Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-14
WHEN TO USE THE LASH.
MIR. Henry BerRh Points Out the Advan-
tage of the Whipping Post.


0Tbere is a marked decrease in the
number of cases of cruelty to animals,' p
said Mr.. Henry Bergh to a
New York Nail and En-
press reporter. DRIVERS seem to be get
ting more merciful to their beasts; they
understand that horses are property and
that it is 20 their interest not to maltreat
them. Then again, these burly, cruel fell
lows have learned that they can not thump
horse with a bar of iron without danger
and almost certainty of arrest. / must
say that fear has a great deal to do with
the increased kind treatment animals are
receiving. am sorry / can not attribute
the cause entirely to better motive. In
curbing the cruel passions of a man to-
ward the animal, it naturally makes him
better toward his family and more hui
name generally. Yes; the fear of punish
ment is the most effective method Of
awakening the humane emotions, especi-
ally in that large class who have no moral
education or training.
"a few years ago cock-fghting and bru-
tai dOg-fghting were common in this city.
l have stopped all of that inhumanity,
and the only place where they make any
pretense to carry it on is at Hunters
Point; and even there, among the rOughs
and refuse of this city's scum, we go and
stop them. Such men, with brutal pas
sions and blunted intellects, can only be
taught humanity by fear. They are of
the class who whip their wives. and for
such men we would Recommend the
whipping-post. True, it is a very severe
remedy; but if they retrained from whip
ping their wives they would not get
whipped. The whipping-pOst would not
be used as often as one would suppose,
but it would serve as threat, and there
would not be so much wife-beating. No,
it would not break the mans pride or de-
grade him. He is already degraded and
has no pride when he beats his wife. This
would whip pride and spirit into him, and
make better man of him. While visit
ing the orient l cOnversed with the Off
ciaIs who did the flagellation. They state
that it is very rare that man has to be
whipped twice, and that it at once takes
the brutal element out of him. Burglars
and robbers should be treated that way.
Look at Delaware. They would brave
cholera district before they would stop in
that State. They will not even travel
through it-they 60 around it.
mo, do not think whipping too severe
for a man who brutally beats an animal.
God gave the animal feeling and the man
reason. Ii he abuses his powers he should
be made to suffer. OF course, refer to
extreme cases of cruelty. We have had
very few such cases of late. Our greatest
trouble is with some of the surface horse
car lines. They put on their worst stock af-
ter midnight, thinking that we are asleep.
We often surprise them at l or O'Clock
in the morning by taking out the half
dead horses and causing a blockade OF
cars. They soon send good horses. Then
we have a great deal of trouble with cats
and dogs, especially at this season. Peo-
pie going out of the city for few weeks
lock their cats in the houses, leaving them
no food or water They think the cats can
catch enough rats, and they naturally want
the rats weeded out by their return. In
few days the cats begin caterwauling,
and the neighbOrs come to us with com
plants. We get the key of the house
from the agent and liberate the imprisoned
felines.
"The other day one attempted to get out
of a tenement house while the family had
gone to Coney Island to give the cat a
chance to clean the house of rats. The
cat jumped % feet on the roof of another
house, and then rolled down into the
and was caught. Eleven
days aiterward the cat was accidentally
seen, and a report was made to this office. |
We spliced two ladders, sent man up to !
rescue the cat, after it had lived eleven
days without eating. Dogs are also locked !
up by families going out Of the city for a |
few days. The dog naturally feels lone |
some and begins to howl, and the annoyed |
1eighbOrs come to us. 1t seems that peO- |
pie will never learn the folly of locking up |
logs and cats during their absence. 1t is |
not only cruelty to the animals, but the !
leighborhOOd," concluded the pioneer /
humanitarian