The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-07-07
THE CHILD AND THE PET
BY FRANCES sHAFER.

He was a very tiny chap, with placid
blue eyes and a dear little angel faco.
but he and an equally guileless small
| boy were immensely enjoying the strange
process Of swinging q pet cat by Its
| tsil. For some reason or other the cat
did not plan summary revenge and the
little fellows were having a royal time.
To them. It was all in the name OF
fun. and when forcibly. suddenly called
to account by a passer-by they simply
glared at the stranger with the signifi-
| cantly rebuking remark. 'Taint yours!'
And in emphasis Of that clinching argu-
ment. the boy with the bluest eyes and
the demurest expression gave the depart
ing cat a vicious kick.
And they were not lads from homes
where one would look for Indifference
or neglect: rather. they came from an
atmosphere where cruelty. recognized as
such, would not be tolerated for a mo-
ment.
II may have been an unfair comment
and an untrue one, but the passer-by
concluded that the fault started higher
up than with those irresponsible little
fellows, and the Inference was fairly
natural that never in their short lives
had those boys been taught that pets
were not for their amusement alone. and
that kindness was the price Of owner
! ship.
Those who most closely study child life
tell US that in the care and love that
a child bestows upon pets there is the
very best kind Of unconscious training for
the development of gentleness toward
every living thing.
But IL is scarcely wise or fair to trust
too much to chance and to leave the
little folk to work out their own saliva
ton with pets. because sometimes 1t
happens that when children are given
too much leeway with their animal
friends. instead OF the pretty growth OF
tenderness there comes the early ten
dency TO cruelty.
Awhile ago a funny little boy-manu-
featured cart bumped and logged along
the street, drawn by a small white dog,
driven by a sturdy boy. The cart was
overloaded-just as are some Of our big
man-driven. horse-drawn vehicles-and
the little animal was striving dogfully
and laboriously to drag 1t along. But he
could not move fast enough to meet the
ambition Of his young master, and the
whip descended with all the art born OF
long practice.
And again the passer-by thought
Is that one OF the telling ways in which
a child becomes seasoned In cruelty?
And will he, as times goes by. present
that horrible spectacle. the man who beats
his horse?
Because. unless somewhere OF the way
from boyhood to manhood. he wakes up
to a realization of the horror of cruelty. |
it is a very short step from the one to !
the other: in fact, no step at all.
And the wrong plainly begins with |
parents, because unless boy or girl Is |
taught the duty Of kindness to animals, |
he may not think, since gentleness does |
not always drop from the clouds, as a |
kindly. natural gift 1t is very certain |
that until a child knows how and is quite |
willing to treat a pet with uniform kind |
ness and gentleness, he is too young. or |
too something. to be intrusted with any |
kind of animal life. just for his pleasure. |
And SO II comes back to the parents, |
as such training generally does Have |
you ever been amazed at the spectacle |
OF a very young child, a very young kit |
ten and a very Indifferent mother? The |
child's entertainment, rather than his |
Observation-Disclosures. seems to be the |
one thing at stake. and baby Is left to |
maui and pull and punch kitty to hearts
content Never a rebuke, never a timely |
lesson, never anything but the warning. |
'Kitty'n scratch baby!"
And again comes the thought that II
/ child is old enough to have any kind |
of live pet he is old enough to be respon-
sible for its welfare. II he has a pet
and neglects to care for it, forgets to |
give it food and water. he should some
how be shown what II means to be
hungry and thirsty. And II he kicks and
abuses II. when he happens TO feel a
bit impatient or ugly himself. he should
similarly be persuaded or forced to
Understand the meaning Of a physical
lwt.
For there are not many things in life
more repellant than cruelty. in the bud
ling boy or girl or the full-hedged man
" woman.
II were a boy and owned a dog, or
,ther pet, would like him to be very
and obedient. but most of
III I would like to see him caper about
n response to a call, absolutely unafraid.
expecting nothing but gentle
less and love, and acting in kind.
Just as do some Of the dogs I know.