin, Charles
Delft
Dog
Dog "Blanco"
Dog "Don"
Dog "Flight"
Dogs, Dead
Dogs, Domestic
Dogs, Epitaph on
Dogs "Faithful"
Dog's Grave
Doves
Do with your Own
Do you Know?
Drudge
Ducks
Dumb
Dumb Mouths
Duty
Duty and Fame
Dying in Harness

Eagle
Eggs
Egyptian Ritual
Elegy
Elephants
Emperor's Bird's-Nest
Epitaph
Erskine, Lord
Exulting Sings

Failures
Fame and Duty
Feathered Tribes
Feeling for Animals
Field Sparrow
Fire
Firmness and Faithfulness
Foray, The
Freedom to Beasts
Friend of every Friendless Beast
Friends
Future, The

Gamarra
Geist's Grave
Gelert
Generosity
Gentleness
Giant's Strength
Glow-Worm
God's Children
Good News to Aix
Good Samaritan
Good Will
Grasshoppers
Graves, Collins, Ride of
Grey Friars' Bobby
Growth of Humane Ideas
Gulls

Happiness of Animals
Hare
Harness, Dying in
Harper, The
Heart Service
Helvellyn
Hen and Honey Bee
Herbert, George
Herod, my Hound
Heroes
Herons of Elmwood
Hiawatha's Brothers
Hill-Star's Nest
Hippopotamus
Honor and Revere
Horse. See _Rides_.
Horse
Horse, Birth of
Horse, Blood
Horse, Fallen
Horse of Achilles
Horse Waiting for Master
Horse, War
Hound
Howard, John
Hindoo Poem
Hindooism
Humanity
Humming-Bird
Hundred Farms
Hymns

Immortality
India
Indian
In Holy Books
Inscriptions
Insect
Instinct
Introduction
Irish Wolf-Hound

Jay
June Day
Justice

Killingworth, Birds of
Kindness
Kindness to Aged Creatures
King of Denmark's Ride
Kites

L'Allegro
Lamb
Lark
Lark (Sky)
Lark (Wood)
Leaders
Learn from the Creatures
Legend of Cross-Bill
Lexington
Life is Glad
Lincoln, Robert of
Linnet
Little Brown Bird
Little by Little
Living Swan
Llewellyn and Gelert
Looking for Pearls
Lord of Butrago
Lost
Love
Loyalty

Magpie
Man's Morality on Trial
Man's Rule
Man's Supremacy
Marriage Feast
Martin
Mausoleum
Measureless Gulfs
Mercy
Misery
Monkey
Moral Lessons
Mother's Care
Mountain and Squirrel
Mouse, A Field
Myth

Nautilus
Natural Rights
Nature, Animated
Nature's Teachings
Nest
Newfoundland Dog
Newsboy
Nightingale
Nobility
No Ceremony
No Grain of Sand
Non-interference
Not born for Death
Not Contempt
Nothing Alone

Odyssey
Old Mill
Old Spaniel
One Hundred Years Ago
Open Sky
Oriole
Our Pets
Owl
Ox

Pain to Animals
Papers
Parrots
Parsees
Peacock
Peepul Tree
Pegasus in Pound
Persevere
Petrel, Stormy
Pets, Our
Pheasant
Phoebe
Piccola
Pity
Plutarch
Poor Dog Tray
Prayers
Pretty Birds
Pussy

Quail
Questions
Quit the Nest

Reason
Returning Birds
Ride of Collins Graves
Ride of King of Denmark
Ride of Paul Revere
Ride of Sheridan
Ride of "The Colonel"
Ride to Aix
Rights Must Win
Rights, Natural
Ring Out
Robins
Roland
Rooks
Room Enough
Rover

Sake of the Animals
Sand, No Grain of
Sandpiper
Scarecrow
Sea-Fowl
Sea Shell
September
Shadows of Birds
Shaftesbury, Earl of
Shag
Sheep
Shepherd's Home
She-Wolf
Ship of Pearl
Siddartha
Sin
Six Feet
Skylark
Societies for Protection of Animals
Solitude
Songs
Sorrow
Sounds and Songs
Sparrow
Spider
Squirrel
Statue over the Cathedral Door
St. Francis
Stole the Eggs
Stole the Nest
Stork
Study of Animals
Suffer, Can they?
Suffering
Sultan
Swallow
Swan
Sympathy

Tame Animals
Teeth of Dog
Tenderness
Te whit, te who
Texts. See _Bible_.
Thrush
Tiger
Tiger Moth
Tom
Tramp
Trotwood, Betsy
Troubadour
Trust
Truth

Ulysses
Upward

Value of Animals to Man
Venice, Doves of
Village Sounds
Vireos
Virtue
Vision
Vivisection
Vogelweid, Walter von der

Waiting for Master
War-Horse
Waterfowl
Way to Sing
Wedding Guest
Wedding, The Fairy
What the Birds Say
Whippoorwill
Who Stole the Bird's Eggs?
Who Stole the Bird's Nest?
Who Taught?
William of Orange
Williamsburg
Winchester
Wish, A
Wolf
Wolf-Hound
Wood Lark
Wood Pigeons
Workman of God
Worm
Worm Turns, The
Wren

Yudhistthira

* * * * *




INDEX OF AUTHORS.

Akenside, Mark
Alger's Oriental Poetry
Amicis, de E.
Andros, R. S.
Anonymous. See _Unknown._
Aristotle
Arnold, Edwin
Arnold, Matthew
Asoka, Emperor

Barbauld, Mrs.
Bates, Mrs. C. D.
Bentham, Jeremy
Berry, Mrs. C. F.
Bible
Blackie, Professor
Blake, William
Blanchard, Laman
Bostwick, Helen B.
Bremer, Frederika
Bright, John
Brine, Mary D.
Brooks, Rev. C. T.
Brougham, John
Browning, Mrs. E. B.
Browning, Robert
Bryant, W. C.
Buddhism. See _Hindoo_.
Burns, Robert
Butler, Bishop
Byron, Lord

Caird, Rev. Dr.
Californian
Campbell, Thomas
Carlyle, Mrs. Thomas
Carpenter, Rev. H. B.
Carpenter, Rev. J. E.
Chamber's Journal
Chamisso
Child's Book of Poetry
Cincinnati Humane Appeal
Clayton, Sir Robert
Clough, Arthur H.
Cobbe, Miss F. P.
Coleridge, Hartley
Coleridge, S. T.
Corbett, E. T.
Cornwall, Barry
Cowper, William
Craik, Mrs. Dinah M.
Cunningham, Allen
Cuvier, Baron

Davids, T. W. R.
Dickens, Charles
Dryden, John

Egyptian Ritual
Eliot, George
Emerson, R. W.

Faber, F. W.
Fields, James T.

Gassaway, F. H.
Gisborne, Thomas
Goethe
Goldsmith, O.
Gray

H. H.
Hathaway, E.
Hedge, Rev. Dr. F. H.
Helps, Arthur
Hemans, Mrs.
Herbert, George
Hindoo
Hogg, James
Holland, J. G.
Holmes, O. W.
Homer
Howitt, Mary
Humane Journal
Hunt, Leigh
Hymns for Mothers

Ingelow, Jean

Jackson, Mrs. See _H. H._
Job
Johnson, Laura W.

Keats, John
Keble, J.
Kingsley, Charles

Lamb, Charles and Mary
Langhorne, J.
Larcom, Lucy
Lathbury, Mary A.
Lawrence, Kate
Lewes, Mrs. See _George Elliot._
Lillie, Arthur
Lockhart, J. G.
Logan, John
Longfellow, H. W.
Lord, Miss Emily B.
Lowell, James R.
Lowell, Maria
Luther, Martin

Mahabharata
Mackenzie
MacCarthy, Denis F.
Mason, Caroline A.
Masque of Poets
McLeod, Norman
Mill, John Stuart
Milton, John
Mohammed
Moore, Thomas
Motley, J. L.
Mueller, Max
Muloch. See _Mrs. Dinah M. Craik._

Norton, Mrs. C. E.

Odyssey
O'Reilly, John Boyle

Paine, Miss Harriet E.
Parseeism
Perry, Carolina Coronado de
Pfeiffer, Emily
Plutarch
Poole, Stanley
Pope, Alexander
Preston, Margaret J.
Procter. See _Barry Cornwall._
Punch

Read, T. B.
Ruskin, John

Savage, Richard
Saxe, John G.
Schiller
Scott, Walter
Scudder, Eliza
Shakespeare, W.
Shelley, P. B.
Shenstone, W.
Sheppard, Mary.
Simmonds
Somerville, Mary
Southey, Robert
Spenser, W. R.
Stanley, A. P.
Sterling, John
Swing, David

Taylor, Bayard
Taylor, Emily
Taylor, Henry
Temple Bar
Tennyson, Alfred
Thaxter, Mrs. Celia

Unknown

Verplanck, Julia C.

Walton, Izaak
Whittier, J. G.
Wilcox
Wither, George
Woolson, C. F.
Wordsworth, W.

Zend Avesta





 


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