The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-20
Some Cow ards.
Boston Herald.

The experiment. made by party Of scien-
tihc men, including several Yale and Colum-
hia professors. to settle the question whether
elephants are terrotized by rats and mice,
has been satisfactorily carried out The ele-
plants, ~ in number, were rendered t-mpor-
arily insane by the presence OF rat tied to
.he end Of n string on which one OF these
humane gentlemen kept tight hold, and very
nearly wrecked the circus headquarters
where the performance" was given last
week. 1t was ~ most divertng exhibition.
The terrified rat shrieked and uttered plain
tive saueaks, while tho huge beasts became
as hysterical as any woman under similar
conditions. Not having a chair or table To-
mount, they were forced 70 lie down and curl
their feet under their bodies, lifting their
trunks in agony to that heaven which Is te-
lieved to watch over the fall Of the sparrow
and Is cognizant of all suffering dumb ami
mails. But this party Of enlightened specta-
tors found pandemonium had been aroused
by their pretty little test OF elephant cow
ardice. The most agile few to adjacent
heights Of hay bales, while the circus Keepers
tried in vain TO calm the terrified creatures,
SO fearful in their senseless alarm about one
little rodent. But had these poor oaptives ex-
ercised little Of that intelligence with which
they are endowed, they might have turned
ard trampled these Y ale and Columbia pre-
fsssors, as well as the rat, TO death. Fortun-
ately for the professors, these 2achydermo
were too much occupied With their own feel
ings to ego for" science, according to ac-
cepted elephantine rules. But had tue expert
ment been tired In their native land, not
single victim would ever forget tho men who
did them such n wrong. That noble elephan,
in Rudyard KipliuG's story remembered, and
he was no exception TO his species. the use
lessntss of proving or disproving an animsrs
moral weakness, as it were, seems to be borne
out by this rat experiment. Our age is de-
voted to discoveries of every sort; there is
much necessary cruelty involved in purs1-
ance Of scientific research, but to wilfuJf
torture the sensibilities of any creature,
merely to test the truth CT a common belief,
s degrading to humanity. II cats and dogs
and guinea pigs must bs vivisected, that the
lives Of men may be saved, well and good.
But there Is brutality in this willingly wit
Messing torture--first, the distress OF the Gle
phant, then the distress Of she rat, and lastly
its extinction by the ereates heast-that is no
less than what the savage delights in, and Il
rr ,claims mans inherent cruelty with shame
full truth. How much has The civilized Chris.
tian world advanced when such trial as was
viewed IN Bridgeport affords amusement.
For there Is little that is funny" in expert.
menting with animals incapable OF REASONING
upon tho object Of their tormontors, and
especially needless also, when the resalt mus,
be con6rmstory uf long established iact A
COCK fight or dog fight is quito rs elvvating
an illustration Of certain scientific" theories,
but either Is tolofablo compared with this
playful torture" of Mr.. Baiov's elephants,
which involved the destruction of harmless
"small deer like mice and guinea rigs.
Natural history Is n most interesting study,
and the biologist DOUBTLESS graves "experi-
ments,' hut snimals have rights that should
be respected, and the kind hearted Go ire that
as litNo cruelty as possible should be metoo
out 10 them while In captivity. II they are
free to defend themselves that ~ another
story.