New-York tribune., 1900-04-15
ANIMAL HOSPITALS IN INDIA.
A RESULT OF BUDDHIST. BRAHMrN AND
| zoROASTRIAN DOCTRINE
From The Pail Mall Gazette.

we all take q Just pride in the Dogs TIor,.
ana the Refuge for Horses-some go so far az
20 subscribe for their maintenance Thev bavs
no rivals in Europe. and many amiable persons
rather Jealous than well informed regard tbar,
as a triumph Of Christian teaching Az rnaf
ter OF fact. Kindness TO animals is quite a mod
ern article OF our creed. almost local. Every
Where and always good men have admitted In
whether heather Christian But as a tenet
on religion IL is not universally accepted even
now by any means. Cardinal Manning held
that human beings are not under any obligation
10 treat animals kindly for they have no souls
SO says Froude. to whom the remark ad-
dressed But twenty-five centuries ago Buddha
preached that this is mans first duty toward
MS Creator And the same doctrine was taught
In the Zendavesta an indefinite number OF cen
turtles before that. striking passage shows
how the mystery and the horror Of dumb Great
ures suffering already perplexed the wisest. In
the Council Of Heaven a Spirit describes the
wretchedness of cattle earth Who is their
protector? he passiOnately asks. There is no
reply; but the Spirit of Righteousness and Order
remarks, IN the decorOUs tone proper TO such an
authority. that good man is me-cifuI to his
beast; Mazda must know best" And Mazda
the Supreme Being. finds himself compelled 70
speak. No protector has been assigned 10 car
tie, he says, since they were created for the usa
of man. to supply him with meat and clothing
But the good Spirit cries aloud: Then hast thou
appointed no one among mankind to defend
them one mortal is acquainted with our
mas hearo our decrees-' Woe. wOe!" means
the Spirit. Must rest all my hopes upon the
feeble word of a Sage when I need the protec-
ton OF hero! oh. where is the Champion who
Will help my poor beasts, But thou knOwest
best. o Mazda" How many ages ago was tbis
fable written? But still when child asks
why do brute beasts suffer- we can only an
swer, Heaven knows"
Perhaps there were animal hospitals in the
time when the creed of ZOroaster fourished
but for some species at least every house was
an as lum If those two servants of mine the
shepherd dog and the watchdog. pass the dwell
ing Of any of my people. let them be admitted
says Mazda To i'll treat dog a sin OF the
first magnitude. heavily punished on earth and
through eternity. Fowls also were semi sacred
hOSOeTer
of meat. /. Ahura Mazda, will not question him
in the day OF account He shall pass his
way, even to Heaven" AsOka. the great Buddh-
fst king. certainly founded brute hospitals
for there is at Surat now, maintained since
244 b. c. by the Bankers Guild. which assigns
portion of its fees levied on bills Of exchange
to support this and other charities established
by AsOka- We have a reference 10 it in 1J6S.
when three Portuguese missionaries passed
through Surat their way 10 convert Akbar.
They shocked by the superstition of the
Banvans who neglected the sick and fnfrm
among their brethren while they subscribed 10
hospitals. richly endowed already, for birds and
beasts And with chastened humOT the monks
tell a little story A Portuguese captain. OBJ
serving this wicked folly collected a number Of
dogs. and let it be known that he about 20
kill them A deputation of Banyans waited
uIfOn him in mortal anxiety. Offering ransom
for the victims; and in the end that clever cap
tain exchanged a pack of worthless for
round sum of money
At Bombay and Ahmedabad also there are
famous hospitals for brutes the former mUntf-
Gently endowed by Sir Jamsetjj JeejeebhOy.
Il
must be admitted that neither travellers nor
residents speak we'll of them for the most part
Those who know India might not accept these
reports with implicit faith But it seems too
likely that benevolent natives may be content
with providing shelter and food. Indifferent 70
all else. 1t would be consistent with other i'm
perfections of their character. We are told
that the great hospital enriched by Parsee bene-
factions, called PinjOrapoI is simply a receptacle
for stray animals, halt and MANNED and dis
eased. There is pretenCe of treatment,
scarcely of supervision. Consequently all suffer
from mango and the dogs spend their time in
fighting They are covered with open wounds
and, in short. the spectacle is horrible. One
odd detail. funny though disgusting, must be
mentioned. The subscribers are mostly jams
the small but wealthy remnant of the old Indian
Buddhists. Insects must not be overlooked. of
course, in charitable institution which they
support So apartment is allotted 10 this
variety of creature. But to provide them with
food is not so easy. since dogs or other animals
shut in their ward would suffer-which is not
be endured. But is a free agent. and il
he be willing to suffer for compensation the
insects may be fed without sin So a
month or thereabouts some wretched outcast Is
hired for a sum of money and drink. bhang or
opium discretion. Drugged 10 insenSlb1ltty, ne
passes night in the chamber.
But there is one such hospital at least ad-
mrably managed, all agree-that at Sodepur,
by Calcutta No neglect there; the society Of
wealthy Hindoos who founded it some thirteen
years ago keep il under supervision. There is
a veterinary surgeon, we'll qualified and well
paid with a sufficient staff. and no less than
eighty servants At the beginning OF this year
they had in charge 40 bulls. 301 cows. III
calves. - horses. 13 water buffaloes. 80 sheep
II goats, 141 pigeons. Al cocks 4 cats. mon
keys and > dogs-919 inmates Our Dogs
Home makes a poor show beside this grand
datiOn-nOt less we'll conducted, either, as
is alleged. Perhaps its excellence may be due
to European teaching and example in other de-
partments; the unreasonable charity OF the
East flOuTishes anew under the Occidental m
pulse Another pleasing instance should be
cited. BY Bhurtpoor Grant Duff observed a
piece of woodland inclOsed-they told him that
it belonged to the Marahajah- He is great
sportsman. 1 suppose said Grant Dun NO
they answered. His Highness thinks il wrong
to take the life OF any creature But when ne
sees cattle ill past work he buys them ana
puts them in that inClOSure TO end their days
care for the beasts of the field, for they anu
even the birds receive their due at the foot OF
the throne Jehanghir a drunken tyrant'
but ii is not impossible that he said this
Most people are aware tnat homeless cats nave
an hereditary claim to maintenance upon inc
Cadi at Cairo. That official may or may hot
love them, but it is of his duties 10 proVCe
food for any which visit the courtyard OF ms
residence at the proper hour. The great sultan
Beybars fond of eats. and he bequeatned =
garden near his mosque for the support OF teSI- t
tute felines But the trustees sold the garden
ages ago; the capital sum has vanished anu al
that remains is a quit rent OF half crown ol
so for the maintenance OF the cats. but inc
Cadi is official guardian and trustee OF all char
liable foundations. Through the careleSSneSS OF
some remote predecessor the endowment Is Is'
in this case, but the services must sun pe 80
formed. and he must pay what Is necessary
out of his means II does not come % 81
much as would be expected apparently Ldn1
says that in his time many persons sehu ~
take cat of which they wish 70 be rid 20 Ins s
Cadi's house and let Ii loose in the great court
II is not to be hoped that the practice IS less
common now. but the animals seldom HIuse- -
above hundred strong Possibly measures a.
taken quietly TO keep the NUMBER VIM IN,
bounds. Ninety-four answered the summons ot
the Servant of Cats when Lady Dun Gordon
went to see them fed. and she reports that shs'
behaved with singular decorUm-