MERCY TO HORSES. 27 



thought to be rightly used when, being unfit for work, 

 it is fed for the butcher. Why should it be otherwise 

 with an aged horse ? To shelter his old age, feed him 

 generously, and then administer " the happy despatch;" 

 if the beast were as philosophical as M. Decroix, and 

 could choose the mode of exit from harness and all the 

 horrors of equine senility, what else could he desire ? 

 The Vienna Society for the Protection of Animals, tak- 

 ing this view of the matter, and disregarding the sar- 

 casms of thoughtless hard-hearted witlings, purchased, 

 in 1854, 1180 worn-out horses, and had them slaught- 

 ered for sale. And so successful have been their efforts, 

 that, in 1860, there were in the Austrian capital seven 

 butcheries, which disposed of 1954 horses, purchased 

 at the average price of about 3. 



Some ultra-opponents of hippophagy propose to erect 

 invalid establishments for the reception of old horses. 

 Those who love their fellow-creatures more than the 

 lower animals will not, however, cease their efforts to 

 make horses contribute to the sustenance of man ; be- 

 cause, argues M. Decroix, they deem it lese-humanite to 

 lose so much valuable meat which so many human beings 

 need. Upon the whole, then, we think that our bene- 

 volent readers, however sentimental, will find it hard to 

 answer M. Fleulard, Secretary of the " Societe Protec- 

 trice," Brussels, who writes thus : " Thinking of the 

 fate in reserve for most old horses, which we are pained 

 to see expiring under blows and excessive work, and 

 even starved to death by their barbarous owners, we 

 conclude that it is most misunderstood pity to wish 

 the animals a continuance of such a life rather than 

 take them to the slaughter-house." 



There is another consideration partly compassionate 

 and partly prudential. In the last stage of their sad 

 life horses frequently cannot be disposed of from vari- 

 ous infirmities, especially blemishes ending in lameness. 

 Nevertheless, their maintenance costs as much as if 

 they were good workers. These poor animals have to 



