MORAL DUTY TO BE KIND 233 



many claims to consideration in the great economy 

 of Divine Providence, and the same assurance of 

 immortality, yet as stated in the preface, I do not 

 urge this as an incentive for man to be kind and 

 merciful to animals, for the obligation remains the 

 same whether they have souls or not. 



Their status as respects a future life does not an- 

 nihilate suffering and pain. Pain is pain ; it makes 

 no difference whether in an animal, a man, or as 

 endured by the Son of God. 



Moralists and materialists base their standard of 

 ethics upon the light derived from nature and 

 reason, and upon this same basis we urge the kind 

 treatment of animals by reason of the universal 

 moral law of justice and of mercy. In doing so 

 we defend the cause of that class of beings to 

 which Nature, though she gave capacity for pain, 

 denied the power of remonstrating, after the man- 

 ner of men, against suffering. 



Kindness to animals is not confined alone to 

 Christians nor to Christian nations. The code of 

 moral ethics as first taught by Gautama Buddha 

 was equal, and in some respects superior, to that 

 of any other religion at that time. This great 

 Oriental philosopher taught gentleness, kindness, 



