They beg to go gunning almost before they are
out of dresses and into trousers. Every mother knows there is a savage
streak in her boy's nature. No," continued Mrs. Brown, with a decisive
nod of her head, "I say let the man who is without sin among them be
the first to cast stones now. Perhaps this very preacher spent all his
Saturdays robbing birds' nests and clubbing birds when he was a little
boy, and kept it up until he was big enough to kill them with a gun.
Of course there are some who do not; not all boys are cruel. But this
cruelty does not excuse ours. Man's wickedness does not make us the
less guilty. We will be held responsible all the same."
The other woman looked thoughtful. "Well," she said at last, "I
haven't quite lost all faith in womanly mercy. Women don't mean to be
cruel; the trouble is they don't think."
"Don't think!" echoed Mrs. Brown scornfully. "Don't think! That is an
excuse entirely too babyish for women to offer in this age of the
world. Do they want to be regarded as irresponsible children forever?
Don't you know that childish thoughtlessness on a subject as important
as the needless taking of life argues tremendously against us? Here we
are at the twentieth century, and with all our boasted advancement we
are as cruel and savage as Fiji Islanders.
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