366 PUNISHMENT BY MAN. 



form or degree in which punishment ought to be applied, or 

 perhaps its advisability at all. 



The results or effects of man's punishments of subject 

 animals may be divided into those that are 



1. Beneficial. 



2. Prejudicial ; and 



3. Useless. 



The first class includes the systematic punishments of 

 education those that are as necessary in the case of the 

 young animal as of the human child guided, however, as 

 they ought to be in both cases by the firmness and kindliness 

 of a judicious, sympathising, intelligent teacher. As admi- 

 nistered by such a man, what may appear to be severity may 

 be quite compatible with the greatest humanity of disposi- 

 tion on his part. Nay, it may probably be the highest 

 humanity to the animal itself. 



Beneficial results include the conversion or convertibility 

 of a pilfering dog into an honest and honourable guardian of 

 the most tempting larder or food, into an animal strong, both 

 of wish and will, to resist temptation. This is but one of the 

 many triumphs of man's patience, perseverance, kindliness, 

 and judiciousness in the systematic and thoroughly reforma- 

 tive moral education of the lower animals. This desirable 

 cure, or curability, of vicious habits is sometimes brought 

 about in a comparatively simple way. Thus Mrs. Mackellar 

 tells us of a certain fox-terrier that was for a time a ' noto- 

 rious thief.' ' It was only by letting him see his thefts re- 

 stored to their proper owners that he was cured of the 

 habit ' of stealing. And here, be it observed, there was no 

 punishment, unless it was a moral punishment habitually to 

 give back before his eyes what it had cost so much trouble, 

 probably, to abstract. 



But such beneficent results, springing from man's kindli- 

 ness, sympathy, intelligence, and judiciousness as a trainer, 

 are rare compared with the prejudicial or mischievous effects of 

 his evil temper or loss of temper ; his inaptitude for self- 

 control; his ignorance of animal character and of the prin- 

 ciples of animal education; his superstition or prejudice. 

 In many cases, punishment not only defeats its own end, 



