If children had been taught to think many years ago, error would have been much more easily detected, and its baneful influence would not have had that effect upon society which at this day unfortunately we are obliged to witness.
At another time I was lecturing the children in the gallery on the subject of cruelty to animals; when one of the little children observed, "Please, sir, my big brother catches the poor flies, and then sticks a pin through them, and makes them draw the pin along the table." This afforded me an excellent opportunity of appealing to their feelings on the enormity of this offence, and, among other things, I observed, that if the poor fly had been gifted with the powers of speech like their own, it probably would have exclaimed, _while dead_, as follows:--"You naughty child, how can you think of torturing me so?
Is there not room in the world for you and me?
Did I ever do you any harm?
Does it do you any good to put me in such pain?
Why do you do it, you are big enough to know better?
How would you like a man to run a piece of wire through your body, and make you draw things about?
Would you not cry at the pain?
Go, then, you wicked boy, and learn to leave off such cruel actions." Having finished, one of the children replied, "How can any thing speak if it is dead ?" "Why," said I, "supposing it could speak." "You meant to say, sir," was the rejoinder, "_dying_ instead of _dead_." It will, of course be understood that in this case I purposely misused a word, and the children being taught to think, easily detected it.
6.

WATCH AGAINST THE ENTRANCE OF DISEASE.
It may, probably, be considered presumption in me, to speak of the diseases of children, as this more properly belongs to the faculty; but let it be observed, that my pretension is not to cure the diseases that children are subject to, but only to prevent those which are infectious from spreading.

I have found that children between the ages of two and seven years, are subject to the measles, hooping cough, fever, ophthalmia, ringworm, scald-head, and in very poor neighbourhoods, the itch--and small-pox.

This last is very rare, owing to the great encouragement given to vaccination; and were it not for the obstinacy of many of the poor, I believe it would be totally extirpated.

During the whole of the time I superintended a school, I heard of only three children dying of it, and those had never been vaccinated.