320 
Vivisection . 
[July, 
without causing pain, man has the general right to inflidt 
pain upon the lower animals where his well-being requires, 
the conditions being that such pain shall not be wantonly 
and unnecessarily inflicted, and shall be minimised both in 
its degree and duration. 
The second case, the destruction of animal life in order 
to obtain desired articles, is in its extent inferior only to the 
one just mentioned, and much more heterogeneous in its 
nature. Man kills animals to subsist upon their flesh, and 
even the most rigid vegetarian must admit that in high 
latitudes he has no other option. Here, then, as in the first 
case, the infliction of pain is a matter of absolute necessity. 
In temperate and tropical climates the circumstances are 
different. Here vegetable food is procurable in sufficient 
quantity for the support of life. Still the experience of the 
vast majority of men leads them to believe — -and to aCt upon 
the belief — that a diet composed in part, at least, of animal 
matter, is most conducive to their vigour, health, and com- 
fort. Hence we find that, except vegetarians, all mankind 
believe themselves justified in inflicting death, and conse- 
quently pain, upon the lower animals, not merely at the 
biddings of absolute necessity, but at those of convenience ; 
law and public opinion stipulating merely that no amount 
of pain shall be inflicted beyond what is clearly necessary to 
the objeCt in view. This, as we shall further find below, is 
an important conclusion. 
But man takes life for many other purposes than for mere 
food : he desires hides, horns, furs, leathers, ivory, animal 
fats and oils, and considers himself fully justified in satis- 
fying these desires, however extreme or whimsical, by the 
destruction of life. The savage, in need of clothing and 
unable to manufacture woollen garments, may indeed plead 
the necessity of wrapping himself in furs ; but can civilised 
man, who is well acquainted with the art of producing arti- 
ficial coverings equal if not superior to furs, advance the 
same plea ? All that he can say in justification of his 
practice of killing and torturing, in order to obtain furs and 
feathers, is to proclaim that not his necessities, not his con- 
venience or weil-being, but his luxuries, whims, and caprices 
are a lull warrant, it may be here useful to glance at the 
seal-skin trade as an instance in point. Till a comparatively 
recent period seals were hunted merely lor their flesh and 
blubber, by Greenlanders, Esquimaux, and occasionally by 
whale-fishers from civilised nations : their skins were in 
little demand, being unattractive in colour. Unfortunately 
for the seal, and it may be added unfortunately for the 
