REVIEW. 
413 
The Animal Creation , its Claims on our Humanity, stated and 
enforced. Prize Essay, by the Rev. John Styles, D.D. 
The Obligation and Extent of Humanity to Brutes, principally 
considered with reference to Domesticated Animals. By W. 
YOU ATT. 
HUMANITY is certainly on the advance, and the prejudices against 
any systematic attempt to ameliorate the condition of animals is 
fast wearing away ; so that the claims of the animal creation now 
require only to be fairly explained and enforced, in order to be 
generally and practically acknowledged. This was not the case 
formerly. Even at no very distant period the right of wantonly 
torturing the inferior animals, as caprice or passion dictated, was 
unblushingly claimed ; and it was actually asserted, that the pre- 
vention of this was an interference with the rights and liberties of 
man. This change in the opinions of our countrymen may be, in 
a great measure, attributed to the different societies that have 
nobly and humanely come forward, and asserted the rights of 
the inferior animals to kind treatment. The most powerful 
and influential of these is the one entitled “ The Society for the 
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals .” Since its establishment in 
1824, it has been zealously and successfully employed in pro- 
moting the benevolent designs of its founders, by calling on the 
ministers of religion to advocate its cause, both in Great Britain 
and Ireland — by enforcing legislative enactments; and restraining 
by the arm of authority the cruelty of those who would not listen to 
the persuasive voice of mercy. 
The committee of this valuable society lately proposed a prize 
of One Hundred Pounds for the best Essay on “ The OBLIGA- 
TIONS of Humanity as due to the Brute Creation.” As 
might have been expected, there were numerous competitors. No 
fewer than thirty-four Essays were presented, and the prize was 
eventually awarded to the Rev. John Styles, D.D. 
It is our intention to review this prize essay in connexion with 
one of the rejected ones — that of Mr. Youatt ; and, in order to give 
both parties fair play, we will place before our readers some ex- 
tracts bearing on the same points from both the publications, and 
thereby enable them to form a just criterion of each. 
The Reverend Author sets out by quoting a passage of Dr. 
Chalmers, which proves, that “ beasts are not to be considered as 
mere automata, without sensation, and just so constructed as to 
give forth all the natural signs and expressions of it : but they 
exhibit, in a degree, the same feelings and sensations as ourselves. 
They put on the same aspect of terror on the demonstrations of a 
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