A REFORM NEEDED. 



the streets of towns and cities when animals and men make common enjoyment of 

 them. 



There are two classes of citizens who stand in the way of wholesome reform in the 

 matter we speak of. One, and the largest, is an ignorant and indifferent class — who 

 see nothing- uncomfortable in this state of things, and need therefore to be roused 

 and shamed into action by an expression of right feeling on the part of those who see 

 cleanliness and decorum in their true light ; the second consists of demagogues who fear 

 to disturb the prejudices of that small class in the community, which understand by the 

 word liberty, not a wholesome obedience of just laws made by the people — but a certain 

 license to do anything and everything not absolutely criminal, with their own property, 

 and that of all their neighbors. 



That it is only needful for a few good citizens in every town to look at the matter 

 clearly, and determine to have orderly and sanitary laws like these enforced, we have 

 had abundant proof in the town where we live — which is, so far as we know, the only 

 one in the State of New- York where animals are not joint-stock possessors of all the 

 streets and highways. Eight or ten years ago, Newburgh, which has a population of 

 nine thousand inhabitants, w^s one of. the least cleanly and orderly towns in the North. 

 Droves of hogs, cows and geese ran at large everywhere, and the possessor of a gar- 

 den or even of a bit of sidewalk was always liable, night and day, to the nuisance and 

 annoyance of numbers of these commoners. At length it was determined by a few 

 of the more orderly inhabitants, to endeavor to have enforced the law for pounding 

 animals. The trustees of the village doubted the possibility of enforcing the law, 

 and faltered in their duty. At the next election, however, the hog-law was made the 

 test, trustees favorable to its execution were elected by a large majority, nothwith- 

 standing a fierce opposition. When the law was enforced, so strong was the feeling 

 of resistance, that the public pound was several times broken into at night, and the 

 animals released. But the orderly part of the community stood firmly by the author- 

 ities, and the latter did their duty, until the law triumphed. After much grumbling 

 on the part of many who imagined that they had a clear right to prey upon the public 

 in this manner,a general acquiescence came about. And now for five years we have had 

 cleanly streets, free from all animals of all kinds, and such an air of neatness and rural 

 beauty has sprung up, that the place has almost changed its character. The can-iage- 

 gates of grounds, like our own, which, under the old system of things, needed almost 

 an armed huntsman to keep out the brute population, are now wide open day and 

 evening, without the least plant suffering depredation ; and what is the best part of 

 the story, so completely has the feeling of better civilization triumphed, that it would, 

 we imagine, be very hard at the present moment, to persuade the population of this 

 town to return to the old condition of streets, overrun with unclean beasts. 



In order that the reform may spread, right-thinking persons must both protest and 

 take up arms against the nuisance — and we hereby enter the lists with all our hearts, 

 and call on our fellow citizens throughout the country to shake off this remnant of 

 low civilization. 



