Evening journal., 1897-12-28
FRIENDS OF THE CHILD AND
DUMB ANIMAL.

Not far from the City Hall there are
two rooms which are headquarters for
humane work. They are rented and
maintained by the Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Children and the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals. Their missions being the
same, although in different fields. they
have but one agent between them, and
he has clerk to relieve him of the on
erous duties at the desk, and to enable
him to attend to the field work with
greater freedom and facility. This
agent is Frank Stout, the terror of
heartless men and women who would
subject helpless children and dumb ami
mails to wanton and excessive cruelty.
He has the entire State Of Delaware
for his territory, and has for many
years discharged his duties to the en-
tire satisfaction of the societies employ
ing him. But for the fact that the
means of the societies are limited his
work could be made much more effect
i've than it is, but as it is kept up very
largely by private subscription, he has
to do the best he can with the money
which is available
This world is full of people who will
wrong persons and things which are
/ not able to help themselves. The pro-
tective societies above alluded to stand
as the champions Of every child and
animal in the State OF Delaware. They
are ready at all times to prosecute any
one who forgets what consideration
strength owes to weakness and human
| intelligence to mans animal friends
and companions. Au that the agent
wants is a well-founded complaint. He
| waits for nothing but Immediately pro-
| ceeds TO the scene of the outrage and
brings the offender to book. His posi-
ton is quasi-judicial, for he exercises
his discretion very largely in the mat
ter of acting upon complaints. They
are often prompted by spite, and have
no foundation whatever. At other times
they are grossly exaggerated. He has
been at the business so long that he
can almost invariably tell whether or
not it would be right for the societies
to prosecute. Once he decides to do It,
however he is implacable, and il is
| seldom that he loses case. Several
hundred complaints are lodged with
him every year, and it is an astonish-
ing fact that there are nearly as many
complaints of cruelty to children as OF
animals-that is. the number of the
former will only run about 100 behind
that of the latter.
| II seems funny that little children
whom men and women usually love
very dearly and horses, which men
brag about, and dogs, which they lie
about, in season and out of season, are
the favorite victims of the cruelty OF
mankind. But such is the case. Once
in a great while some other animal will
be the subject of the investigation, but
it is not often. Children, horses and
dogs have to stand the brunt of mans
inhumanity.
LET THE HUCKSTER BEWARE.
There is an indignant housewife OF
the East Side of town who is sitting III
: day and night. with a big club at hel
side, looking for a huclzster who vic.
timized her not more than two or thres
days ago. She has seen him once since
| but only at a distance. From what tht
Wayfarer can learn she purchased Z
basket of potatoes from him, and, in Z
} | fit Of generosity, he threw in the bas
! lzet. She paid him and went in th'
house, thinking what a nice huckstei
> he was. Finally she needed the baslze
{ he had so generously given her, ant
poured the potatoes out on the celia
, floor. Her amazement and indignation
] were unbounded when she discoverel
e that she had paid for two big heads o
cabbage and only about One-quarter o
. basket of tubers. If that huckste
has any7 consideration for her he vii
} call again and let her get off her min,
what she has on il