The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-03-29
THE HUMANE SOCIETY
Met in Armory HaII-Great Enthusiasm-So-
ciety ReOrganized-Directory Elected
Work Commenced in Earnest.

Armory hall for the purpose of reorganiZ
ing. All OF the leading humane people 0
the city were present and work was com
menced in earnest as soon as the meetint
was called to order.
At s O'Clock Shaw's band. under tn
leadership of Professor Sanford, marche,
up Main street to announce the meeting
and then filed into the hall, where the,
discoursed sweet music. There wer
twenty pieces and all contributed thei
services without charge. The Wichita
Light Infantry also donated the hall TO aiC
the cause
Captain Mathewson called the meet
ing to order shortly after
o'clock, and in a few well
chosen words welcomed the audience anC
briefly stated the object of the meeting.
The Hon. George l.. Douglas being called
spoke as follows:
We are told that "among the many forms
of worship that fOurished ut Athens. there
was an altar which stood alone, cOnsDic
! uOUs and honOred beyond all others The
supplicants thrOnged around it, but Nc
image of a god no symbol of dogma was
there 1t was dedicated TO pity, and was
| Neneratcd through all the ancient world "a
the first great assertion among mankind
Of the supreme sanctity of mercy"
Bat how little the ancient world knew OF
| true pity or compassion. the endless chrOn-
| icles of outrage and cruelty which have
/ come down to Us are the sureSt witness:
| and the most striking difference between
/ human nature today and the human ma
| ture of even a generation ago Is the de-
/ veiOpment in the average character Of that
most beautiful Of all human traitS-cOm-
passion for those who suffer 1t is this and
J IL. l. I. l. = l
| dren's homes, establishes humane societies
and maintains the numberless institutions,
/ under whatever name, organized To extend
/ a helping hand to the suffering and the
needy 1t is this spirit Of compassion and
/ pity that has lighted the nOblest souls of
every age: and in its ever expanding
/ growth rests the highest hopes of humanity
/ IN ages to come.
The first Humane Society in Kansas was
organized in Wichita two years ago. and it
has already done some good work: but
what it has done is scarcely a thousandth
part of what remains to be done 1t is
crippled for lack of help, for lack of SYM
pathy, for lack of encouragement, for lack
OF good men and good women TO take hold
Of its work.
In some cities separate socities exist for
the protection of animals and for the pro-
lection of children. But our society has
espOused the cause Of both: for it does not
see how any man can view with uncOncern
the sufferings of helpless children and yet
exercise himself over dumb animals, nor
does it see how any one VINO has the heart
to busy himself in the protection of
children can be careless of the sutferings
of other beings equally helpless whose
misfortune it is to be dumb.
Twenty-Five years ago Henry Bergh
founded in New York the first society in
America for the prevention of cruelty TO
L.. 1,,+,
Angel organized that great Massachusetts,
society which has since done such 3 vast
missionary work throughout the union.
And everywhere the work of protecting
dumb animals goes hand in hand with
or is the forerunner of organizations for
the protection of children. That great so
ciety for the prevention of cruelty to child
rem in New York, of which Mr.. Elbrid0e
T. Gerry is the head, was the outgrowth
of the laborS of Mr.. Bergh; and the vast
work recently done in other states for the
rescue and protection Of abused and suffer
ing children has had its stimulOUs and best
support from men and women who have
organized societies for the protection of
animals To my own personal knowledge,
in the capital of this nation there was no
law for the protection of children until the
society organized to prevent cruelty to ami
mails took the matter in hand and secured
the enactment by congress of a law upon
the subject substantially the same as that
which was passed by the Kansas legisla-
ture last winter.
1t interests me. as a lawyer, to know that
the first man in England who ever raised
his voice in behalf of legislation for dumb
animals was Lord ErSkine-the most bril-
liant and famous advocate in the history
of English law. And among all his claims
to the admiration of pOsterity think the
greatest is this: that in the early years of
: H. I no of
ton and ridicule, at first single-handed
and alone he made the long fight that end
ed III placing upon the statute books of
Great Britain the first law ever known for
the protection of dumb animals. In adyO-
cacy of his bill he delivered one of his most
and beautiful speeches; and in
to the law of England as IL then
stood he said:
"Animimals are considered as property
only The law regards them not !
They have no rights. | am to ask your
lOr;lShipS, in the name of that God who /
gave man. his dominion over the lower /
world, to acknowledge and recognize that /
dominion to be a moral trust And later /
i'm his speech he made use of sentence /
which ought to hang on the walls of every
school rOOm in America. Listen to this, !
hOyS-if there are any boys here-it was /
the great Lord Erskine who said it:
Il never knew a man remarkable for he !
roic bearing whose very aspect was not |
lighted up by gentleness and humanity, |
nor a kill-and-eat-him countenance that /
lid not cover the heart of bully or a pol /
room"
And. although his feelings never crystal
Zed into statute, we know that Daniel /
Webster's love and sympathy for dunno |
animals was one of the striking character
sites of his life When the great man lay
IN his death bed at Narshfield, he asked
u. Ill l. a.f.y Is
window that he might look upon them
1nce more; and we are told that, 'as they
anne one by one to hlS window he called
hem each by name
Only "A few days ago l read that one Of
he striking traits in the character of the
great Irish leader, PaTnell. i his 8bhOr
'ence Of cruelty. y party of his friends
we're ont cunning one day, when dog be
onging to member OF the party was
hot IN the leg and went lmpiug along.
holding up his wounded limb, but without
.NCitinQ the pity of any one OF the party.
Darnell, coming up at the time. saw the
Door dog. and, after expressing MS iudig-
ration at the heartlesSness of the others.
arefully lifted the dog up in his arms,
arried him to a nefghboring cot +
age and had the wound ,endeyly
reSSed and cared for. This may seem
Ike a small thing. But il conveys to mea
lint OF those qualities OF head and heart
hat have given Parnell place III the at
eCtIOnS of millions Of human beings.
Nothing Is little which Is the index of
oble heart. II Is only little 10 think that
uch things are little. The Duke Of Vel
.nGton once had his sympathies much
-Oyed by a little boy who had 10 leave
ome and 60 away 10 school In another
own. The duke found the little fellow ;
ryiug because there wOUld be no one left ,
% feed the toad which he was in the habit
f feeling every morning. And the great
ID soldier promised him that he would /
ae that the toad was fed every morning.
nd. what more. he did 50. and letter al
ar letter came 20 the little hoy from he {
ron duke telling him Jhat the toad was / 7