The Columbus commercial., 1896-05-03
WANTON CRUELTY.
sm Arp Speaks HIS Mind on the
Subject.


did not know there were such unfeel-
ing peopls in this civilized county.
There is nothing more harmless, moth
ing 50 happy and 80 beautiful as the
pigeons that domesticate around our
homes and seek the protecting care Of
mankind. / thought that this cruel
sport had been abandoned and that clay
pigeons were substitutes and were
thrown from a trap BY a spring. No
wonder the good people in Macon re-
fused to witness the unfeeling sport
II is an honor to them and it seems 70
me they might have found some law b
prevent Il. Where did they get so many
pigeons7 It is possible that any gem
tleman who had them on his place would
let his boys sell them for such a sacri-
fee? Just think of tt A thousand
happy, innocent birds torn and mangled
by shot and shell. legs broken or wings
and then dying a lingering death Of
pain. This thing could not have been
done in Cartersville. The other day two
young bucks, who are proud Of their
muscle, planned boxing match to come
off at the city hall and our mayon and
council rose up in arms and called out
the militia and beat the long roll and
issued proclamation and scared the
young bucks so bad they left the town
for three days. Their boxing gloves
were seized as contrabands Of war and
have been filed away among the
trophies. One Of the bucks is from Eng
land and the affair may yet get up an
other Venezuelan complication with the
Monroe doctrine attached. What right
has Johnny Bull to be knocking out an
American-born citizen2 No, we don't
believe in sports that are cruel or dan
gerous. A man went up in a balloon
here to-day and hung from It by his
toes on a trapeze and then cutloose and
came down with parachute and everf-
body gazed and wondered, for 1t walA "
free show, but he ought not t0se8ie
been allowed to do It, for they get killed
sooner or later, and it excites a thirst
for dangerous risks and an Indifference
TO death. A man who will wantonly and
foolishly put his life in hazard is o fool
for want of sense and will never get to
Heaven, in my opinion. Many years ago
! saw Blondin, a little Frenchman, who
was brought over by Niblo to dance the
rope at his garden show in New York.
The garden wasn't big enough for his
ambition and he got to walking ropes
from steeples of high buildings and
Haa foil L. A
great chasm below Niagara falls. The
last time ] saw him he was walking over
that chasm on a rope that was !, 800 feet
long and was $50 feet above the surging
waters and he had a man on his shduld-
ders. Well. Of course, that was fertf
wonderful and very perilous, but It az
complished no good to anybody and no
body would have cared if he had fallen
and killed himself. "Just another fool
gone" the spectators would have said.
And have known my father tell about
Sam Patch, who astonished the country
by jumping from top masts of vessels
and from high bridges. He jumped the
falls of Paterson, N. j., about 100 feet,
and then the falls Of Niagara and Roch-
ester, and finally was found four months
afterwards and he was pronounced a
frst-class fool.
But still have more respect for
Blondin and Sam Patch than for any set
of men who will wantonly kill 1000
pigeons just to show of their skill in
shooting. It is bad sign in boy to
be cruel. We have pigeons at our. .hoaa,
and they give us pleasure every day
and sometimes the bad boys slip around'
in the back alley with their sling shots.
and shoot them from their hiding
places and we find the dead birds lying
around, and it distresses my wife sore
". What makes boys do soP Why do
they love to shoot English sparrows?
The girls have no such desire. They
would rather caress them and nestle
them in their bosoms. Man is harder
hearted than woman and maybe the
maternal instincts has something to
do with 1.-THE love of little helpless
creatures. Maybe it is because she was
the last and best Of Gods creations.
One day took down my gun in anger
10 shoot a COW that was in my cornfield.
She had broken down the fence several
times. but old John Allan was a good
neighbor and had promised to fix his
fence and didn't do 1t, and he was away
from home a good deal, for he was a
Inillwright. My wife begged me not
to shoot his COW, but I did it, and put
out one Of her eyes and tore her up
pretty bad. didn't see John for some
time and didn't want to. One morning
he stopped at the gate and asked how
we all were and talked about the rain
and the weather, and after awhile re-
marked that he had been right busy re-
pairing his part Of that old fence, and il
was all right now. my caows viii not
trouble you hany more, 'opc," be said
in bis English brogue. Then, OF course,
] had to apologize for shooting his COW
and TO explain how much damage she
had done. WELL" said he, thought
fully, when came 'ome was very
sorry for you and for the corn, but more
sorry for my eaow Hit was my fault
and not 'ers. / wouldn't av shot your
caow, major, but hi nm not eomplainin'.
You 'av' been q good nabor to me and
your children 'av' been kind to mine.
Good morning. Hive broke my hadze
and 'av' to get a new one"
Good old John Allan. He died the
other day and DR.. FELTON, preached his
funeral. He was good nabor and an