The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-10-07
Dumb Animals in
War Time
81 Sophie ,rsus Loeb.

Copyright. 1917. by Press Pub. So
a young woman writes to me as
! follows:
Il am a business woman. working
down town. and In walking on the diff
ferent side streets sometimes watch
horses being fed with bags tied on
their heads. and half Of the material
which is given To them Is spilled or
wasted nine times ont of ten. This is
duo 10 the careless way in which the
bag is attached.
| The poor horse Is made nervous
| trying TO cat. especially when the rein
strap is too tight to reach the ground.
. win you kindly take this up at once
| with the people who own horses:
In war time certainly nothing
should be wasted and the horse
should be cared for In this connection.
II breaiss my heart to see horses made
to suffer unnecessa rily. and my obser-
walton has extended over many
months.
There Is mnch wisdom in this young
! woman's words. Many times in an
umns | have expressed the hope that
the day is not far distant when this
| faithful burden bearer Of man will be
! suppanted by the non suffering mo-
tor and tina. the horse win he used
only for pleasure or in the rural dis
tricts where every inch Of space is
not counted in dollars.
But in the meantime. and especially
in this war time. the appeal Of this
speechless sufferer should he ans
werea With action. Tho high cost OF
food is a tremendous problem. and
with the fellow who uses the horse TO
get the most out Of him" the animal
is prone to got less food than he needs.
This Is a dangerous individual and
one who should be prosecuted to the
fun letter OF the law. No punishment
is TOO great IL: him who starves his
faithful servitor-the means OF his
livelihood. Such 4 person hasn't the
: first instincts of gratitude.
Also the owner who Is careless OF
the comfort of his poor beast deserves
no less condemna ton.
Such condition as the business
woman describes could be readily
reneslied. A little consideration. a
little attention in the interest o. his
feeding. would go n long way to ease
up the trials of the animal and doubt
less the owner would benefit in better
service as the result
In like manner many cats and dogs
are left to stray on the street suffer-
ing from hunger. when a telephone
message TO the proper authorities
would relieve their misery
What splendid example is a man !
know, who has denied himself many
times in order to buy enough food for
his horse. He Is a huckster and has
been in this country but n short time.
He had three little children and q
good wife. and times without number
the horse was fed before the family.
AS this man said once when ne was
hard up: MY children can speak
when they have not enough or are
unhappy. but with my horse 1t is diff
ferenU" This great human quality
was soon discovered and he made
many friends az a result OF it. This
brought him prosperity.
And now his little motor is doing
the work. while his friend horse is the
pet Of the children and lovingly cared
for in his declining old age.
The glow Of gladness that must
come to this man In the knowledge
that he has acted ION the level" even
with the brute who could not come
back at him should prove an in
centlve to others who have horses and
| who want to be real men among their
fellow men.
il he will not. let us stop in the
by ways and have him arrested for
his lawlessness. For IL Ia unlawful
10 misireat a dumb animal