The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-02-10
POPULAR APoLoGETlcS.
Adapted from the German of Rev
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
LXIlI. The Sufferings of Animals.

LAlll. The SuterlngS OF Animals.
Objection: The suffering of man
has an ethical side, but that also limo.
cent animals should suffer is indeed
against the divine Wisdom. How can
a good God delight in the terrible spec
tacle of animals decorating and devour-
ing one another, from the infusorian
to the king of beasts, the lion?
Goethe's Werther says: The most
harmless walk costs the lives of thou
sands of worms
Answer: II If all that pierces your
tender heart, like that of the senti-
mental Werther, then l would advise
you to confine yourself the rest of
your life to your room; out of love
for the calves, lambs and sheep never
to eat another piece of veal and NUT
ton. Just think how cruelty the inno-
cent calves and lambs and sheep are
treated, how they below and bleat and
bleed, how they twitch in their bloody
death spasm before they come to your
table. And how can you cruel man
boil to death the thousands of inno-
cent infusoria in water. What a
bloody death Goethe indicates when
he says: 1--WE are soon blasted and
choked if one stabs."
y There is an enormous difference
between pain and misery or unhappi-
ness. In the early days of our child
hood we often suffered a great deal;
we often wept and gave all signs of
pain, as animals are accustomed to
do when they suffer. And still we
were neither miserable nor unhappy,
because we had no Self-consciousness
Happiness and misery in the true
sense of the word are only where
there is rational activity and self
consciousness.
A sensuOus being can therefore have
pain, that is the material feeling of
being unwell, without being miserable.
So it was in the early days of our
childhood, when only the vegetative
and sensuous life was developed; so
it is with the animal that has only
such a life.
If looking at the commissions of the
groaning animal, we place ourself with
our self-consciousness in its place, we
may indeed imagine ourself unhappy;
but the animal is not unhappy; it suf-
fers as we suffered in childhood. Who
was then unhappy or miserable?
Therefore no Imagination instead of
truth, please.
Then torturing animals would be
no sniff one tortures animals with,
out reason, it is not right, because
man must always have a reasonable
motive for everything he does; but it
is also sign of rudeness to destroy
without reason little trees or beauti-
full flowers, etc. Such acts develop
a barbaric and destructive tendency.
But to cause pain to animals from
a reasonable motive is neither against
human nor divine wisdom and good
ness. Just think of vivisection, which
is, however, to be practiced only for
the good of medical science and with
the use of anesthetics as much as
possible. (See the article "Vivisec-
ton" in the Catholic Encyclopedia
81 God has His wise designs for the
sufferings of animals.
a. AS man takes his nourishment
from the animal kingdom, so God has
made the lower animals as the food
of the higher.
b. Furthermore, the perception of
pain is of far greater moment; it is
with sensuous beings a necessary
means of self-preservation. If the cat
its tail have been burned off at the
CRATE! Without the sense of pain
animals, for example in sleep, would
not notice the destruction or Gripping
of the most necessary organs and
members. So to this sense of pain
animals owe their life in thousands of
cases.
What objection therefore is it
against the wisdom of God if the ami.
NAL finally perishes with a short pain,
without thereby being unhappy or
c) There is also lesson in this:
the lower must serve the higher. This
axiom goes through all nature, and
teaches man that he must serve God.
~ These sentimental lovers of ami
mails would do far better if they would
direct their sympathy and money to
the alienation of suffering humanity
There certainly is no want of social
misery. How revolving it is to see
such sentimental dog-lady buy costly
blankets and clothes and ornaments
for her lap-dog and chase from her
door the shivering, barefooted beggar
child!
1t is real cruelty to animals to mutt
late them for the sake of mere deli
cacy of taste or foolish fashion, e. g.
to boil crabs alive, clip dogs tails or
ears, etc.