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164 offering an injury to any human being they may chance to meet, they hop away with all possible expedition, from a dread of being themselves destroyed; and spiders drop suddenly down with a view to their own preservation only; and therefore it is highly ridiculous to be afraid of them.

"Horses and oxen are much more formidable creatures; they certainly could do us a great deal of mischief if they were conscious of their superior strength; but God has wisely ordained that they should not be so, and having given mankind dominion over them, He has implanted in their nature an awe and dread of the human species, which occasion them to yield subjection to the lords of the creation, when they exert their authority in a proper manner. It is really a very wonderful thing, Mrs. Wilson, to see a fine lively horse submitting to the bit and harness, or a drove of oxen quietly marching under the direction of one man. But it is observable that those creatures which are the most useful to us are the easiest tamed, and yield, not only singly, but in flocks, to mankind—nay, even to boys. This shows at once the goodness and power of the Creator. From what I have said, my dears," added Mrs. Benson, "you must perceive that it is a great weakness for a human being to be afraid of animals."