THE PROGRESS OF VETERINARY SCIEKCE. 519 



suffers from pain, disease and accidents. In man we are taught to 

 believe these trials are sent by an all-wise Creator for purposes ultimately 

 beneficial to man an immortal, imperishable creature though we may 

 not be able to see the immediate good results. We look forward to a 

 future world as giving compensation, and in a Christian sense, utilising 

 the pains and trials of this passing life in a future state. But this solu- 

 tion of these uses of pain and suffering in man will not solve the question 

 of animal pain and suffering, unless here I pause for a moment. It 

 would seem to be inconsistent with the ways of an all-wise and merciful 

 Creator to bring into existence these countless millions of the animal 

 creation, all suffering pain and disease, very many suffering from cruelty 

 to each jother, very many suffering great evils from man unless in some 

 way or other there is a future before those animals. 



1043. Animal Soul, 



Man has, we believe, a Divine soul, an emanation of the Deity. May 

 not animals have, in some way of which we have no idea (for it has not 

 been revealed to us), what I may term an animal soul some future 

 existence, some compensation for pain and suffering here on earth, some 

 reward in some future state? It is impossible to limit the ways of the 

 Almighty ; His ways are past finding out. It seems to me that we, aa 

 Christians, should be guilty of wrong ideas towards the Creator unless 

 we believe not that God has created myriads of creatures for constant 

 pain and suffering, but rather that we should believe that in some way 

 past our finding out, animals have, must have some future existence. 



It may be said that animals have no sense, no perception of moral 

 right and wrong ; that even their kindnesses are mere instinct ; that 

 certainly, whether they have any perception of right or wrong, they have 

 no means of developing any ideas of right or wrong beyond mere instinct. 

 I think all such ideas unduly limit the power of the Creator. For myself 

 I cannot but believe that there is in every one of the lower creation an 

 animal soul, of what nature I know not, but an animal soul appropriate 

 to and suited to the instinct of each creature brought into the world by 

 the will of the Great Creator. 



It may be said that in the Books of Moses, where power is given to 

 man over all animals, power to slay and eat, no vestige of an idea of a 

 future state for animals is given in those writings. To this I reply that 

 in the Books of Moses only a faint, certainly not a distinct, idea of a 

 future state is vouchsafed to the Israelites ; and we know from the New 

 Testament that even as late as the time of our Saviour, a large proportion 

 even of the priests, the Sadducees, had not even up to that time deduced 

 from the Mosaic, writings any idea of a future state. 



Is it possible to believe the Saviour's words, that not a sparrow shall 

 fall to the ground without His Heavenly Father's knowledge, is it possible 

 to believe those words, unless we also believe that God Almighty exer- 

 cises far greater care, and takes far greater interest in animals, than man 

 iii his selfish pride is perhaps willing to admit? 



Animal suffering and a future in prospect for animals must always, I 



