Brutalising Effect of Cock-fighting. 303 



main at New Jersey so late as January', 1873, it is stated that ten battles were fought, and in 

 four of these blinding occurred, such expressions as " New York had both eyes torn out" being 

 employed to describe this result. Further details would but sicken the reader ; and we will only 

 add of this main that, while some of the battles were very quickly over, we find also the time of 

 twenty-three minutes, twelve minutes, thirty-two minutes, twenty-eight minutes, and fourteen 

 minutes recorded. 



It is no part of our purpose to estimate the greater or less amount of suffering involved in all 

 this ; and no doubt other sports cause as great or greater to individual animals. For the pigeon- 

 sJiooter who sneers at the brutality of the cocker we have already expressed our contempt ; and 

 even the anfrler, who " plays " his salmon for hours, or the man who hunts a poor hare till its 

 little lungs burst with the violence of its agonised exertions, will do well to hold his peace upon 

 the subject. But hardly caring even to mention the obvious truth that no cruelty to one dumb 

 animal can cither palliate or alleviate cruelty to others, what we desire to point out clearly — 

 because hitherto we have never seen the distinction recognised — is that even the worst of these 

 sports stands on a radically different footing to that now being considered. The cruelty involved 

 in them is a cruelty of thoughtlessness. The sportsman gives pain for which his own diversion may 

 one day be held to be no excuse ; but this pain in no degree enters into or forms part of his 

 pleasure ; he simply forgets and overlooks it. His attention is fixed upon the correctness of his 

 aim, or the skilful "landing" of his fish, or is absorbed in the excitement of his " glorious run" 

 across the country ; it is not directed to and fixed upon the actual sufferings of his victim. But 

 in cock-fighting it is otherwise. The poor birds are there before all eyes, and every stroke 

 is eagerly canvassed, "telling" directly in the shape of changes in the betting, as shown in any 

 account of a match. If the suffering is forgotten, it is not in this case, as in the others, for want 

 of seeing it ; but because the excitement of gambling destroys for the moment, or permanently, all 

 other feelings. Hence, while many who eagerly follow sport of other kinds are men of the highest 

 character, and often really humane in other things, such are rarely found amongst cock-fighters. 

 We shall risk what ridicule may attack us for saying that such do exist, for we have known them 

 and met them ; but thi^ are diminishing year by year, and candour compels us to state that, as a 

 rule, cock-fighters are a " bad lot." Again we admit there are exceptions, who apparently keep up 

 the sport from a personal pride in the prowess of their birds ; but generally cock-fighting, for the 

 reasons we have pointed out, steadily brutalises those who take part in it, and causes ultimately a 

 disregard of animal suffering in some individuals almost beyond belief Only the other day an 

 earnest American champion of tJie diversion boasted that he could take one of his cocks and cut off 

 both legs and wings, and the bird woidd fight then ! and in certain quarters of England the shocking 

 tale is still whispered about of how the wicked Ardesoif, being angered by a bird on which he had 

 betted heavily turning tail at the last, after winning many battles, tied the recreant cock to a spit,* 



* Several accounts were pub;i.-,hecl of the circumstances attending this horriJ piece of cruelty ; but the only one we can find 

 room for is the bare statement of the facts contained in the obituary of the Gentleman's Magazine for April, 17S9, and quoted by 

 Cowper in a note to some verses (of no particular merit) founded upon the incident. " Mr. A. [John Ardesoif, Esq., of Tottenham] 

 was very fond of cock-fighting, and had a favourite cock, upon which he had won many profitable matches. The last bet he laid 

 upon this cock he lost, which so enraged him that he had the bird tied to a spit and roasted alive before a large fire. The screams 

 of the miserable animal were so affecting, that some gentlemen who were present attempted to interfere; which so enraged Mr. A. 

 that he seized a poker, and, with the most furious vehemence, declared that he would kill the first man who interposed ; but in the 

 midst of his passionate asseverations he fell down dead upon the spot." Such a crime, followed so swiftly by such an awful judgment, 

 could not fail to produce a most profound impression ; and there is not the slightest doubt that it did much to awaken public 

 attention to the cruelty of cock-fighting, and produce an opinion against it which ultimately became strong enough to put at least 

 all open practice of it entirely down, 



