Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-04-27
THE HUMANE SOCIETY.
History OF the work since ISL How IL
Originated and How it Has Grown
within the Past Century

English House or Lords q SctLe was
enacted that so far as known was
without parallel in any legislative
assembly. For In that small Chamber
in the verv home Of conventionality
surrounded by men whose names
were synonyms for exclusiveness
MISREPRESENTATION, Lord Erskin made
the first public appeal for justice and
mrecy fol the lower animals
The Noble Lord" for such he was
stood up in his place and presented the
case of these creatures on whom the
passions of. the callous or cruel have
been vented without restraint from
the beginning Of time and the other
noble Lords broke forth in derislon
at the absurdity. "It is said that loud
jeers, vulgar ejaculation, INDIGENOUS
demeanor and even whistiing and cock
Growing were practically the only re-
ply given TO the grand speech of this
high souled man. -
There was no one who took part in
the astonishing scene IN the House of
Lords who could have imagined that
he was assisting at an era III the his
tory of civilization and that from it
would date the inception of one OF the
most important and far-reaching of
all movements, the movement known
as Humane which has for its object
the elimination of cruelty from the
world and the incalculation of kind
ness to all living creatures.
Yet there have always been human
hearts and imaeinations sufficiently
alive to comprehend suffering even
in the presons of beings below the
human level.
About hundred and forty years be-
fore this time Sir Samuel Pepys put
into his diary one of his little
sketches that probably gives us the
situation as clearly as anything. Be-
ing out for pleasure with some friends
he says:
II carried them to Kensington, to
the Grotto, and there we sang to my
great content. only vexed in going to
see a son of Sir Heneag Finch's beat
ing of poor little dog to death, let
ting it lie in so much pain that made
me mad to see it, til by and by the
servants of the house Gliding their
young master, one of them came with
string and killed the dog outright
presently.
The bystander was not without feel
ing but he could do nothing TILL when
the boy had tired of his sport, the
servant might finish it quickly.
In spite of the brave words OF Lord
Erskin the law took no cognizance of
the suffering of animals until 1922,
when statute was enacted in Eng
land To prevent the cruel and inn
proper treatment of cattle. F" After
ward other acts We're obtained improv-
ing upon this and in 1924 the first
Society for the Prevention of cruel
ty to Animals" was organized in Lon
don.
This grew in grace until even Rank
and Fashion those twin goddesses
that can make or mar anything, smil
ed upon it; the ROYAL family gave 1t
patronage and by command of the
Queen it took the name of the Royal
Society.
And then in the year 1862 the Unit
ed States sent to st. Petersburg as Sec
rotary of Legation man by the name
of Henry Bergh, who in Russia re-
ceived an education that was awakened
to a duty not contemplated in his Off
cial Instructions for there he saw and
was enabled to interfere in cases of
great cruelty because of his diplomat
ic position without which he would
have been exposed to personal vio-
lence.
On his way home three years later
he made the acquaintance of the Earl
of Narrowly, President of the Royal
Society, who gave him valuable infor-
nation concerning the work of the
Society, primed with which he landed
in his own country and Immediately
set about creating interest in a SINH
lar movement in New York.
His first lecture aroused much
sympathy, the Press took it up the
lecture was published in all the great
cities in the country and the frs
American Society for the Proven
ton of Cruelty to Animals was ms lr-
porated in New York, April 10, 1866
Since that many other societies have
been organized in different parts of
the country.
An important step has been the or
ganizng in the United States of near
ly all such societies into one great
body known as the American HUI
name Association, which meets
every year in one of our cities each