Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-08-30
Poetic Justice.

| IL oelsoyddu WuU W6ut OUT IOT
pleasure. dive with his sweetheart not
long ago received 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 beat.
| ing. Then the trouble began. A con
| stable saw him and promptly arrested
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 note, and this was what it said
When man will so brutally beat
a horse and so easily lose his 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 trait which is
particularly desirable in either hus-
band or 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 vitiates the
moral nature that those perceptions
upon which sense of justice depends
are blamed. The intimacy of marri
age is SO close that happiness can only
exist where there is mutual forbearance
together with a certain sensitiveness
to the feelings of others. The man who
does not possess this sensitiveness may
not be actually cruel to either wife or
children, SO far as physical maltreat- t.
ment Is concerned, but he will say and
do things which are quite as brutal as
h blow with whip would be. There
are dozen considerations which are
likely to restrain him from wife beating
the opinon of his nelghbors, fear that
his wife may invoke the law, fear of
retaliation by her relatives, or merely
| the fact that it is not usual for Amer
can husbands to express their senti-
| ments in that way. But if bis nature
is essentially cruel be will find ways to
torture those dependent upon him
which are worse than any physical
| pain. The true test of mans char.
| acter is not to be found in bis actions
| when he is restrained by public senti
ment or fear of consequences. He is
his real self when he is free to act, to
indulge meanness, or passion, or cruel
| ty, toward some creature which can
not retaliate and has no means of de.
fence. The Jerseyman who is the un-
envial hero of the incident above re.
corded was subjected to the test, and
apparently he failed. He may have
had an idea that by his lack of cOnsid
GRAFTON for his horse he was showing a
manly and stern strength of character
which would impress the girl in the
seat beside him. Some men have ar
| idea that women rather admire those
who are capable of cruelty. These
men are trying to fit sixteenth cen
itury ideas into twentieth century civili
IZation. 1t cannot be done. 1t is true
that women admire brave man, an(
often the man in question is soldier
or a hunter, but there is very fin
ldistinction between the brave man an(
the man who is ever ready to infiic
pain. What the modern girl sees t,
admire in the soldier is not his will
ingness to shoot other men, but his
readiness to be shot himself; not hi.
murderous impulses, but his sacrific
of personal safety. The of woman VIII
would like man better after seein
him act cruelty toward helpless AM
NAL is not fit for 8 civilized country.