Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-09-15
A Common Misnomer.

Nothing is more common than the ap-
plication Of the word brutal" to the
miscreant who murders his neighbor,
kicks or kills his wife, beats his chill
dren or shoots his sweetheart. A late
article on the awful riot in New York
in July, 1668-an article written by
brilliant newspaper man who was near
ly murdered at that time by the infuri-
ated mob-says, Human nature was
transformed into that of beasts" With
all Difference TO that writer, and the
thousands Of other scribes who daily
commit this involuntary injustice--for
it Ia cruel injustice to beasts--let us
say that there is nothing in the acts or
motives Of mob Of bloodthirsty, de-
moniacal, furious, destructive and muir
derous men which is in the least like
the acts and motives of those creatures
which it pleases as to designate as "the
lower animals"
Even the most dangerous and fierce Of
wild creatures-lions, tigers, grizzly
bears, panthers and wolves-never were
known to band together to destroy and
terrorize their own kind. No naturalist
student Of wild animals ever knew or
heard Of such a thing as a few disaf-
fected lions or tigers, angry at some
real or fancied wrong, fomenting trou-
BILE with their disgruntled boon COM
panions and combining In q body to
slaughter tho peaceable and inoffensive
of their kind. It Is not recorded that
any Of these, or other fierce four footed
creatures, ever was yet known to attack
the lair and family Of his neighbor, or
indeed TO fall upon any utterly inoffen-
sive creature Of Its own or another race,
and slay it for the mere sake Of staying.
1t is of course law Of the very be-
ing Of carnivorous creatures--a law that
must always seem cruel and inexplicable
to the softer hearted--that they must
kill to live. It is not their fault, but
their necessity; nero measure Of self
preservation. 1t Is doubtful II they
ever kill from mere wanton love of kill
ing--that proud distinction belongs to
man alone. And there Is certainly
nothing in the least "beastly" In war
against property into which most mobs
finally resolve themselves. II hum
cry man should snatch a loaf Of bread
from his neighbor and run away with
II, the act would justly be likened TO
that Of beast--for only in such cir
cunstances does beast meddle with
his fellows property.
Il is still sharper injustice to the
slower animals" to call the wretch who
kicks, beats or kills his wife "a brute, y
No brute. If by this we mean creature
with four feet and mo SOUL" was ever
known 10 abuse his mate That Is an
other distinction which belongs to the
male OF tho human species. Even mad
dog, agonized and driven out Of his real
nature by the disease Of rabies, will
never, 1t is said bite female dog He
loathes his ordinary food, he snaps at
the hand that would help him, he for
gets the master whom no had loved for
years, he attacks his best friends, just
as human maniacs sometimes do, but
he never bites the female Of his own
kind, even though she may be stranger
TO him. II does not appear that the
tiger, when he comes denward ut night,
after days roaming, and finds that his
spouse has not hunted anything for sup
per. ever falls upon her and kills her for
that reason--and men have killed their
wives for that and even lesser sins.
So let us invent some other and juster
adjectives for designating and condemn
ing-say stigmatizing the worst crimes
and most monstrous sins OF men, and no
longer insult their betters by calling
such deeds brutal and "beastly."
Where the cruel misnomer Is not utterly
careless and thoughtless. it is thorough.
iy cowardly and false.