Child running with arms out pretending to fly.
Child running with arms out pretending to fly.
What a beautiful creature is the gaudy butterfly! Children, you do not wish to crush its golden wings, and destroy its brief, sunny life. O, no; you had rather see it free and happy. How cruel and wicked it is for children to destroy these beautiful creatures which God has made!
Here is a story in regard to a little boy and a butterfly.
“I was walking along through a pretty village, one summer day. The cottages were covered with woodbines and roses. The bees were busy carrying home honey to the hives, while the children were playing about so happily. I was thinking how soon the bright summer would be gone, and the leaves fallen from the trees, when a little boy ran by, chasing a beautiful butterfly. I was sorry to see him soon catch it, and hold it fast in his hand. I asked him if he knew how cruel and unkind it was. He said,—
“No, ma’am; I wanted it, to take home and put under a glass; it looks so very pretty. I did not know it would hurt it.”
But when I told him how much pain it gave the poor creature, he opened his little hand to let the butterfly escape.
Alas! poor thing, it was so hurt it could not fly at all; so we were obliged to kill it,to put it out of pain. The little boy was very sorry; so were the other children who had gathered round.
Then I showed them the dust upon the wing, and told them if we could only see it distinctly, how it would look almost like feathers, and how it hurt the poor creature to have it brushed off. I explained to them about the caterpillar, and that some of them spin beautiful webs, and then come the butterflies, which fly about in the bright sunshine, but die when winter comes.
Then we talked about the great God, who made all these beautiful creatures, and how he loved dear children to be kind to one another, and to poor dumb animals that could not tell when they were in pain.
Children may run about the fields, and gather the beautiful flowers, and bright green ferns; which the little boys and girls said they would do, and never catch butterflies any more, but only watch them fly about, so happily basking in the sunshine.”