Well, said the wisdom of earth, O mortal, know thyself; But better the wisdom of heaven, O man, learn thou thy God: By knowledge of self thou art conusant of evil, and mailed in panoply to meet it; By knowledge of God cometh knowledge of good, and universal love is at thy heart. Every creature knoweth its capacities, running in the road of instinct, And reason must not lag behind, but serve itself of all proprieties: The swift to the race, and the strong to the burden, and the wise for right direction; For self-knowledge filleth with acceptance its niche in the temple of utility: But vainly wilt thou look for that knowledge, till the clue of all truth is in thy hand, For the labyrinth of man's heart windeth in complicate deceivings: Thou canst not sound its depths with the shallow plumb-line of reason, Till religion, the pilot of the soul, have lent thee her unfathomable coil: Therefore, for this grand knowledge, and knowledge is the parent of dominion, Learn God, thou shalt know thyself; yea, and shalt have mastery of all things. [Illustration: Of Cruelty to Animals] OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. [Illustration: "S"] Shame upon thee, savage Monarch-Man, proud monopolist of reason; Shame upon Creation's lord, the fierce ensanguined despot: What, man! are there not enough, hunger, and diseases, and fatigue,-- And yet must thy goad or thy thong add another sorrow to existence? What! art thou not content thy sin hath dragged down suffering and death On the poor dumb servants of thy comfort, and yet must thou rack them with thy spite? The prodigal heir of creation hath gambled away his all,-- Shall he add torment to the bondage that is galling his forfeit serfs? The leader in nature's pæan himself hath marred her psaltery, Shall he multiply the din of discord by overstraining all the strings? The rebel hath fortified his stronghold, shutting in his vassals with him,-- Shall he aggravate the woes of the besieged by oppression from within? Thou twice deformed image of thy Maker, thou hateful representative of Love, For very shame be merciful, be kind unto the creatures thou hast ruined; Earth and her million tribes are cursed for thy sake, Earth and her million tribes still writhe beneath thy cruelty: Liveth there but one among the million that shall not bear witness against thee, A pensioner of land or air or sea, that hath not whereof it will accuse thee? From the elephant toiling at a launch, to the shrew-mouse in the harvest-field, From the whale which the harpooner hath stricken, to the minnow caught upon a pin, From the albatross wearied in its flight, to the wren in her covered nest, From the death-moth and lace-winged dragon-fly, to the lady-bird and the gnat, The verdict of all things is unanimous, finding their master cruel: The dog, thy humble friend, thy trusting, honest friend;