The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-01-10
Kindness 70 Animals.
BY HENRY WARD BEECHER.

|
BY HENRY WARD BEECHER.
| One good effect of modern specula-
ton, If il shall show that man was de-
veloped from a lower condition in the
animal kingdom, it is to be hoped, will
be to beget kinder feeling toward our
| former kindred! Such speculations are
in no danger of bringing the human
race down to the brute, but may, and
| should incline men to raise the animal
kingdom 80 high as to bring them with
in the range of sympathy and kindness
| The habit of treating animals with un-
kindness is bad, not only as creating
unnecessary suffering, but as hardening
the heart, and rendering it less likely
to be tender toward the human kind
Our children are educated to disre-
| gard and often feel and express the ut
most repugnance to the great mass of
animal life. That noxious insects and
dangerous animals should be avoided
affords no reason why we should raise a
prejudice against the vast bulk of harm
less things which, in their own short
day, have as much right to enjoyment
as we have.
The great epidemic among horses
brings home to men their dependence
upon these faithful servants. There is
no animal living that performs for man
SO much service, and has for itself so
| little provision made for it's enjoyment,
as the horse. Men seem to think that
it was made to work for man, and had
no rights which a white man is bound
to respect.
Day by day he is expected to employ
all his force for another. He is poorly
fed, poorly housed, poorly tended; often
forced by sharpest punishments to strain
every nerve to move excessive loads;
and when the day is over shut up in
unventilated holes to shift for himself
as best he may. The horse is a mere
wheel in the vast machinery of industry,
and is treated as if he had as little feel
ing as an iron wheel.
Next to the dog, the horse is organ
lied with susceptibilities like the human
race. He is conscious of good treat
ment, is grateful for it; is wounded by
bad treatment and resents it. That his
imperfect reason and documentary emo
tive nature are far below mans does not
change the fact that the horse has in
llm the beginning remote germs
of those dispositions which constitute
manhood.
Let any one consider the stables of
| those who aim to treat their horses
humGnely. The horse is shut up in a
narrow stall, battered so that variety of
motion IS impossible; either without
light or with windows so placed that he
can see nothing what is going on day or
night.
It is solitary confinement in cell.
If he is worked regularly, this is not so
very bad, but gentlemen's horses, often
for days, and sometimes for weeks, are
thus closely shut up, without company,
occupation, or the slightest thing for
eye, ear, or any feeble inward sense.
Because he is fed regularly and grows
fat, men think that he is we'll cared for.
What shall be said of the holes, the
mere cupboards, the cellars, in cities,
i'll which horses are shut up.
These things are seldom or never al
luded to, and only that is cried out
against which amounts to blows, or de-
privation of food, or forced work when
feeble or sick.
These things can not be remedied by
mere law. They require that men be
taught to cherish kindly feeling-ten-
derness-toward the whole animal king
| dom beneath man.
!
able for uncommon qualities are treated
| with uncommon care, and often are
even pampered. But this is making an
aristocracy of fine animals, and confer
ring upon it all the kindness and care
| that belong to the great equine demo-
craey.
If the distemper which has so sud
! denly withdrawn from service so large
! Of liz Of ho1
! incline men to better appreciation of
what they owe to them, and to study
wiser ways of treating them, it will be
| q blessing rather than a curse.
Meanwhile death is reaping harvest.
| The loss of horses will be felt by many
! To large stage and car lines, express
| companies, and men of means, it is
rather an inconvenience to lose horses
than calamity; but to poor men, buck
| sters, draymen, peddlers, who own a
single animal, and by it earn a liveli-
| hood for their families, the loss of a
| horse is bankruptcy-it was their whole
capital
It is the horses of such men that are
| likely to die, because they were obliged
to buy low-priced and usually much
worn animals; they have had to work
! them incessantIy When the epidemic
| fell, while others could give rest to
| their sick horses, these poor men were
| obliged to force them to their tasks;
nor could they even give them between
whites such medical treatment as others
could afford, but they could not. 1.-The
| destruction of the poor" saith the
prOverb, SIS their poverty"
It would be great humanity to assist
poor labOrin0 men to replace the horses
which they lose in this plague.