MEANS OF PREVENTING CRUELTY 259 



other destructive missiles in the hands of their 

 children and then encourage them to torment and 

 punish the innocent, confiding cat, dog, or other 

 domestic animals. 



How little do they realize that they are paving 

 the way for a future criminal of some sort. A 

 want of thought on the subject is a far more com- 

 mon cause of cruelty than a positive depravity. 

 But a poison is no less deadly because it is taken 

 thoughtlessly than if taken designedly. A cruel 

 wrong committed whether by ignorance, delusion, 

 or thoughtlessness makes no difference to the in- 

 jured as the suffering is the same. 



The way then to make the world better, and to 

 abolish cruelty, crime, war and poverty, is by insti- 

 tuting a more humane and better system of edu- 

 cation. 



The various humane organizations mentioned in 

 the dedication of this book are doing a grand and 

 noble work by publishing and sending out millions 

 of leaflets, tracts, pamphlets, books and periodicals, 

 the object of which is to promote kindness and 

 prevent cruelty. Such humane literature should 

 be disseminated throughout the world, and all good 

 people should give the work their hearty support. 



