The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-11-04
Animals in Captivity

II would be comforting to believ,
that animals in captivity, kept be
hind iron bars, for the entertainment
of mankind feel a great sense of hap
piness in the questionable duty the!
are performing. II would be com
forting to think, viewing them II
their sorrow, their nameless sorrow
that they had quite forgotten the
freedom of that home in the wilds
and that they were perfectly content
with their lot, as day by day they
pace forward and back. in the mar
row confines of their quarters.
But, alas--it Is not true! Man
given the great intelligence, perhaps
because he has voice, bemoans his
fate in words. The mute animal
whimpers, or growls and mankind
thinks of him only as menace. to
be killed IL given freedom. See those
stony eyes of this animal behind the
bars Around, without they are con-
gregated to view him in his misery.
Half heartless, uncaring, uncompre-
hending people, why are they not
haunted by those eyes that see and
yet are so far, far away Hour for
hour those questionless eyes look.
look look, and yet they do not seem
to see the forms of these people
staring at them without.
To one who knows the great les
sons OF nature-who mas intimately
lived close to the breast Of mother
earth, to him Is this presented as a
crime. To him who has watched the
animals and the birds where the pine
rears itself In the absoluteness of ST.
lonce and peace: to him who has
wandered where the wilds are as
when God left the earth on the sew
enth day-who has felt the pulse
beat of the cosmic forces-to him Is
this presented as crime against
the blessed free of nature!
It is not so bad when they are ly.
ihS S'hi, buhiuS lhlo thc liihlIiNoo
void!
But they will rise after time and
pace back and forth, back and forth
nose to the edge of the cage-back
and forth, back and forth, eternally.
1t would not be so bad If the
could speak-if they could utter soma
words--if they could weep or give
way to their feelings somehow but
they cannot. Human miseries and
sufferlngs may be the more vital in
our consideration-God knows the
world is no paradise; but o, the
comfort of speech, of utterance, some
manner OF telling mankind, the broth
erhood Of 1t. But the animals have
no tongue; day succeeding day they
remain there in the prisoning con.
fines, stolen from their native home
in the hills, on the plain and from
the stream.
| have heard of such thing as
sacri'ege. Perhaps | mistake. This
may be vastly entertaining, amusing,
educational. Perhaps, because
love nature and the fullness thereof
VITA heart and soul-perhaps, be-
cause, unfettered free, the world the
open road, the feds before me and
the stream, mine for the drifting
perhaps because | am sentimental
list, and not given over to scientific
conventionalities- perhaps because
of this ] feel as | do.
But when I look upon them my
heart seems to turn to stone, and
then the tears hunger to overflow my
eyeballs. Is it possible then that
see as far as those same eyes, bridg
ing the same unguessed void?
And then / would know II again;
the moon at night, silvering the world
with a sparkling radiance; the cooS
deep In wood or forest
fastness; meandering trails between
dropping green foliage; musical wa
tiers, where the thirst may be slack
ed; the SEEMING million birds warbling
the pines; the blue skies, and the
whole world of peace of freedom, OF
happiness. Perhaps, with
those same eyes | also could bridge
the nameless distance
It is that dreaded pacing, forth and
back, forth and back, forth and back;
no goal reached no hope assured; no
thing but the blank today, the empty
on until death steals
in to close those uncommunicative
eyes forever!-Robert Page Lincoln
In Outdoor Life.
Master-Noran seems quite gone