should be so generally and naturally cruel, as experience, it is to be feared, too sadly exhibits him, cannot easily be accounted for on any other principle than that he is of a fallen nature,is far declined from the perfections of that adorable and merciful God in whose image he was originally made. And if we look to the state of the world at all periods of which we have any knowledge, we shall perceive circumstances which will confirm us in this opinion. Wherever the true God has been unknown, national cruelty has been at its height. The people of heathen countries were in this case, and are to this day, without natural affection, or they could so far forget or disregard the strong bonds of love, as to sacrifice their own flesh and blood to devils; and can it then be wondered at that those who regarded not human life in its nearest and dearest relations to themselves, should compassionate the case of animals? In the like manner at this day, the profligate and the wicked are notorious for their cruelty. They think not upon that God whose bounties and mercies towards themselves have been so long extended-they remember not that these creatures are of his creation and workmanship as much as they themselves and they will not see or consider that their great and benevolent Creator has thought it not below his dignity to make an ample provision for their comfort, and such happiness as their condition is capable of receiving. That he so regards even these unoffending brutes, that when, on one memorable occasion, he was induced to listen to the penitential cry of a king and his sinful people, and turn away his wrath from utterly destroying them-I mean in the case of devoted Nineveh-one of the reasons which he condescends to give for this act of mercy is, that in this place, doomed to sudden destruction, were "much cattle:" and God manifested his displeasure on another occasion at the exercise of cruelty to animals, when by a miracle he made Balaam's ass to turn round and rebuke his master who had wantonly beaten. him. We trust that these cursory remarks may serve to arrest the attention of any of our readers who may have been heretofore guilty of this crime, and we shall probably renew the subject another time.

416

ON PREJUDICES AGAINST HARMLESS ANIMALS.

To the Editor of the Family Monitor.

MR. EDITOR,

AMONG the many cautions and useful hints given in your excellent work, there is one which I think has not hitherto been touched upon, and which, in my opinion, cannot be too forcibly impressed on the minds of nursemaids, or mothers in general. I mean the foolish and pernicious practice, nurses and those who have the care of children too frequently have, of instilling into their tender minds a weak terror and aversion to many harmless, inoffensive creatures, (such as spiders, frogs, mice, &c.) How often have I seen a child turn pale, and start back with horror when a beetle, or some poor creeping thing, has accidentally crossed its path. This prejudice too often, instead of giving way to reason when arrived at a more mature age, has on the contrary grown with their growth, and strengthened with their strength, until it has become a most painful feeling, and totally prevented their sharing with others in the perfect enjoyment of the beauties of nature, and the wonder and variety of God's natural kingdom and his creatures; and instead of that pure and unmixed delight which a walk in the country gives to every sincere Christian, their gratification is damped by cautious dread and fear, as at every step they take they look for the obnoxious insect, or vicious animal that they feel such an indescribable horror at encountering. That this is merely the effect of education and prejudice, (and not an inherent dislike, as many erroneously imagine,) I am perfectly convinced; and if mothers would but early attend to this evil, and see it eradicated, many would be the weak terrors and annoyances they would save their children from in after years-in proof of which I will state one instance from many that have passed under my own observation.

I was once walking in a garden, and leading by the hand a fine spirited boy of three or four years old, and as we stopped to admire and gather some flowers, a frog leaped up near us; the child instantly screamed violently, and showed every symptom of terror. When with difficulty he had been pacified, I asked why he was frightened. Nasty, ugly thing!-Susan (his nurse)

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says it will spit at and hurt me,” was his reply. To convince him of the contrary, I took the animal in my hand, showed (not at first without some reluctance on his part to look at it,) how curious it was made, and how bright were its eyes. The child from fear soon grew into admiration, and running up to his sister, cried out,-"Come and look at this little frog-it has such pretty eyes!" Need I add that this child, now growing into manhood, has never since turned away from a frog or toad in disgust.

I know that many young ladies think that it looks pretty and effeminate to scream or affect fear at the sight of a spider or toad, or to run away if a cow appears in sight; but did they consider how weak they looked in the eyes of the wiser part of mankind, who attribute it alone to vulgar prejudice or ridiculous affectation, they would soon forego such childishness, and appear like rational beings. Let them study the natural history of the creatures they despise, and then adore the wonders and goodness of that Being who has made all so perfect, that even the very meanest of them is useful to the well-being of the whole.

Yours, Mr. Editor,

A COUNTRY FRIEND.

ON FORTUNE TELLING.

PREDICTIONS often procure their own fulfilment, and thus occasion the evils apprehended; and although in this enlightened age the belief in the power of foretelling future events exists no longer in educated minds, yet as our little work is partly designed for a class of persons who have had little instruction, except in reading and writing, and who sometimes make use of the first of these acquirements to learn what is erroneous and unprofitable, we think it may not be inappropriate to give the following anecdote from a correspondent :

"It happened a little time ago, in the north of England, where some relics of ancient superstition still exist amongst the peasantry, that a person professing to tell fortunes came to a young man, who was a farmer's servant, and told him several things that were to happen to him; amongst the rest that he should be ill on a particular day, and at a certain hour die. Some 3 H

VOL. I.

of the things which the impostor supposed to be very likely to befall a person in this condition, did occur, as might be expected, and the consequence was, he believed so firmly in the prophecy, that as the appointed day for his illness and death drew near, he sickened and took to his bed, with a full persuasion that he should never leave it, gradually getting worse, and appearing to be dying as the fatal hour approached. His friends knowing the cause of his illness, deceived him as to time, by simply putting the clock back, when afterwards being told that the dreaded moment had passed, he recovered as rapidly as he had before declined."

Thus this wicked impostor had nearly caused the evil which he foretold; and the preceding fact should act as a warning to those who have ever believed in such an impossibility as that of foretelling future events, which knowledge belongs to God alone, and is not permitted to any of his creatures. Whenever a fortune-teller does succeed in pointing out what will occur, it may easily be accounted for, if we consider that he who gains his livelihood by imposing upon the credulous, is well skilled in his trade, and has taken great pains to make himself acquainted with the lives and habits of those with whom he has to deal, and cannot fail of sometimes making a lucky hit, which is erroneously attributed to a supernatural power.

SIR,

ANECDOTES OF GAMBLING.

To the Editor of the Family Monitor.

THE extract relating to gambling in the miscellany of your last number, reminded me of an incident which I once witnessed at a place of public resort; and as the loser on the occasion was a footman, you may, perhaps, think the following account of it suitable to the pages of the "Monitor."

Your obedient Servant,

VINDESORENSIS.

"The concourse of people and carriages at this place, in consequence of the presence of his Majesty, was immense; and those bare-faced swindlers, called thimble-men, in spite of the vigilance

of the police, were constantly thrusting themselves and tables between the carriages, and pursuing their unlawful game. The knavery of these men with their thimbles and balls was so evident, that it was surprising that they could find dupes silly enough to be taken in by them; however, by the aid of associates, by whom they were surrounded, and to whom they apparently lost large sums, these swindlers every now and then entrapped some foolish person, and left him to bewail his folly and the loss of his money.

"Among other sufferers on this occasion, was a man-servant belonging to a carriage standing near a knot of these men. He had, as he thought, accurately eyed the balls, which the principal of the gang passed with great rapidity from thimble to thimble, till he was persuaded that it rested under one in particular, when down he got to stake his money! His mistress called out to him to desist, and told that he would certainly lose it; but John was so confident that he knew what he was about-that a small stake would not satisfy him-so down he put his sovereign, which, it is almost needless to add, he lost, and away went the swindlers laughing in their sleeve at his simplicity, while the poor servant returned to his seat with a countenance not easily to be forgotten."

We hope that the above will serve as a caution to all men servants who are in the habit of attending their employers to places of public resort, against those low and infamous characters who generally infest race-courses, watering-places, and every place where there are numbers collected together, and who gain a livelihood by cheating the unwary. The anecdote is related of a footman; nevertheless it applies to all classes of society, to every one who has not resolution to withstand the wicked and baneful practice of joining in games of chance. The servant alluded to lost a pound, (a serious loss to him,) and probably another afterwards in the hope of regaining it—at least this is the usual habit of gamblers; and thus they go on, blindly subjecting themselves to loss upon loss, till they speedily reduce themselves and families to beggary and misery! Putting the immorality of gaming, however, for a moment out of the question, together with the distress of families, and other evils attendant upon this vice, it is surprising, that a man possessed