626 EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
animals are unable to reach them, and which no one is 
or in the nature of the case can be compelled to give 
them; and the most melancholy aspect of the matter is, that 
any person who went out of his way to give the famishing 
beasts a bucket of water, would be at once distinguished 
from other persons as a “ humane man.” If the legislature 
could insist effectually upon a general distribution of that 
quality which is denominated (C compassion,” or if all dro- 
vers and cattle dealers, not to speak of railway porters, were 
as impatient of the endurance of thirst in other animals as 
they are of suffering from it themselves, the chief difficulty 
would be removed ; but in reality the fortitude which ena- 
bles people to bear with calmness the misfortunes of their 
neighbours, appears to acquire new strength to endure the 
pains which are felt by the lower animals. Time and the 
progress of education will, perhaps, alter all this; but now 
we can only do our best to insist that all animals shall, as 
far as possible, be rendered independent of direct human 
aid in the matter of food and water; to this end proper 
arrangements in the various cattle markets, of which nearly 
every little country town has one, would very materially 
conduce. All such places, even when they are no larger 
than a pound, are under some sort of jurisdiction, and there 
can be but few obstacles in the way of supplying food and 
water, the latter at least being within the animals' reach, 
every market day. 
The vast majority of animals which are sent by railway 
are previously exhibited in the adjacent market; and if 
during the time they are bound to stand there they had 
opportunities of refreshment, all other necessities would be 
met by the provisions of the Transit Order. Until some- 
thing is done for the prevention of cruelty to animals in 
markets, the intention of the framers of the order of May 
the 12th will be in a great degree sacrificed to the exigences 
of trade, and a large amount of preventible suffering will be 
inflicted, if not under cover of the law, certainly in secure 
disregard of its spirit. 
