The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-17
A HUMANE PLEA.

The appearance of the governor of the
to plead for kindness to the animal king
dom is one of which American society
has reason to be proud.
The charge has long lain at the door of
the American people that they are care
less Of animal life, and have no feeling
against the shedding Of blood, as all hu-
name people should have. THAT, of course,
is only one of the unimportant among the
many extremely nice things which are
said of US by other races who are, in
their own estimation, so much better in
all that tends to the elevation of hui
man standards of life and conduct.
Gov Van SAINT, in appearing in behalf
CT the more humane treatment of ami
mails, aids in giving the lie to the state
ment that Americans as a people are
disposed to show cruelty to the lower
animals. More has been done through
American influence to mitigate the cruel
ties practiced on beasts by their
human masters than by the people of all
countries put together. Let any humane
person travel through any country in
Europe today, and he will be frequently
offended by the utter disregard for the
sufferings of the brute creation which he
sees manifested all around him. What we
would regard as the grossest cruelty in tie
treatment Of animals is common abroad.
Thanks to the labors of the different
humane societies all over the country
our ideas in this direction have under
gone much change in the past twenty
five or fifty years.
1t IS true that in the settlement of this
continent the utmost inhumanity has
been displayed in the treatment of tha
members of the animal Kingdoms It Is
also true that even today we can find
numbers Of instances of the kind. The
wholesale murder Of game, in and out of
season, IS one of the most disgraceful
circumstances identified in any way with
American social life, and indicates a de-
gree of barbarity on the part of the mass
Of the people which would seem on it's
face to effectively negative any claim
we may put forward to humane treat
ment of the animal creation. But such
excuses as these are without the sane
ton of American society. On the con-
trary the law Of every state makes such
performances punishable, and every
where there is a laudable effort maintain
ed to render such laws effective.
The language used by Gov. Van SAINT
regarding the treatment which we should
extend to the horse, as reported in the
local press, can be made to apply to the
other forms Of animal life Those Of
animal creation which are necessary to
the comfort and welfare of our own race
we may be expected to treat with some
consideration, if only for selfish reasons:
but it is the extension of the principle
to all forms of life that establishes the
humanity of a people. Every form of
animal life has its uses. The man,
woman or child which is averse to in
aicting pain on any creature thus indi-
Gates his or her own superiority.
1t would be a good thing for the reputa-
ton of the American people, as well as
for their moral betterment, if the exam
pie set by Gov. Van SAINT, in appearing
before the young people of the local high
school under the auspices of the local
humane society. were more generally fol-
lowed by our official representatives.