Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 May 1877 — Youths’ Department. [ARTICLE]

Youths’ Department.

The Bktteriy. “ There, I have caught him at last. What a beauty I aad I never could catch a butterfly before.” The words were uttered in an excited tone, by little Katie Ktrkham, as she graspea in both her bands a lovely butter, fly which she had been chasirg in the garden for nearly half an hour. “ What have you there, Katie?” aaked her father, looking up from hia book Lot me see.” “A butterfly, papa,” replied Katie, running to the garden chair where her father sat. “I am afraid It will fly away if I open my hands.” Bhe cautiously unloosed her grasp, and Mr. Kirkflam took the little creature in his hand.

“No, Katie, it will never fly again. That little glad life which was passed so happily in the sunshine Is at an end forever. You have crushed it to death.!’ “O, papa, I didn’t mean to! I only wanted to catch it. I didn’t think about its being happy.” “ But your not thinking has taken away a life that you never can restore, if you try till your hair is gray. How did it'become a butterfly, Katie?" “Why, God made it, of course; He made everything.” “ Yes; but how did He make it ? What was it before it was a butterfly?” “ I don’t know. Was it anything, papa?” “ I will tell you something about its history. First es all another butterfly laid a tiny egg, several eggs, in fact, but we have only to do with one. Well, from this egg there came in time a wee little grub, and the little grub crawled about and nibbled cabbage-leaves till it grew into a fine large caterpillar.” “ But I want to bear about the butterfly, papa,” interrupted Katie, “not about ugly grubs and caterpillars. I thought you were going to say a baby butterfly came out of the egg.” . “ But.it didn’t, so I couldn’t tell you so. We shall find out how it did come all in good time. Well, our friend the * ugly caterpillar’ had rather a dull time of it, only able to crawl along; it could not fly about, yon know, like tne butterfly. But at last it found a new occupation; ft bejjan to spin for itself a silky case, or tied tself to a twig by a silky cord, and here it lay or swung for some time in what Is called the chrysalis Mate, till, when the bright, warm weather came, the cocoon burst, and out flew a beautiful butterfly.” “ Oh, papa, how wonderful! I had no idea a caterpillar could turn into a butterfly. Do you think it remembered while it was flying about, that it once was a caterpillar, only able to crawl ?” “No, I don’t suppose it did, dear; it could not think, you know, either about the past or future; it only enjoyed the sunshine of its little hour. But now look a the wings. What are they made of?” Katie looked, and gently touched the wing. “How soft and downy it feels! what is it, papa?!’ “ Feathers. We will look at it under my microscope, and thenyou will see that the wings are covered with very small but quite perfect scales. Come into the library, we have just time to inspect it before dinner.” Katie followed her father into the house and watched while he put the butterfly under the microscope, and then eagerly looked through the glass. “ How beauti'ful,” she cried; “ they are real little scales! Papa,” she added, turning round, “ how wonderfully wise and kind God must be to take so much trouble over a little butterfly!” “Ah! my child, I am glad you have found that out. You speak venr differently from the careless way in which you said just now:. ‘ God made it, of course; He made everything.’ The earth is full of His wonders. If you keep your eyes open, you will find His wisdom aad love dismayed in everything that lives. But there s the dinner-bell, so you will have my text without the sermon.” “Well, papa,” said Katie, earnestly, “ I never will kilt or hurt any living thing again, at least, not on purpose; and I shall never see a butterty without thinking about how it was made. ’ ’ —Early Days.