Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-06-08
HENRY BERGH.

NC" AOFA'N FAMOUS Ff1enO 10 a MI
mails SPeaks-A Large Meeting at
Center Church - President Porter,
Rev. DIR. Burton and Others Speak.
Center church was well filed with people
last evening who are interested in the work
of the Connecticut Humane society and who
were present to hear Mr.. Bergh, of New
York, and others speak on this matter.
Many of orr citizens of note in business or
professional life and not few ladies were
present. At 7:45 President Porter, Mr..
Henry Bergh of New York, Rev. DIR. Burton
of Hartford, State Agent Thrall also of
Hartford, DR.. G. B. Adams, Judge Deming
and Rev. DR.. Twitchell of Dwight Place
church took seats on the platform and the
exercises began. Judge Deming opened the
exercises by introducing in few words Pres
ident Porter, who presided, and said: We
are here this evening to hear from these gem
tlemen what this society is for, if there is any
need for such society, and what its work
has been. The speaker then read letters of
regret from President Dennis of the Connec-
ticut Humane association, Rev. DR.. Smyth,
Bishop Williams and Rev. DIR. Barbour, who
were unable to be present, after which he in
troduced the Rev. DR.. Twitchell, who offered
prayer. Rev. Dr. Burton, of Hartford, was
then introduced and said: [ want to say in
behalf OF President Dennis that he was una
BILE to be present this evening, as
business detained him. All things have a
beginning, and SO the Connecticut Humane
association began. One day in the year 1880
a young lady came to my houss moved by
c1uelties to animals which she had seen and
heard of and esked me if something could
not be done to form an association to prevent
such cruelty. She esked me if she could
hold meeting in my church and have Mr..
Angel, of the Massachusetts Humane society,
speak. said yes. He came and during the
meeting asked the question whether we
ply was yes and fifteen men were chosen who
met and formed this association. At the
end of the first year we had
$2,246 AMI on January 1, 1886,
we had trebled our income. The last
two years the State has voted MS 81, 500 a
year. and we have had two legacies of
81 900 each, while all the rest of the money
has been gathered in from our members.
At the end of last year we had 1875 mem
bers, 1900 of these renewing their member
ship this year and 200 being life members.
These 1875 members have been scattered
over our State, and thus the interest taken
in this association is shown. 1 will say
further that out of 176 towns and villages in
the State only 81 have given US any assist
ance, for the reason that we had not as yet
asked them for it. New Haven last year
gave us 81 900, while Hartford did equally
as we'll. We haYe 1874 agents in the
State and eleven prosecuting officers
besides Mr.. ThraIl, the general agent, and
during the year 1885 this association visited
ing and 8, 1853 cases of cruelty to animals were
attended to. We have prosecuted in only
81 CAGES, each one of which has been bill
liant success for the association. What we
want and must have, however, to carry on
this work is money, and we want this State
to do for this association as New York has
done for her association, and then we can go
on vigorously in this good work.
President Porter then introduced the fam
GUS Mr.. Henry Bergh, tall, digniGed, COM
handing looking gentleman of striking fea-
lures. dark skinned, dark-haired man, still
in the prime of life. Mr.. Bergh was of
course the speaker of the evening and said:
The Mayor of your city came to me in New
York and invited me to be present and
speak at this meeting here this evening and
told me that the people here would be
pleased to see and hear me. I accepted the
kind invitation of your Mayor, but with
some trepidation, as I knew almost everyone
present in this your learned city would be
able to criticise every word l spoke. Your
Mayor said he thought it my duty to do good
for the cause for which 1 have labored for
flung all else to the winds
and decided to come and
here ana.
Cruelty, in my opinion, is in large de-
gree caused from thoughtlessness. An En-
glishman one day invited Frenchman to
visit him at his mountain home in England,
which he did. The next morning the two
arose and as it was beautiful morning they
went out for walk together. The English
man said to his friend, What glorious
it isI'' eyes," replied the French
man, 'it is; let's go kill something" Now,
this was thoughtlessness. 1 read in daily
paper to-day that President Cleveland and
been married only four days. Could they
go fishing because they were hungry;
no, they went out of thoughtlessness. 1
would not want you to think for en- instant
that the Presidents beautiful bride had any
thoughts of cruelty in her mind. 1t Yves
If that lovely woman had
stopped to think for moment that she had
to kill two living creatures to go fishing, she
wouldn't have gone. 1 have had many
learned men say to me, MI. Bergh, think
it impossible for me to do things which I
used to do before your association was
and these men had previously act
I'd through thoughtlessness before they real
zed what cruelty was. 1 have an
other source of cruelty which is
ady recently wrote to friend of hers and
ssked him what to do with the sparrows. He
replied, ''Kill them; I kill all I can" Now,
his is not thoughtlessness, but diabolical
cruelty. If you get rid of these sparrows
what will be the result? Why, you get lots
If horrid bugs, which these sparrows eat
md keep your cities free from. A country
,nce passed a law for the killing of all the
birds, as they ate a little grain. What ives
he result? Millions of grasshoppers came
md destroyed the crops. Nature asserts her
lights everywhere in her fondness for dumb
knew of man once who kicked his pet
log because it displeased him. The dog not
knowing what to make of it was 80 much
afflicted by the blow that he walked deliber-
!tely into a stream and was drowned. Now
will turn to some figures. In 1870 there
we're 81, 900, 900 of animals labering for man
Iind in some way or other. Butter and
cheese to the amount of $3.50, 900, 900 worth
vas sold; $3.50, 900, 600 worth of hides and
ggs were sold and about the same amount
vas raised from fish of all kinds, while the
,ees made over 100000 pounds of wax
Jan you look these figures in the face and
ay that you alone are the means of civiliza-
iona Could you get along without theme
You could not, and still some of you
lain that they deserve no sympathy
ir. Bergh here delighted his hearers
With story OF surgeon VINO, from KIND
Tess in treating dog who had run thorn
n its foot, and other dogs brought to him
" the cured dog, became overrun W it'll
rateful dogs every time he went out in the
treets But the surgeon thus became note
nd won fame and riches. He also spoke of
ONE OF the species of cruelty practiced upon
lumb beasts.
The general State agent of the society, Mr.
dwight w. Thrall of Hartford, followed Mr.
serga with recital of instances of the most
nexcusable cruelties toward dumb animals
nd poor weak human beings occurring in
ur own State during the past
ear. A year ago circu-
ar was issued by the society appealing to
he people for the protection of the birds and
heir eggs, and has been attended with bene-
Icial results. The carrying of veal calves to
market tied by their legs in such manner
8 to stop circulation and the tying of cattle
lead to foot for similar journeying is a COM
non sight in our streets. Some creatures
lot far from here were found tied by slip
ooses about their legs, and more than one
ad lost leg from this torture. Seventeen
ead of cattle were starved to death in the
ard of q well-to-do farmer not far from
lew Haven. Some men seem to try to in
ent new means of torture con-
inually. Horses run away or
tarve every day because of sore
I