Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-01-24
AGRICULTURAL.
Mercy to Horses.

Many of the laws of State which
are founded in justice and mercy are
violated every day with impunity by
christians and infidels. Section 4O3l
of the Laws of Iowa, among other
things provides that "unnecessarily
failing to provide any domestic ami
NAL with proper food, drink, shelter
or protection from the weather, &C.,
the offender shall be punished with
Imprisonment, &C." There is scarcely
town or neighborhood on any day
or night during our dreary winters
but this law is openly violated with
IMMUNITY by both good and bad men.
1t is not alone that class of vagabond
farmers, who disgrace the name, who
60 to town and loaf round all day
from store, saloon and grocery, and
protract their day into the night,
while tho poor suffering horses are
hitchcd in the wind and storms. But
protested christians, and those who
are loudest in their Hosannahs, are
guilty of this species of cruelty un-
mingled with sense, reason or mercy.
Protracted night meetings in country
and town are the scenes of terrible
sufferings to dumb brutes hitched to
fences about school houses and
churches. The horses are probably
driven rapidly from three to five
miles, so as to get the occupants OF
the conveyance out of the cold as soon
as possible, warming up the horses,
which have to remain in the raw
wind for two or three hours. These
are not merely imaginary cases. They
are Of actual nightly occurrence all
over the State. Men and women
guilty of this kind of cruelty may
imagine that religion is a good thing,
but the heather and infidel world
would be converted sooner by more
merciful kind of religion than is
manifested by the treatment of the
noble dumb animals that serve them.
1t would be good thing If some OF
this class were made an example OF
by having the law strictly enforced.
1t would probably awake more mercy
than it would to have dull sermon
preached to them from the 7th verse
of the fifth chapter of Matthew.
There are various reasons why all
persons going to these night meetings
in cold weather should 60 on foot. II
is mercy to the horses as well as mer.
ciful to themselves. Horses not only
suffer-their lives are frequently for.
feited thereby. They may not die q,
the time. but the foundation of disease
is laid, and months after, probably
when put to hard work, they sudden
ly yield to the influence Of the dis.
ease. If the frequenters Of night
meetings would 60 on foot, they
would be in better condition to en-
| joy the services. But especially aft
err tarrying in hot room till latt
hour, with the body in state Of per
| spiration, riding home through tn,
keen air various diseases are contract
ed that would not be if the circula
ton was kept up by q rapid wall
home. AT such seasons it is muci
better to serve God on foot.
i But we do not know how officer
of the law, who have taken an oatl
to see the laws faithfully executed
can stand about towns or sit in theil
offices, and see dumb brutes hitchet
for several hours before their eyes
when the mercury is below zero, ant
the wind bowling for its prey. Some
, times the law is enforced on an un
fortunate man whose sensibilitie
t have been benumbed by a life of dis
, sipation, who leaves his horse il
the cold while he is indulging hi
: appetite in saloons licensed by chris
, tan corporation officers. But it j
time the law was enforced on SOM
of those who, sing psalms, and re
, joice that they are all better thai
: those who frequent such places. Thi
is wicked world, but it does not al
/, ways crop out by such Fashionable
vices as swearing, drunkenness an,
dcbauchery. Christianity should b.
known by its fruits. To say LON
prayers when dumb brutes are per
ishing outside-to enjoy richly cush
toned pews while mortals are perish
ing for food and clothing within
, hearing of the spiritual songs-ar
. not the best ways to recommend reli
!. gion to the world.
But we plead for the sufferings o
the noble horses, exposed this colo
winter to storms and winds oil owe
the land, fastened at the places of re
vivals, singing schools or night SEES
sions of oranges, fastened so the,
cannot fec to places of safety. TIL
prayers of such animals will rcacl
the ears of Mercy as we'll rs that o
their owners.-C. r. Clarkson in Req
lister.