MORAL DUTY TO BE KIND 2$ 3 



worthy of man, who has been provided with ca- 

 pacities for so much higher enjoyment in the fields 

 of mental and moral improvement. Besides this, 

 see the effect it has on the character of those who 

 are cruel to animals. If we look into the annals of 

 crime, we find that some of the worst forms of 

 guilt have had their origin amid such scenes. If a 

 man is cruel to animals it hardens his heart and 

 paves the way to cruelty to his fellow-men. He 

 who can unfeelingly look on any instance of suffer- 

 ing which his own hand or counsel may have 

 caused, has surely the capacity of looking with a 

 corresponding degree of insensibility, on the deep- 

 est agonies that can writhe the frame or the heart 

 of his fellow-creatures. 



A man who unscrupulously vents his ill-nature 

 against animals will become severe, harsh, and even 

 savage in his dealings with his fellow-creatures. A 

 man who is cruel in his treatment of animals can- 

 not be considered a safe and good husband, a kind 

 parent, a humane neighbor, or a gentle and tender 

 friend. Cruel and tyrannical to the poor defense- 

 less animals, he will, of necessity, carry the same 

 temper into the relations and transactions of human 

 life, and be an offensive, a violent, and even a 



