In the Section of the Code for 1894-5, dealing with Reading Books, occur the words "Passages impressing on the children the duty of gentleness and consideration for others, and that of the humane treatment of animals may also be widely introduced." It is in the hope of encouraging that humane treatment of animals, which in the hands of a sympathetic teacher may so easily and naturally be made the first step towards the "gentleness and consideration for others," that this series has been prepared. It is hoped now that the teaching of humanity has received official recognition, that those who have charge of the young will recognize its importance, and will realise that unless the cultivation of the heart runs pari passu with that of the head, the spread of education may become a curse instead of a blessing. The Editors are much indebted to the R.S.P.C.C. for permission to reprint "Trusty" and "Out in the Cold." |