48 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



planes, parallel with groups of animals much lower in the scale 

 generally. To them pleasures and pains were just as real as they 

 were similar to those of human beings. 



I suggest that these most important advances are owing chiefly 

 to the progress and the diffusion of scientific knowledge and the 

 scientific spirit. The doctrine of organic evolution published by 

 Darwin over thirty years ago at once offered to man a broader 

 kinship than he had previously been able to comprehend. In my 

 opinion the importance of this conception will, for a right under- 

 standing of the relations of man and other animals, outweigh 

 all others, because it will bring us to see that, with a common 

 origin, there must always remain numerous similarities of nature. 



But, without taking advantage of the doctrine of evolution, it 

 has become apparent that the claim for man of a nature entirely 

 distinct and different from that of other forms of life is baseless. 

 Gradually, from many different quarters, this conception of simi- 

 larity of nature is spreading among the masses ; and the friend 

 of animals can not do better than encourage people to dwell upon 

 the resemblances rather than the differences between the highest 

 .and the lower grades of animal life. It will be readily perceived, 

 then, that my conviction is that we shall best advance the cause we 

 have at heart the humane treatment of our animals by spread- 

 ing sound views of their nature, and in that keeping prominent 

 the resemblances to man rather than the differences from him, 

 many of them questionable, at all events as to kind. 



Inasmuch as science has done more than all other agencies in 

 dissipating man's prejudices and freeing the mind from erroneous 

 and enslaving views, it will be wise for all societies with a hu- 

 mane object to think well before in any way interfering with sci- 

 entific investigations of any kind. Without research the true 

 nature of those diseases which afflict man and the lower animals 

 can not be known. 



With many persons dogs and hydrophobia are closely associ- 

 ated mentally, and I recently read an article in which the author 

 spoke of the dog as the " breeder of hydrophobia." The societies 

 will do good by publishing actual statistics and other details bear- 

 ing on the nature of this dreaded disease. I have also read argu- 

 ments for the complete extirpation of dogs based on the fact that 

 some sheep were worried. The plain preventive for rabies is the 

 proper care and management of dogs; and for sheep- worry ing, 

 the confinement of dogs at night, which would ~be, indeed, a 

 proper proceeding if no sheep existed. A roaming dog is no more 

 desirable than a human tramp ; but no one has advocated the 

 destruction of the human race to get rid of tramps. In attempt- 

 ing to spread sound views in regard to diseases that are common 

 to man and our domestic animals, such as rabies, indirectly much 



