The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-04-11
BILL ARP'S CHAT.
Discusses Various Questions OF
Public Concern.
Exquisite fortunes Inflicted in Civilized
Countries-The War Talk Comes
in for Scoring South
ern Immigration.

A cruel man is the meanest creature
that the Lord ever made. The story
of the inquisition with its racks and
wheels and fires and hooks Is the most
awful story that was ever written.
When [ was q boy | read Fox's Book
Of Martyrs" and l haven't recovered
from it yet. The worst two words In
the English language are torture and
torment, and they both come from the
same Latin word, that means to twist,
to turn, to screw down, to put in agony.
Torture is temporary expedient and
has an occasional rest, but torment
goes on and on until death comes to
relieve the sufferer. wasn't ru-
minating about the torture of human
kind, but have just read about how
they make "pate de fois gras" and pep
sin, and it made me sick. 1t 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 Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals? Where is the
spirit of Uncle Toby. who wouldn't
kill fly, 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 Il ?"
! There is no more beautiful trait in
human character than mercy. Mercy
to man and beast and bird and Insect.
Shakespeare says that ENERGY is nobil
ity's true badge" used to hunt SPUR
rels and rabbits and birds, and felt
proud when l brought home n good
lot of game, but l know now that it
was all wrong. What right had l to
kill the happy. innocent creatures that
God had made?
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 appetites of
the rich by torture and torment of the
most exquisite kind Before ever a
young goose has laid an egg its feet are
nailed by the legs to plank and the
! plank set before @ fire. It's eyes are
burned out and there the poor bird
stays and steams for six months until
| its Liver is distended and the diseased fat
enlarges from 40 to so per cent. The
| children of peasants 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 croalS
ings of pain that the poor bird makes.
Not drop of water Is allowed to slack
it's 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
three and four dollars can. All /
want to know about a man now is
whether he eats goose liver or not.
! These tortured, tormented, 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. The pate de
fois gras is exported to this country and
other countries that claim Christian
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 a nation of brutes
and harbarians? / reckon we are, for
it seems that the production of pepsip
is nearly as cruel, and now pepsin is the
most popular remedy for indigestion.
/ Indigestion is the great national NAL
ady, and pepsi IS supposed to be rem
edy for it. Its production comes from
Chicago. Young healthy pigs are
placed in separate stalls and fed liberal
ly until they are fat and round and the
gastric juices in full vigor. All of a
sudden the feeding is stopped and star
vation is the next step in order. This
goes on for a week until the pig is not
only ravenous, but desperately rabid
for something to eat. The gastric
juices from every part of the animal
flow to the stomach in search of some
thing to feed upon. Then the last
process comes, which is to place Just
outside the stall pan of hot, steaming
potato mash, just enough for the pig to
smell and get the aggravating odor, but
not near enough to eat, and this stimu-
lates the desire of the poor hungry ami
NAL and causes every vein and tissue to
send It's hungry juices TO the stomach
in anticipation of feast. The pig gets
the cdor and nothing more, and just
then the knife is thrust into its heart
and the stomach quickly opened and
the gastric juice taken out and put into
cans and bottled for the invalids who
have been gorging themselves with
pate de fol gras,' or for the sickly in
fants whose milk does not agree with
them.
What is the world coming to? Is
such cruelty the price of human life ?
1t did not use to be. Geese are not of
much consequence, but a gander never
has but one mate and will stand by her
nest and guard it while she sits on her
eggs, and when she leaves them for
food he viii escort her TO the grass and
escort her back with dignity that is
impressive. l have great respect for
geese.
But just now we are talking about
war as though it were a sport, frolie
and the killing off of few thousand
people and leaving mothers and wives
bereaved and helpless was of little con-
sequence. We do not even express the
pity that Stonewall jackson felt when
just before the battle he prayed and