The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-05-11

Oh, my brother, my human brotherl
God gave to man one greatest, rich
est, best gift in the innocent, sensitive
horse. Why will you-how can you
put such beast to the purgatorial
pains of the rack? How can you so
torture the unwilling spectators of
your cruelty who must be lookers-on
while this lamentable exhibition of
sinful folly passes by-while it dis
graces the streets and hearts of mod
ern civilization A check rein may be
harmless, and check rein may be
used as an inquisitor would use the
thumb screws "Be We kind, tender
hearted. Be ye pitiful," even to the
beasts, especially to the horsel
The Birds.
But what about the birds? Strange
to tell, the women of Christendom-
merciful, tender hearted, beautiful
and delicate women are accessories
and abettors to the crimes against
the innocent birds. 10000 terms,
sea gull resembling the swallow-4O,-
900 year are killed on Cape Cod.
100000 rail bobolinks are killed in
single year near Philadelphia.
Long Island alone supplies the New
York milliners 10000 birds per an
mum. 10000 is no uncommon amount
for one dealer. Ostrich plucking is
said to be one of the most hideous of
all occupations. Ittakes six or eight
men to throw and hold and pluck the
bird. The screams and struggles
and blood would shock into sicken-
ing swoons the ladies who wear the
feathers. The wanton destruction of
birds amounts to hundreds of mil
lions per year-a very large percent
age by starvation-lingering starva-
ton and cold in the motherless nest.
The woods and groves and rivers
which were enchanted with the songs
and flight of thousands of happy
birds fifty years ago, are now almost
silent like December cemetery. The
cruelty is murderous, it is wanton, it
is wicked, it is inexcusable. The
beautiful creatures are the victims
of our vanity, our silly love of dis
play, our wicked obeisance to fashion,
and not of our necessities. Elegant
ornamentation is felicitious, is praise
worthy.
AS God adorned the birds it is not
sin for woman to adorn herself. The
woman needs pity who will not orna-
ment the created temple for the in
dwelling of her spirit. But ornamen-
tation upon background of bloody
barbarism of pain, is like the tender
mercies of the wicked, which are
cruelty. While the humane and be-
nevolent are doing so much to allev
late pain on the one hand, shall we,
on the other hand, counteract it all
-murderously counteract it in blind,
stubborn worship of the god of fash
ion? Set your answer, with your
autograph, under the text: ''Be ye
kind, tender-hearted. Be ye pitiful."
Don't expect the sin less because
the creature is little. "The poor
beetle, that we tread upon, in corpor-
al sufferance, finds as great pang,
as when a giant dies"
The golden rule ought to be good
between kingdom and kingdom, as
well as between individual and indi-
vidual. 1t hath an Office and a mis-
sion between man and the brutes, no
less than between God the Father
and his human creatures. The cpl
taphic prayer of Lord Elginbrod was
no impertinence to merciful and
Justly dealing Creator:
Here lies David Elginbrod;
Have mercy on his soul, oh, God,
AS he'd had. Lad he been God
And ye'd been David Elginbrod"