The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1912-01-05
Before The Fur Reaches The Counter

The fur-wRaring public at large
does not zee the terror, the prolonged
excruciating agony of the animals
whose lives it demands. All that
took place a long way OF and months
ago, 10 why should any one trouble
himself about that?
or course, sensitive, thinking peo-
pie do not require to see the mangled
victims in order to know how furs are
obtained; their own common-Sense
tells them that. Such people are easy
To appeal to-, they comprehend and
respond to decent feelings. But there
is another class to which belong indi-
viduals who lack sensibility to such
an extent that no argument which
tends To mitigate their personal COM
fort OF vanity, has any effect unless
it be to make them more obstinate.
To this class belong those who per-
sist in wearing garments Of the mater
ial known aa Persian lamb knowing
that it's use necessitates the killing OF
unborn lambs and their mothers, an
unspeakable crime which rightminded
men and women should scorn to up
hold. In spite or alt that has been
published on this subject, the hldeous
traffic still goes on, and we may see o
woman wearing a single garment
which has cost twenty innocent lives,
taken under the most revolving cir
cumStanceS.
Whatever may be said in defense OF
professional trapping, there is little
reason it would seem, for the encour-
agement of amateur trapping, in the
practice of which the animals are
great cruelty. The professional gen.
orally visits his traps as regularly as
he can, as a matter Of business, but
the amateur has many other interests
and il usually much more liable to
forget.
know two boys who are devoted to
trapping the smaller animals "just for
sport a. they say. They are rather
nice boys, too, but very thoughtless.
They will sometimes visit their traps
regularly for week, and then having
| had no success they may leave them
for days at time. Naturally, any
animal which il caught in the mean
time suffers until 1T dies
\ Few people realize, I think, what it
means to an animal to be caught and
left in steel trap in winter. In the
first place, the jaws OF the trap, pro-
PEELED by strong and powerful
spring, are very apt to break the bone
Of the leg. This perhaps is the luck1-
est thing that could happen, under the
circumstances, because after several
hours Of struggling and gnaWing, the
wretched creature may succeed in
twisting off the imprisoned member,
and get away to live a cripple for the
rest of it's days, or at least to die
quietly in its burrOw- But often the
Lee IL not broken; Just damned out
Of shape, causing intense pain, ac-
companied by swelling of the limb.
As a rule the captive, full of fear and
agony, struggles frantically to free
itself Finding that this does nothing
but increase it's suffering, it will lie
quiet for a time and then begin to
struggle more violently than before.
Then perhaps comes the quietness OF
despair. The temperature falls to ze-
10 perhaps, OF below it, and cutting
wind drives the snow, kissing and
singing through the naked woods.
Hour after hour, the creature lies,
hungry, cold and tortured. Fortunate
indeed it Id, if some other animal, a
fox or a wolf, kills it and tears itn
body from the trap and very likely
some of these grim visitors have adj
ded to the misery of the captive by
N lurking near, awaiting the hour when,
| weakened by hunger and pain, 1t can
no longer defend itself. Otherwise it
must lie for ages, seemingly, until 1t
slowly freezes or Starves to death.
How any. one can sit comfortably
at home on a winter night, knowing
that owing to his carelessness such a
tragedy as this may even then be TAX
/ ing place in the woods, is more than
can tell. But they do it some Of
them, a. 4 have found out by disgust
ing experience.
Personally I think that amateur
trapping is very unnecessary amuse-
ment and believe that any decent boy
or man can b. made TO see the injHs-
tfce, yes, the outrageousness of ~.
Looking at it from mercenary point
of view even, it is not profitable oc-
cupation, except in rare cases. Any
N one with ordinary intelligence and
half the energy required to become y
successful trapper, can make more
money at something else, and at the
same time retain his self-respect.
n The English writer, Mr.. Jerome *.
Jerome, once had the misfortune of
having one of his own dogs caught in
Ia steel trap. This led him to make a
very careful examination of the pow
er of these remnants of barbarity, !"
not only on the body of dead rabbit,
but also On his own person. He tells
his experience in these words:
II tried placing my own finger with
in, allowing the trap to close upon it
gently. + must ask you to believe
that n am fairly plucky at bearing
pain; 7 have had my share Of it in
various forms, and from those who
know me I could confidently ask for a
testimonial on this point. allowed
my finger to remain there for three
minutes by my watch. For my pur-
pose this was sufficient, and saw no
practical good in sustaining longer
what I have no hesitation in describing
al excruciating suffering. If any
reader thinks am employing exag-
\ gerated language, I am prepared to
! listen to him after he has tried a sim
| liar experiment. The suffering in
creases with every second. An almost
intolerable aching spreads over the
whole body. The limb itself becomes
one burning center Of pain; you long
to tear it off. If this be the result of
4 three minutes, imagine three hours
thirty hours. And to this, remember,
| in the case OF the rabbit must BE- ad-
! the crushed bone.
! Il say nothing of the terror, nothing
Of the thirst and hunger that must
creep upon the animal left sometimes
in these traps for days and nights.
I -sr1, - - fy,f- hot