Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-02-24
SCHOol- 49, .-.
DONKEYS AND DOGS.
How = Humane Woman Substituted til
Former for the Latter.

HOW Humane Woman Substituted the
Former for the Latter.
Americans who travel through the
Netherlands or the French provinces
are shocked at the cruelty with which
animals are treated by these otherwise
humane and kindly peoples. Dogs are
used by the poorer class as beasts Of
draught, instead of horses and mules,
and it is not uncommon to see a half
starved cur, it's bones almost protrud-
ing through its skin, dragging a huge
| cart, in which, on top of the load, sits
the lazy owner. swearing and cracking
his whip.
A pleasant story in connection with
this custom is told in a Belgian village.
About twenty years ago Mile. Louise
lived In this town. She was the daugh-
ter OF French physician, a girl of
eighteen, not remarkable for beauty,
talent Or wit; but she wanted to do
some good in the world.
She had at one time vague plans of
going to Greenland as a missionary.
but her health was not strong enough.
Oae day she saw a peasant named
Cartier beating his dog brutally near
her gate. The dog was weak and half
| fed, and bleeding from his wounds; the
load was enormous.
She could do nothing. The man had
no sense of pity. The dog was his
property, and he had legal right to
beat 1t to death if he chose.
But something she resolved to do.
This one little wrong she would try to
set right. She was a shrewd as well as
q humane girl. She saved something
from the little allowance given her By
her father until she was able to buy q
stout donkey, and have money enough
besides to buy the peasants dog. Then
she bought the dog from Cartier, and
offered to let him have the donkey at q
very low rate, on condition that the bar
gain should be annuled the moment he
bought another dog or abused the
donkey.
Her young friends laughed at her.
After all she had rescued from misery
only one dog among thousands. But
the story was told throughout the vii
lage. 1t received favorable comments
from both rich and poor. "Donkeys,' -
thought the latter, undoubtedly are
stronger than dogs; has Mademoiselle
P any more that can be hired on the
same terms?"
The elders in the community, good
people, and humane at heart, gave
more thought to the fact that the dogs
were cruelty tortured. The abuse had
been going ON for centuries. Now that
this girl had done something to abate
it, why should they not join in her eff
fort?
A year had hardly passed before sew
eral of the prominent citizens of the
village had united to buy strong mules
orsdraught horses, which were hired
on reasonable terms by the laboring
men, and the sense of humanity thus
wakened began to show itself in kindly
acts toward man as well as beasts
The town is now the only one in the
Netherlands in which no dogs are har-
messed. There are in it also two asy.
lums and hospital. the outgrowth of
the wider, deeper Christian feeling
kindled by the simple acts of one earn.
est woman.
We may not have strength, ability
or opportunity to do a great work fol-
God in the world, but there is always &
little task ready for us to take up, thai
is near at hand. He does not DENY u.
that Let us do it.-Youth's Compan
ion.