Squatter sovereign. [volume] (Atchison, Kan. Terr.) 1855-1858, 1856-07-22
SHORT PATENT SERMONS.
ON CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.
r Z X T.
. Y D w, JR .

And sleeping very sound.
kt this old 'coon long'd to peep,
Because he was 50 fast asleep;
So up to him gently creep,
And catch him by the tail,
And pull him on the ground.
MY HEARERs-we find it recorded on
the page of sacred history. that man shall
hold dominion over the beasts of the field |
and the fowls Of the air-and SO lie does,
with vengeance that is sickening to ner-
cy. revolving to humanity, and frightening
to crows. What is man more than coon
that he should set his arms akimbo, and
stick his elbows clear through both sides
of creation, exclaiming: The whole earth
is mine, and all that inherit it must sue
eurnb to the puissanee Of the almighty man.
date Of my wiIls~ Yes, l ask, why is it
that he should do this, while the very
worms at his feet are peeping from the
clouds and laughing him TO scorn, saying:
Old chap, You may crow and triumph In
your vanity, but the time will come when
we will make oatmeal OF you and your
household, just as we have breakiasted
upon the flesh Of your forefathsrs. Man
is nothing more than lump ofdir, in the
scale of animated nature, and when he
dies he mingles his ashes with those of the
reptiles Of the earth; and feel well as
sured that even Professor Silliman him.
self could not pick out two particles Of once
organized dust, and swear that this is rer-
tiferous and that human. It is true that
man is endowed with intellect and reason,
which is dcpied the beasts; but this only
adds thicker coat Of shame to the dis.
grace Of wan,only tnolesting or torturing
them while they are quietly snoozing in
the comfortable lap of Nature who provides
for them with maternal tenderness and care,
as being her frst-born, and iegitimately
entitled to her lore and protection. If cats
and dogs do sometimes come to tooth and
claw with each other, and kick up bloody
rows, we can forgive them, because they
know no better; but for reasoning man to
purposely crush the insects in his path be-
meath his high-heeled boots of arrogance,
or to annoy dumb animals in any manner,
iswholly inexcusabIe, and he ought to suffer
for it, He should take lesson from what
Uncle Toby said when he opened the win
dow and told the poor Fly TO go, for the
world was wide enough for him and it,
Why. my friends, ] believe that 'coons,
skunks and 'possums are the true aborig
ines of America-the real natives OF Co,
luinbia's soil-;hat they have better right
to its unlimited possession than either you
or have; and it is hard case that they
should be chopped up and made soup Of by
blood-,hirs.y race Of savage-civilizcd,
earnivorous, two-legged beings.
NY friends-th,s venerable old coon
alluded to in my text, j. appears, was sound
ly sleeping upon his favorite RAIL- in the
silgery light Of the moon, and, percl.ance,
dreaming of his lady-loye who was far, far
away. There he was, quietly reposlng in
his own valley of contentment, while the
wings of the zephyrs brushed the bafmy
dew-drops from the leaves of his chestnu
pillow-aye, upon the very spot which con'
tanned the bones of his ancestors, and
which had been bequeathed him by the
God of Nature. He felt himself secure
upon his elevated couch, and yet, whenevel
he thought upon his latter end. he wai
fearful that thereby hung a tale, which
might prove plague to his peace, and 81
it turned out-:or. ere the midnight moon
had reached the climax of her ambition, :
wandering loafer, full Of wine. mirth ant
mischief. crept slyly up. and laying hold o
the posierioral ornament OF the poor de
fenseless coon, hauled him upon the groun'
and abused him in such a rufianly mar
ner that he was glad to escape with bung
ed eye and bloody nose. What busines
had he to pull the inofensive coon by th
tail while his carease was unprotected b
his senses, which were drowned in obliv
icus slu,nher9 How world you. mF friend: