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HUMANE EDUCATION— THE LAW 



187 



will reward you here and hereafter. You will 

 not consider me irreverent if I ask this in the 

 name of Him Who was born in a stable. — Amen." 



725. The following words are those of 

 General Sir P. Fitzwygram : "Animal suffering 

 and a future in prospect for animals must 

 always, I think, be present to those who make 

 veterinary science their life's study, as I have 

 done. It is impossible for the man of average 

 sensibility to witness their sufferings, to witness 

 the brutal treatment which they too often meet 

 with from ignorant and cruel man, wi'^out 

 sorrow, without endeavouring to alleviate tneir 

 agony, and to ameliorate their hard fate. It is 

 justly said to be the type of highest Christian 

 virtue to do good to those who cannot repay 

 and who cannot thank you ; then there can be 

 no higher virtue than the alleviation of animal 

 pain and suffering." 



I know of no greater satisfaction than that of 

 relieving a suffering animal or of curing a sick 

 one, and of no greater satisfaction than that of 

 punishing, for the animal's sake, the perpetrator 

 of any cruelty practised on the defenceless 

 creature. 



The horse's life is without doubt the most 

 unhappy one of all animals. He is the victim 

 of endless labour and fatigue, of endless and 

 merciless cruelty, and the older he gets, instead 

 of his trials becoming easier, they become 

 harder. The rich man, who for the sake of 

 fashion transforms him into something ridicu- 

 lous to look upon, has little love for him. He 

 sells him when his usefulness begins to falter. 

 The poor man buys him, and with him he tries 

 to earn his daily bread. Is it not easier for rich 

 people to save this awful suffering amongst poor 

 people's horses? Is it not their Christian duty 

 to do this? Thank God, when the motor becomes 

 more common, it will diminish the number of 

 miserable-looking horses that we see daily on 

 the streets. I cannot close this chapter without 

 appealing to wealthy people to give what they 



feel they can to societies for the prevention of 

 cruelty to animals. Their kindness assuredly 

 shall not go unrewarded. 



726. Ruskin said : " Can any man account for 

 all that happens to a cab horse? Has he ever 

 looked at the fate of one of those beasts as he is 

 dying? Has he measured the work it has done 

 and the reward it has got? Has he ever put his 

 hands on the bloody sores through which his 

 bones are piercing, and so look to Heaven with 

 an entire understanding of Heaven's ways about 

 the horse? Yet the fate of the horse is no dream, 

 no revelation among the myrtle trees by night. 

 The dust it lies upon and the dogs that eat it are 

 facts. And yonder happy person who owned 

 the horse until its knees were broken over the 

 hurdles, who sold it to a cab owner as soon as 

 it was blemished ; yonder happy person, with 

 an immortal soul, with peace and wealth on 

 earth, shall this happy person have no stripes? " 



Ne Obliviscamur 

 Only a horse that lies dead in the street 

 Prone on the pave, 'mid the hurrying feet ; 

 Only a horse thai through sunshine and rain 

 Toiled for his master and did not complain. 

 Rough is his coat with each rib showing through, 

 Scant though his food, he was faithful and true. 

 Beaten, abused, bearing burdens of pain, 

 Only a horse and he could not complain. 

 Who shall dare say such as these have no soul, 

 Nothing before them, no far away goal ; 

 No need for toil and no balm for their pain, 

 Though they are silent and never complain ? 



727. Ars longa, Vita brevis 



Among the noblest in the land — 

 Though he may rate himself the least, 

 That man I honour and revere 

 Who without favour, without fear. 

 In the great city dares to stand 

 The friend of every friendless beast. 



Longfellow. 



