200 MOEAL EESPONSIBILITY. 



ancient and modern, but ancient perhaps even more than 

 modern, have held man responsible for a great variety of 

 results of the acts of animals of which he is the possessor or 

 custodier. Man's responsibility, for the results to other men 

 at least, of the vices or viciousness of animals belonging to 

 him as property may indeed be said to have been recognised 

 by or in the laws of all civilised countries throughout the 

 world and in all times. They have inflicted penalties on man 

 for a great variety of acts of mere neglect or indifference as 

 well as of cruelty, for faults of omission as well as of commission, 

 for the non-exhibition of sympathy or mercy, the withholding 

 of aid, as well as the wanton cruelty of children or adults. 

 The Athenian Areopagus showed a good example, and taught 

 salutary lessons to all subsequent ages and to all other coun- 

 tries, in its exposure and punishment of man's shortcomings 

 in duty towards the lower animals. Thus the ancient Athe- 

 nians punished those who either excited their dogs to bite 

 or did not restrain them from biting. 



Considering the evils to the animals themselves, no less 

 than the danger to human life it is liable to produce, all 

 needless and intentional excitement,, irritation, provocation, 

 torment, or torture of animals by man should be held as a 

 legal offence on his part. Illustrations of the results of such 

 excitement or provocation, or of man's being held responsible 

 by fellow-man for the actions of animals belonging to him, 

 are to be met with constantly in our petty law (police, justice 

 of peace, sheriff, or other) courts, where injury from dog- 

 bites, accidents from restive horses, damage to property 

 from stray cattle, are the common subjects of judicial exa- 

 mination and punishment. 



It is but just, for instance, that man should be held fully 

 responsible for the results of insanity or other disease, or of 

 vice, developed at any time prior to the sale of the animal, in 

 a horse or a dog belonging to him, of which insanity the 

 master was quite cognisant, and which disability indeed it 

 was that led to his parting with the affected animal, knowing 

 that one attack was likely to be followed by others of in- 

 creasing severity or duration. It is proper he should suffer 

 for concealment of the fact that an animal labours under 



