The Saint Paul globe., 1897-03-22
REV. w. b. MTLLARD WOULD NOT
BE SURPRISED TO SEE THEM
IN HEAVEN.
THEY ARE EVER FAITHFUL.
FORCEFUL PLEA FOR THE
HUMANE SOCIETY.
OTHER SERMONS OF THE DAY
DIR. Kate Bushnell on Medical Mis-
siOns, and Elder Phelps on
the Bible.

kindness to Animals was the topic
Of an eloquent sermon preached by
Rev. Watson B. Millard at Plymouth
church yesterday morning. He said,
in part:
Very cordially do 1 accept the sug-
/ gestion emanating from our society
for the prevention of cruelty to speak
for those who cannot speak for them
selves. L cannot tell you how pleasant
it seems to talk about kindness to ami
mails. We have spoken for men and
women and boys and girls. and now
it is high time to speak for horses and
/ dogs and cats and birds and fishes.
/ Some people seem to think that these
dumb creatures have no rights; but
/ surely the true view is that all of Gods
| creatures have rights involved in the
/ fact Of their creation. The glorious
statement in our Declaration that ''all
men have certain inalienable rights,
as life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness," is also true of animals. Of
| course, even as men are deprived OF
! these rights by due process of law,
so animals may -be for the higher bene
! fit or protection of man, but one right
/ certainly they have. and to deny it
is a sin and crime and that is that
! they shall not be made to suffer any
unnecessary pain or be made the vic
! Tins of cruelty. Before entering into
this subject, let me speak a hearty
word for the st. Paul Society for Pre-
! Vention of Cruelty. Many Of you are
| familiar with its aim and history, but
multitudes in our city either do not
| know or do not appreciate its bench
cent work. 1t seeks to educate the
! people by pointing out ways of mercy
and justice and specifying the different
forms of cruelty, and to enforce the
! law through the proper officers in re-
! lieYing oppressed and suffering AMI
mails on the street or wherever found.
All honor to a noble Christly work.
| May friends and supporters be multi
! piled to this society.
Have you ever thought carefully
! of Gods view of our subject-espe-
! cially as revealed in Scripture? A most
interesting study it is to trace all that
is said of animals in Gods word.
! To begin with our text. Jesus said:
| Behold the fowls of the air. All!
our Savior never spoke an unkind word
! or did a cruel act to man or beast. Inc
thought of the text is: Our Heavenly
! Father feeds the birds. Many beauti-
! full passages convey this idea. We have,
! as in the 1O4th Psalm, Gods prOVi-
/ Dental care of all His creatures. There
! are besides many lessons for man
! drawn from animal character. In
| Isaiah we read: ''The OK knoweth his
! owner and the ass his masters crib,
1 but Israel doth not know, my people do
! not consider" The strong, patient.
/ kindly OK is wiser than many men II
! 1t seems to me almost truthful to
! speak of the humanity of animals,
! they are so near akin to us. No one
! can be with a horse or q dog long with
out feeling that they are very like us.
/ Some years ago that wonderful book
| BLACK Beauty" was published; the
! story of a horse, told by himself. How
! natural and how pathetic and how
! true it was. And we were all moved by
! Jess" in Bonnie Brier Bush. How
! the doctor confided to her-his faith
/ full beast. We all know many stories
! of animals which make us feel that
/ they are not far removed from US. Ii
YOU ask me if l think horses and dogs
/ will go to heaven, [ will tell you that
! I do not know, but would not be sur
| prised to find them there.
! There are four plain reasons why We
/ should be kind to animals:
First-FOr the sake of kindness. Ihat
| should be the rule of life to everybody.
! The world needs that, and it is sweet
! and beautiful in itself.
Then. because the animals are Gods
! creatures. He has given them the right
| to live, and is interested in them.
! Gratitude too. is d reason for kindness.
/ The horse and the dog are kind to us.
! They have served us well. Faithful and
! seIf-sa crificing has been their habit.
! Vicious horses and biting dogs ara
! those whose tempeTs nave been spoiled,
! as a rule, by harsh treatment. They
! know what kindness is, and VIII al
| most always respond in kind TO US II
/ is base injustice to treat them meanly.
/ But besides all this, our standing and
| character are involved. a merc1IuI
! man is merciful to his beast" Cruelty
/ makes US hard and bitter, and Wlthers
! all the good in US.
| The boy who delights in giving pain
/ to cat or a mouse is in the School
! of wickedness.
Let me mention now some of the
most common instances of cruelty,
! overlooking and exposure Of horses.
/ high checking and docking Of tails. All
! are barbarities Even ladies Will sit N
! their furs at church-or without them
/ at the opera or the dance-Whlle their
! horses and cOachmen are chilled to IN"
! bone. They will demand that special
! barbaritv of the docking o. tails, be-
cause it is the fashion They will wear
| CAV feathers in their bonnets without
! a thought of the birds plucked or
! killed for their qualification Boys viii
/ abuse dogs and cats just for amuse-
4 ment Oh! it is pitiful! the wrongs and
/ the cruelties practiced upon those who
! cannot defend themselves.
! Much of this l know is mere thought
] lessness, but that is q poor excuse.
! Let Us be more thoughtful, and then
4 we will be more kind. Thiss subject is
| in the line of a great development in
civilization.
In barbarism the king or chief was
! the only one considered. All others
ministered to and suffered and died
| for him. The few, the aristocracy, op-
! pressed the many and withheld their
rights. Then a great step was taken
when the rights of all the people were
| recognized
But the highest consummatiOn or
! Christian civilization will come when
|