Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-24

phatic. But under it all 1t was apparent
that he was In sympathy with the move
| ment. Finally the president asked him
how he first became interested in humane
work. The man replied that when boy
he had belonged to q Band Of Mercy and
ever since then had been interested in
protecting animals. It was then that the
work should be begun here.
Among the committees of the society Is
one on fountains. Of which Miss Harriet
B. Loring is the chair
Drinking man. This committee
rL has to do with placing
HVuAIdAAS. animal drinking foun-
tains all over the city. Last year ten OF
these drinking places were installed. Each
fountain costs $40 and serves as a perma-
nent relief to all dumb animals. During
the year Mrs. Thomas r. Bayard and
James p Briggs each made a gift Of
fountain.
In 1870 when the organization was first
organized and chartered, 1t was known
as the Society for the Prevention Of Cru
city to Animals. At the time Of its or
ganization there were more than fifty in
Of the best known people In the District.
Among them were DR.. J. p. Newman. N.
p. Chapman. Matthew g. Emery. Joseph
II. Bradley. Warren Choate. Andrew B.
Bowen and DR.. Robert Reyburn. The
first president Of the society was Theo-
dore r. Gatchell. The succeeding presi-
dents have been Mr.. Fox. Gen. L. P. Ora
Riggs, Adam Scott Pratt. Chester A.
Snow and Mr.. Hutchins, the present head
| of the society.
In the early part Of 1885, on account of
ganization, the name was changed to the
Washington Humane Society. The pre-
vention Of cruelty to children was at that
time one Of the most important features
passed by Congress for the creation of
the board of childrens guardians, since
| which time the work Of the Humane So
ciety in regard to children has gradually
fallen OF. Today its principal activities
concern horses.
With the growth Of the movement for
the protection Of animals there was print
ed in England a Horses
Horses Prayer" This was later re-
n printed in Boston in a diff
AAoyoA' ferent form, and was the be-
ginning Of such a prayer in this country.
The Washington Humane Society also has
horses prayer which, however. is an
original product In the prayer which
came from England the horse is supposed
to speak to his master as his God. No
such stand is taken here. Instead, the
| owners commercial spirit is appealed to.
You own me; for your own sake be kind
to me. serve you faithfully for food
and shelter and all my strength is yours.
But my strength depends upon the food
you give. and to starve me is to rob your
self Be just to both" Such is the be-
ginning Of the local organizations horses
prayer. and it continues along the same
| lines.
At the annual meeting held each Janu-
airy the president of the society makes an
address Last January. in speaking be-
fore the society President Hutchins. in
summing up the situation in Washington.
said
Washington is a civilized community
and most Of its 331 900 Inhabitants are
strong believers in the anti-cruelty laws.
What did they do in 1911 to enforce those
laws? The answer is simple and most
discouraging. Three hundred and twenty
eight thousand did nothing. Two thou
sand violated the laws and were punished
| for It, Seven hundred filed complaints Of
cruelty which they witnessed, but didn't
prevent. The three hundred and thirty
| remaining constituted the Humane So
ciety Verify the practical Washington
humanitarian is one in a thousand. His
fellows feel for the poor animals they
see abused but illustrate the sardonic adj
vice of DR.. Johnson and take 1t out In
| feeling.
Every citizen is familiar with the
| spectacle presented by the decrepit ami
mails attached to many Of the delivery
| wagons and nearly all of the so-called
| express and ash carts. Not one In five
Of these horses should be permitted on
our streets, and most Of them have long
since earned a merciful death. The So
| ciety does what 1t can to remedy this
condition. but it's all is far from enough.
! A pathetic feature Of this traffic is the
| fact familiar to most observers that
many horses in the last stages of de-
| crepitude, harnessed to rickety carts and
| driven by most disreputable owners. still
show signs of breeding. In their day
| they were fine animals. we'll nurtured and
strong, but they served ungrateful mas
tiers. who discarded them as soon as their
strength was gone. Their last stage Is to
| drag out a wretched existence in the
| streets Of the capital.
~
"That these sights revolt the people of
Washington we have daily evidence, but
what does Washing
| Responsibility ton do? In most cases
it stops and looks,
0A1Ateu. shudders and passes
on. After all, it Is the business Of the
Humane Society," says the sympathetic
| citizen It is the business Of the Humane
| Society, but with the means at our dis
posal it is not possible to do more than
| 10 per cent Of what we should"
| The records for the past thirty-one
| years of the societys existence contain
some interesting figures The records prior
/ to that time were destroyed by fire, and
are consequently not available. In 1881
| only siXty-seven arrests were made, OF
| which number forty-eight convictions
| were secured. The number gradually
| grew. until in 1904 it passed the thousand
| mark for the first time. In that year over
200 arrests were made, with eleven
| acauittals. Since then only in 1908 and
1909 has the number of annual arrests
| fallen below the thousand mark. Last
year, however. was the first time the
| 1900 mark was reached. For the en-
| tire thirty-one years during which the
records are available, the total number
| of arrests has been nearly 10000, with
| the number of convictions totaling almost
1900, and the number Of accuittals
reaching $40.
At the present time the society Is doing
| all it can toward the eradication Of ami
NAL cruelty. but is still hoping to greatly
broaden the scope of its work. For in
stance 1t hopes some day to possess a
/ business building. both central and mod
ern An animal dispensary and especially
| a small animal shelter figure in these
| nj hy,lo Tn