HAROLD C. ERNST 139 



as the very fact of its being necessary to guess demon- 

 strates gross negligence on the part of the petitioners, who 

 declare they have known of the existence of cruelty and 

 abuses all these years, and yet have made no single effort to 

 secure the punishment of the evil-doers, under existing laws. 



6. Finally, the statement was made that it would be at- 

 tempted to show that the practice should not be resorted 

 to by the inexperienced, nor employed to illustrate well- 

 known principles-- two propositions that must be treated 

 separately. They are both denied. 



Animal experimentation is not resorted to by the inex- 

 perienced, if by that is meant the uncontrolled. Every- 

 body has to do any thing for the first time, once ; so that in 

 that sense the inexperienced do practise animal experi- 

 mentation, but in no other. 



So far as we know and we should know if any one 

 does all beginners in animal experimentation are assist- 

 ants first, and are trained under careful supervision before 

 they are allowed to perform operations themselves. There 

 is no unrestricted, unsupervised animal experimentation 

 going on within our control --nor outside of it, so far as 

 we know. 



That animal experimentation should not be allowed for 

 the purposes of illustrating known principles-- in other 

 words for teaching is a desperate blow at the foundation 

 of instruction. The experimental or demonstration method 

 is the basis of the best modern teaching in all branches in 

 which it is possible to apply it, from the kindergarten 

 blocks to the electrician's laboratory ; and it is generally 

 recognized that such method is of the most vital importance 

 in ordinary subjects. 



Yet we are told that when we approach the most 

 complicated problem that the human intellect attacks 

 the problem of life and what influences it for better or 

 worse we must abandon the method that has been 



