CRUELTY TO ANIMALS 



man seems to bring out in them. We know so little 

 of the home life of wild creatures that we can- 

 not say what germs of such nobility the ancestors 

 of our dogs and horses may have possessed ; but I 

 believe that our natural feelings towards animals 

 which we love those feelings which have caused 

 many to regard my argument with hostility are 

 right and true. I believe that we are justified in 

 thinking that there is the germ of something more 

 than mere animal instinct in their conduct to- 

 wards us. 



And I would not draw any hard and fast line 

 of separation between different classes of other 

 animals in their capacity to exhibit improvement 

 of character arising from devotion to man. There 

 are few classes of animals which have not at one 

 time or another been kept as pets by human be- 

 ings; and the invariable testimony of the owners 

 of such pets donkeys, pigs, geese, squirrels, rats, 

 tortoises, parrots, canaries, sparrows, mongooses, 

 snakes, etc., etc. is that they exhibit many charm- 

 ing qualities and acquire unexpected intelligence. 



This is a very important fact, suggesting that 

 all other animals possess latent capabilities of a 

 higher order than those which their natural sur- 

 roundings bring to the surface ; and there may be 

 no reason why, if we only understood how to do 

 it, we should not be able to help other animals 

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