Evening star., 1922-04-18
CRUELTY IN TREATMENT
OF EASTER CHICKS SEEN
Contributor Says Using Baby
Chickens for Advertisements
OF Pets Is Inhuman.

| To the Editor Of The Star:
Eastertide should be a season of
gladneSs for both men and beasts.
but it is very evident that many of
the latter, at least. are not allowed
their share of this joyous springtime
inflicted upon our dumb animal
friends and helpers looms up this
one just at this time-namely, the
suffering caused by the Easter
chick traffic. Humane organizations
and individuals everywhere should be
on the lookout for this
Often these chicks are used as ad-
vertiSements for department or gro
cery stores to draw the trade Of chill
dren and others. I have seen chicks
unnatural surroundings, excited by
the street noises. A friend last year
was so affected by the pitiful condi-
tions of some she saw in large
downtown candy store that she did
not rest until she saw them put under
from a nearby city. where similar
conditions prevailed. writes me as
follows: "' Poorly, indeed. must
they fare when such stores are closed
ov r Sunday, as during the week they
are usually neglected. and food and
water given only when some busy
clerk happens to remember them, or
a humane customer requests 1t.
Last Easter, / saw in one store
these tiny. baby chicks on bare boards.
without straw and without feeding pans.
A dying chick in a horrible condition
was leaning against an electric light and
quite unnoticed until ] called attention
to 1t, when it was taken away and
killed. Another store had them In the
window as an advertisement. and so
At night they could not sleep on ac-
count of a bright electric light. and
were in pitiable condition. restless
excited-and in constant motion l re-
ported this cruelty to the local humane
society.
easter chicks are often purchased
as a passing fancy by those who know
little, IL anything, about giving them
proper care, and they suffer. and die
lingering death. Others are given to
children as. toys. and handled until pain
fully injured. or crushed to death. AS
an illustration of the fate of some of
the chicks given to children. let me
mention the following related to me by
an eyewitness She follows with an
account of 200 baby chicks man gave
to his children, out Of which at the end
of nine weeks all were dead but about
twenty, and these were sick, stunted.
little creatures. with large swollen
eyes, all because of unhealthy housing
quarters and improper food.
1 believe that children should have
pets, but they should be sensibly in
stIucted by elders in their care of
them, for. according to one who
understands the value OF animal COM
panions for children. teaching kind
ness to animals may seem a simple
thing. but the more one looks into
it's merits the more penetrating this
spiritualizing influence proves to be,
causing a change of conduct. inspir-
ing justice and compassion, in the
place of selfishness and cruelty:
training the mind to apprehend and
the heart to sympathize with the
form the theoretical object lesson of
such surprising interest to the
young: obviously the protecting
sympathy which a child may be
taught to feel toward its helpless
dumb companion may in after years
inspire the life of the philanthropist."
Wonderful lessons in nature may
be learned from beautiful little
Easter chicks and bunnies, provided
they are properly cared for. SO let
US do our part to see that they are
made as happy as possible.
VIRGINIA w. SARGENT.