The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-04-03
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
HOW PATE DE FOIs GRAs AND
PEPsIN ARE OBTAINED.
The Philosopher Is iIorrlncd at the
Brutality Of Humanity.

nA thb lnNulHltluh Win It's RACKS huA
wheels and fires and hooks 10 the most
awful story that was ever written.
When j was a boy / read Fo1s "Book
Of Martyrs" and haven't recovered
. from il yet. The worst two words in
the English language are torture aud
torment, and they both come from the
same Latin word, that means to twist,
to turn, 10 screw down, 10 put in
agony. Torture is a temporary expe-
dent and has an occasional rest, but
torment goes on and on until death
comes 30 relieve the sufferer. / wasent
Illuminating about the torturoof human
kind, but have just read about how they
make pate do fois gras" and pepsin.
aud it makes me sick. II distressed my
wife and my daughters, and though |
these things concern only geese
and pigs they shall not come into our
house. Henry Bergh is dead, but /
where is the Society for the Proven
tion Of Cruelty to Animals2 Where is
the spirit of Uncle Toby, who wouldent
kill 1y, but put him out Of the win
dow, and said: "Now go, you little !
pest; the world is big enough for you
and me?" Where is the spirit OF Cow
per, who says: 81 would not enter
upon my list Of friends the man who |
needlessly sets foot upon a worm?"
These is no more beautiful trait in hu-
man character than mercy. Mercy to
man and beast and bird and insect
Shakespeare says that "Mercy is no
bility's true badge" / used to hunt
squirrels and rabbits and birds and
felt proud when / brought home a
good lot of game, but know now that
it was all wrong. WHAT right had TO
kill the happy, innocent creatures that
God had made2
But just to read what is going on at
Strasburg in the production of pate
de fois gras is enough to horrify any
body. A peasant there is wealthy, ac-
cording to his number of geese, and
their livers are prepared for the appe-
titles of the rich 10y torture and tor
ment of the most exquisite kind Be
fore ever a young goose has laid an
egg its feet are nailed by the legs to a
plank and the plank set before a fire.
Its eyes are burned out and there the
poor bird stays and steams for six
months until It's liver is distended and
the diseased fat enlarges from 40 to so
per cent. The children of the peas
ants ram down food in its throat
three times day until it is full up
to the guzzle, and they seem to enjoy
the fun of listening to the croakings
of pain that the poor bird makes. Not
drop of water is allowed to slake its
burning thirst and this treatment goes
on for weeks and months until the
liver is all right-for the epicures and
gourmands, who fancy this food at SO
and 81 q can. All that I want to know
about q man now is whether he eats
goose liver or not. These tortured, tor
mented, harmless, suffering birds are
raised by the tens of thousands at
:. Strasburg. 1t is the great industry
and supports the major part of the
population. Their pate de fois gras
is exported to this country and other
civilized countries that claim Chris
tian civilization. Now, although
Henry Bergh is Dead why can we not
limit this business to some extent
by putting an embargo upon its
importation to this country? Are we
q nation of brutes and barbariansP
I reckon we are, for it seems that
the production of pepsin is nearly
as. cruel, and now pepsin is the
most popular remedy for indigestion.
Indigestion is the great national NAL
ady and pepsin is supposed to be a
remedy for it. It's production comes
from Chicago. Young healthy pigs
are placed in separate stalls and fed
literally until they are fat and round
and the gastric juices in full vigor.
All of sudden the feeding is stopped
and starvation is the next step in or.
der. This goes on for a week until
the pig is not only ravenous, but des-
perately rabid for something to eat.
The gastric juices from every part Of
the animal flow to tie stomach il
search of something to feed upon.
Then the last process comes, which il
to place just outside the stall &
pan of hot, steaming potato mash
just near enough for the piG
to smell and get the aggravating odor
but not near enough to eat, and thi
stimulates the desire of the poor hun
CRY animal and causes every vein anC
tissue to send its hungry juices to thu
stomach in anticipation of a feast
The pig gets the odor and nothing
more and just then the knife is thrus
into its heart and the stomach quickl,
opened and the gastric juice taken on
and put in cans and bottled for the in
valids who have been gorging them
selves with pate de fois gras. or TO
the sickly infants whose milk does no
agree with them.
What is the world coming to?