The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-08-08
Poetic Justice.

JSiSSymdu, WHO went out fOr q
pleasure drive with his sweetheart not
long ago, received a needed, though
rather severe lesson on the necessity
OF being humane to animals in this
day and generation. 1t was a very
hot day, and when the drive was about
half over the horse became balky.
The driver thereupon lost his temper
and gave the animal an unmerciful
beating. Then the trouble began. A
constable saw him and promptly ar.
rested him for cruelty to animals. He
was unable to pay the money, and his
companion settled the business for
him. Then she went home and wrote
him a note, and this was what it said:
"When man will so brutally beat
horse and SO easily lose MS temper,
woman marrying him would take
the chance of the same treatment"
And the rest of the note released
him from the engagement.
Most people will be of the opinion
that the young lady in question did
exactly what was right, and that she
was fortunate in discovering the dis
position of her fiance before instead
OF after marriage. Insensibility TO
the pain of another is not a trait
which is particularly desirable in
either husband or a wife. While,
OF course, it is not to be inferred that
every man who will beat his horse will
also beat his wife, cruelty to animals
so vltlates the moral nature that those
perceptions upon which sense OF
jusice depends are blunted. The in.
timacy of marriage is so close that
happiness can only exist where there
is mutual forbearance together with a
certain sensltiveness to the feelings of
others. The man who does not pos
sess this sensitiveness may not be act
ually cruel to either wife or children,
so far as physical maltreatment is con-
cerned, but he will say and do things
which are quite as brutal as a blow
with whip would be. There are a
dozen considerations which are likely
to restrain him from wife. beating
the opinion of his neighbors, custom,
fear that his wife may invoke the law,
fear of retaliation by her relatives, or
merely the fact that it is not usual
for American husbands to express
their sentiments in that way. But if
his nature is essentially cruel he will
hnd ways to torture those dependent
upon him which are more than any
physical pain. The true test of a
mans character is not to be found IN
his actions when he is restrained by
public sentiment or fear of conse-
quences. He is his real self when he
is free to act, to indulge meanness, or
passion, or cruelty, toward some crea-
ture which cannot retaliate and has
no means OF defence. The Jersey
man, who is the unenviable hero of
the incident above recorded, was SUBJ
jected to this test, and apparently, he
failed. He may have had an idea
that by his lack of consideration for
his horse he was showing a manly and
stern strength of character which
would impress the girl in the seat be-
side him. Some men have an idea
that women rather admire those who
are capable of cruelty. These men
are trying to fit sixteenth century ideas
into twentieth century civilization. 1t
cannot be done. 1t is true that wom-
en- admire brave man, and often the
man in question is soldier or a
hunter, but there is very fine dis
tinctlon between the brave man and
the man who is ever ready to inhict
pain. What the modern girl sees to
admire IN the soldier is not his will
ingness to shoot other men, but his
readiness to be shot himself; not his
murderous impulses, but his sacrifice
of personal safety. The kind of
woman who would like a man better
after seeing him act cruelty toward a
helpless animal is not fit for a civil
Hed country.