The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-14
SHADOWS OF IGNORANCE
THE HUMANE S0CIETY'S FIGHT
WITH CRUELTY AND NEGLECT

What One Would See of Sorrow,
Suffering and Brutality if He Fol-
low in the Wake of the Humane
Agent for One Day-His Mission
OF Mercy Is to Man as Well as
Beast.
When the accounts Of humanity are
settled, If they ever are, 10 the credit
OF what will the greatest amount of
suffering and Indebtedness be placed,
weakness, wickedness or ignorance?
For instance, this city, or rather a
few people in it, support a humane
society, whose agent drives from early
morning till late at night, and his dia-
ry, if he kept one, would be a revela-
ton to many an old resident of ST.
Paul. 1t Is safe to say that half the
people regard this Organization as a
cat, dog and fowl fad, which is as use
less and short-lived as any philan-
thropic mushroom which springs UP in
night. 1t isn't altogether wicked
that they should think so, but it is a
mistake due TO an ignorance of the
objects and methods Of the association;
society of much support which would
enable it to relieve distress that not one
or these people would let go unheeded
We're IT brought to his attention. Yet
the ignorance that Is born of indiffer-
ence is not so hard to overcome as
that seething, smOtheTing ignorance
which the humane agent meets in
that underworld of civilization where
his duties call him every day. Over
the telephone comes a message: "a
woman in such and such g. district
Ees sick in bed, without care; six chill
dren, the oldest nine years, the young
est but day or two old; the husband
said to be cruel" The case is looked
up, ard now what IS It that has made
the greatest havoc in that home? The
woman looks so sick; the blue veins
stand out on her forehead with pain.
a healthy, chubby child of fourteen
months tumbles over the bed, Earring
the mothers throbbing head and peer
Ing Wonderingly at the wee babe that
lies in heavy sleep on the only pillow.
The room Is close, the flies are thick
and busy, and the husband-a large,
kindly-faced man-surveys the scene
with troubled anxiety. That isn't
case for the humane society, for the ia
Their is not cruel-else the five noisy
children would not Chamber about him
50, and the wife would not say, Hes
as kind as a poor man can be, and
does all he knows how to do; he can't
afford doctor" There was plenty Of
fresh bread in the house, and the hui
name organization, with its limited
means, must reserve them for more
urgent cases. Yet there are very few
women in st. Paul whose hearts would
not have been wrung at that scene.
And the sick woman sounded the cause
of it all in one weary, pain-laden bur
Hos Ii,
as a poor man can be, and does all he
knows how to do" But he didn't
know that he lost more in sickness
and labor than he saved in rent by
living in those dark and damp base
ment rooms: he didn't know that TO
let the children tumble and play in
the sick room added to his sick wife'S
distress, and that the multitude of
flies, as well as his own unduly vigor-
GUS tones, were depriving her of need
ed sleep. There was no WickedneSs,
only woeful ignorance.
BABY FED ON BEER.
But there is another case on the
docket-a neglected baby-neglected to
the point Of cruelty, and therefore a
subject for the humane agent. He has
had occasion to visit this house before
and now he finds a baby there several
or it. The mother has no care for
IT.; there is no food save bread crusts
in the house. and the baby can't eat
that. rs there milk for the baby?"
mo"
What do you feed it?"
"Beerr'
By virtue of the power vested in the
Humane agent, he took the infant
away, placing it in a babies home.
From tha- anne mother aid her dar gh-
tiers the agent has taken seven children
and has now succeeded in getting two
of the women into the workhouse It
Is worth while to stop and consider
whether such work is benefit to the
victims of cruelty alone, or whether
1t does not extend to a community as
well.
A report of cruel neglect of animals
must be investigated and the agent is
off to the other end of the city, where
1t is said camp Of Gypsies have To-
Gated.
Under an old oak tree sits the queen
of the tribe, hat much like SOM
brero on her head, a big briarwood
pipe in her mouth. The younger wom-
en- Of the camp are preparing the meal
and fourteen or fifteen horses, with
harnesses off, stand a few feet away,
hstlessly switching off the flies
Where is the cruelty? These horses all
look well and are surely we'll fed, for
they won't touch the hay lying at
their feet. Close to the smoking GypSie
Ftands the queens sleeping coach-an
elaborate affair with curtained win
dows and decorated exterior. From
behind this a glimpse of something
alive caught the agents eye There,
close to the queen, stood a horse-the
frame of a horse, stiff and nearly mo-
tionless save for the tall whose
twenty-five years of ceaseless switch
ing had rendered it as agile as it was
hairless. Stepping around to the side
of the horse the need Of a humane
agent was made evident The outs de
of the front legs were literally raw
below the knees to the ankles, and the
naerciless flies left scarce the width Of a
nails head unassailed.
why don't you kill that horse?'
asked the humane agent angrily, as he
drew from his case bottle of white
fluid and began bathing the aggravated
sores on the animals legs.
I'D have all the rest of them killed
first" answered the Gypsie, sending a
vigorous puff of smoke from her wide
mouth. That's the first horse of the
tribe and gets the best care Kill him
after all this tina? No, nor.
Then why don't you doctor those
legs?"
The queen ehrupped bar .h.,,z