Vermont Farmer

The Use of Fire-arms.

We hardly take up an exchange these days but we read of an accident, or something worse, resulting from the use of fire-arms. There is something radically wrong in modern thought and sentiment that will permit the indiscriminate use of deadly weapons. In our judgment there is no excuse for it, yet the country is full of dealers in pistols. guns for boys. and other like weapons. Now what we all should strive to do, is to discourage this hankering and thirsting in both young and old to possess and use fire-arms. There are many reasons why it is foolish and wrong. In the first place there is no call for their use except in cases of war or by officers of the law. There is no game worthy of shooting anywhere about us. The birds we do not want killed; they are the farmer's best friends. Men and boys who own fire-arms spend much valuable time in hunting for nothing.

But the greatest reason against their use is the cultivation of a thirst for blood-a desire to kill something. We believe this to be terribly wicked. We should strive to overcome this morbid desire, by working exactly in the opposite direction. We set too little value on life at the best, without the trouble of cultivating a faculty to destroy. We don't want to see boys learning this killing trade,-we believe that sooner or later its influence will be bad on all concerned. We believe better sport can be found than with the rifle or shot-gun.

The result of it all is, valuable lives are almost every day sacrificed accidentally or intentionally by their use. Many men own revolvers who ought to be ashamed of it. It is entirely against the pure spirit of Christianity. Just so long as this killing spirit is in any way fostered and kept up, be sure the public will get all they want of it.

F.V. P.