The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-16
vIyISECTION TOO CRUEL
CAUSE OF SCIENCE DOES NOT JUsTI-
Fly IT, SAYS JOHN w. KERN.
Boldly Assaults the Doctors on This
experimentation Humane So
ciety's Annual.

est to cats and dogs and horses and other
dumb creatures were discussed, without
their being any the wiser, perhaps, but
safer and less liable to cruel treatment from
brutal masters. Beside the discussion OF
means for preventing cruelty and enforcing
the laws on the subject, the annual election
of officers was held. Rev. F. +. Dewhurst
presided over the preliminary meeting. John
w. Kern was the first speaker to extol the
purposes of the society. He said
Il am in full sympathy with the. aims
and purposes of this society, which has
been organized for the high and noble pur-
poses of protecting such of Gods creatures
as cannot protect themselves. and of speak
ing to protest against wrongs inflicted upon
the dumb who cannot speak for themselves.
There is much in this movement that APP
peals to all that is manly in man, and
Womanly in woman. 1t is a crusade against
cruelty, and cruelty belongs to the coward
ly and unmanly. 1t has, often been observed
that the man who seeks to intiict pain on
a dog by kicking him always chooses the
small dog as his victim. The bulldog and
the mastiff are safe from his assaults. He
may kick and beat with IMMUNITY the gem
tie, docile, patient, subdued, overworked
horse, but his sublime caution keeps him
away from the maligned but Independent
kick in his proper self-defense. And 1t may
have been also observed that the man who
beats little children brutally, with much
buster and bravado, will pocket almost any
insult from full grown man. So while
there may be exceptions, 1t can be safely
stated as a general rule that the man VINO
inflcts unnecessary cruelty upon any de-
fenseless creature is coward, and that
his dominant instincts are essentially
brutal.
ut has been suggested that 1 speak to-
night on the subject of Cruelty That Is
a very broad subject. There are as many
forms of cruelty as there are wicked pas
sions and bad impulses in the human heart.
The ingenuity of man is constantly devils
ing new forms of cruelty and it is of one
Of tA Vxyhi I will 81
for a few moments this evening. refer to
that refined and scientific form of cruelty
known as vivisection. We are told that 1t
is in the interest of science, and for the
purpose of alleviating human suffering, that
the live rabbit Is fastened to the table, the
skin removed the knife thrust into the
quivering flesh, which is cut away, the
vitalS exposed nerves pulled from their
places with forceps, the body literally dis
sected-hurriedly of courSe-that the lesson
may be learned, and science receive its BEN
eft before death can come to the RELIEF OF
the poor, inoffensive, tortured animal; that
it is for the good of our race, that the dog,
mans faithful companion, is taken While
licking the hand that is to torture him,
shackled, placed in an Internal holding ma
chine-I have the picture of here-the
cruel knife applied and the poor dumb beast
literally cut to pieces while alive, and sut-
fering agonieS which mortal tongue could
not express. All this, that the gentlemen
operating and the gentlemen witnessing
may render the public greater service as
physicians, surgeons or scientists.
81 think. with Mr. Ingerson, that brain
without heart is by far more dangerous
than heart without BRAIN" and | DelleVe
that medical student who gains his knoWl-
edge of the human system by witnessing
such horrible experiments as l have men
pathy as to be unfit to minister to any, form
of human suffering. The scientific doctor
who can with unfinehing hand and unmoved
heart inflict these inhuman fortunes upon
any living creature, IS, in my judgment,
so totally devoid of sympathy that his very
presence in the sick room would be
80 I..@wr ola Cf hfc M
no hand that has welded q knife in the
needless torture of any defenseless creature
laid professionally on the brow of a mem
Der of my family who may be stricken by
disease. On such an occasion l want the
hand warm with the blood that comes from
heart full of that human sympathy that
comforts, consoles and treasures in time of
aff1iction and danger.
Our race demands no such cruelty for its
protection against disease. We have got
along fairly well for several thousand years
without it. Men who stand in the world
of science as high as any. vivisectionist
have become acquainted with the human
system so as to combat disease effectively
without INDUCING in the inhuman practices
of which complain The time is ripe when
humanitarians. whether Christian, Jew or
pagan, should demand that these cruelties
cease, and that an alleged science which
demands such atrOcious practices be
stricken from the list of the sciences. 1t is
better that our children should have humane
instincts and human sympathy than that
they grow up to be savants of this new
order which only thrives upon deeds of
cruelty and inhumanity.
ITO prevent needless cruelty is the task
to which you have addressed yourselves.
The law is on your side, and in many ex-
IRENE cases should be promptly invoked.
But take it that most men are not nat
urally cruel, and that in many instances
cruelty to animals, by neglect, overdriving,
beating, etc, is the result of lack Of educa-
ton and defects in training. The quickening
of the public conscience on this subject will
do much to minimize this grade of cruelty.
When 1t becomes disreputable for men, 70
a large degree, cease. Scores of men who
now mistreat dumb brutes would be brought
around all right If they could be induced to
think on the subject. No self-respecting
mar wants to be considered inhuman or
brutal by his neighbors, and whatever tends
to bring the i'll treatment of animals into
that class in that regard. 1 regret to say
thai many of our fellow-citizens are in
stinct.ve brutal. To such men it seems
pleasure to inf1ict pain on children and
animals. In dealing with this class | Sug-
gest that the hand of the law should de-
scend upon them with such force that they
and all of their kind will understand that
the law is acting on behalf OF an outraged
public sentiment which is demanding that
barbarity must cease. ! am sure that all
our citizens for whose good opinion you
care will BID you IN s yO99r Se de
velopment of mans higher and nobler at
tributes"
The public is constantly hearing of rescue
work among the downfallen and impover-
ished men and women of the large cities,
but it is a rare thing to hear of that sort
of charity applied to animals. The Frances
Power Cobb Refuge" is the name given to
a home for cats and dogs that are home
less and friendless by A. c. and Mary o.
Elster, 2264 North Pennsylvania street. The
refuge bears the name of Miss Cobb.
who made gift to the work. While not
exactly falling under the work of the
Humane Society it's object is kindred in
spirit, and Mrs. listers report of the work
of rescue done among the canine and
feline outcasts of Indianapolis was received
with considerable interest and applause
RESCUE MISSION FOR DOGS.
''The founders of the Frances Power Cobb
Refuge" said Mrs. Elster, have for many
wears realized the woes of helpless cats and
dogs. forsaken by their owners, homeless
and hungry, and have felt it to be their
duty to relieve, as far as is in their power
such suffering" She went on to say that
since March 20, 1896, the home has sheltered
Gas animals by far the larger number of
which have been relieved of their suffering
through death by chloroform." The tender
hearted founders, however, reserve the
most interesting pets for homes that may
offer" Interest has been manifested in
the refuge" both at home and abroad
and the chief contributions have come from
New York city and North Wales, Great
Britain. Assistance has also been received
from Indianapolis. A plea for money to
nd haff