258 OUR OBLIGATIONS TO THE LOWER ANIMALS 



more perfect picture of security and content ; liberty 

 as much as they desire ; food as much as they care 

 to take ; no terror from the past, no apprehension for 

 the future. Yet this is the picture your vegetarian 

 would destroy, this the placid existence which he would 

 deny to these creatures. ' Oh, but,' says he, ' we permit 

 the use of milk ; we should still require cows.' Yes, 

 you do, although somewhat inconsistently, because 

 what right have you to steal the heritage of the 

 calves ? But be it observed, albeit in unfeeling matter- 

 of-fact, that bull-calves are born into this perplexing 

 world in about equal proportion to heifers. If milk, 

 and possibly shoe-leather, are the only bovine products 

 which vegetarians will allow us to enjoy, how is the 

 surplus bull population to be disposed of except by 

 slaughter, which is at the root of the offending ? De- 

 pend upon it, on the day when Englishmen adopt 

 vegetarianism en masse, the knell of dairy-farming will 

 be sounded, because it won't pay to breed cattle unless 

 there is a market for beef, still less to breed sheep for 

 their wool alone. Exeunt the cattle upon a thousand 

 hills, for every yard of ground will be required to pro- 

 duce green pease and artichokes for blameless stomachs. 

 My poor landscape will be utterly wrecked no lowing 

 herd beside the stream ; no bleating flock upon the 

 upland ; not even the ducks squattering in the tepid 

 shallow, nor the roosters in their dust-bath, for these 

 are only there for ulterior culinary purpose : say will 

 the sum of animal happiness be greater when these are 

 no more ? 



