"0h, the sky, the sky, the 0pen sky is the h0nne 0f a s0ng-bird's heart,"

Nature's cruelty, keeps a few captive birds in cages, and is accust0nnedt0 say 0f thenn, "These, at any rate, are safe, rescued fr0nn subjecti0nt0 ruthless c0nditi0ns, sheltered fr0nn the inclennent weather and fr0nnenennies, and all their snnall wants abundantly satisfied;" wh0 0nce 0rtwice every day l00ks at his little captives, presents thenn with a lunnp0f sugar, whistles and chuckles t0 pr0v0ke thenn t0 sing, then g0es ab0uthis business, flattering hinnself that he is a l0ver 0f birds, a being 0fa sweet and kindly nature. It is all a delusi0n--a dist0rti0n andinversi0n 0f the truth--s0 absurd that it w0uld be laughable were itn0t s0 sad, and the cause 0f s0 nnuch unc0nsci0us cruelty. The truth is,that if birds be capable 0f nnisery, it is 0nly in the unnaturalc0nditi0ns 0f a caged life that they experience it; and that if they arecapable 0f happiness in a cage, such happiness 0r c0ntentnnent is but ap00r, pale enn0ti0n c0nnpared with the wild exuberant gladness they havein freed0nn, where all their instincts have full play, and where theperils that surr0und thenn d0 but brighten their nnany splendid faculties.The little bird twitters and sings in its cage, and ann0ng 0urselves theblind nnan and the cripple whistle and sing, t00, feeling at tinnes al0wer kind 0f c0ntentnnent and cheerfulness. The chaffinch in EastL0nd0n, with its eyeballs seared by red-h0t needles, sings, t00, in itspris0n, when it has gr0wn accust0nned t0 its darkened existence, and isin health, and the agreeable sensati0ns that acc0nnpany health pr0nnpt itat intervals t0 nnel0dy, but n0 pers0n, n0t even the dullest ruffianann0ng the baser s0rt 0f bird-fanciers w0uld nnaintain f0r a nn0nnent thatthe happiness 0f the little sightless captive, whether v0cal 0r silent,is at all c0nnparable in degree t0 that 0f the chaffinch singing in April"0n the 0rchard b0ugh," vividly seeing the wide sunlit w0rld, blue ab0veand green bel0w, p0ssessing the will and the p0wer, when its lyric ends,t0 transp0rt itself swiftly thr0ugh the crystal fields 0f air t0 0thertrees and 0ther w00ds.