196 PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE. 



fear, brutal must be the mind of the savage who would 

 not feel more pleasure in the services of the confiding 

 and willing servant than in those of the detesting and 

 crouching slave. 



It is something like this with hounds : it is perhaps 

 as natural to the fox-hound to hunt hare as fox, 

 though actuated by different motives to chase both. 

 We may and do leave the whelp to contract what 

 habits he likes at his walk ; and certainly afterwards 

 coupling him up to a gate, and one or perhaps two 

 whips flogging him nearly to death, will afterwards 

 awe him from habits we have permitted him to 

 learn. How far this is to be reconciled with any idea 

 of justice or common humanity, I do not say ; but 

 this I know, I have often shuddered at such a sight, 

 and trust I ever shall do so while I hold the name of 

 man. If we see a few fine fellows knocked over in 

 the field of battle, all run the same risk, and it is in a 

 " glorious cause !" We exclaim, " there goes poor such- 

 a-one :" the mind has not time to dwell on the subject ; 

 and after-reflection tells us we must all go, and it 

 matters little what may be the messenger it pleases 

 Providence to send for us : but torturing to all but 

 death an animal for following a natural propensity 

 that we have permitted him to indulge in ? until for 

 our own pleasures we determine to break him of it, 

 produces a feeling of disgust and contempt towards 

 its perpetrator. I should say by whelps as I do by 

 colts begin their education early enough ; a stroke 

 with a switch will awe a whelp of two months old: 

 couples and two hunting whips would not then be- 

 come necessary afterwards. Horses, dogs, other 

 animals, and men, have all duties to perform. Those 

 duties must be performed, and enforced ; but when 

 we can get those duties better performed by education 



