Evening star., 1922-04-27

In connection with the celebration Of
the prevention Of cruelty to- animals
week. Rev. DR.. Abram Simon, rabbi OF
Washington Hebrew Congregation, has
said:
Some time ago fell into a revarie
in which I enjoyed the following ex-
perience:
"There swan before my eyes an In
cident in a book-I think by Meredith
which made deep impression on my
mind. It Is the story Of two men who
had gone out hunting. One man had
leveled his gun. pulled the trigger.
and, to his painful surprise, bird
with wondrous plummage fell in all
It's ruffled beauty. dead, to the ground.
Shocked beyond description he turned
to his friend with the words:
look what did!'
why. congratulate you. That was
splendid Of you.'
"'No, do not wish congratula-
tions. I am inexpressibly sorry for
this accomplishment
"'why. don't be q fool. You are
supposed to be q sportsman. You
seem to be afraid of blood
mo. I feel very. very guilty
should feel guilty. my boy. God will
"7oh. yes. God will, but the bird
won't .
TT seemed to me that the soul Of
the dead bird perched like Poe's raven
and spoke to me as follows:
my human friend, will you listen
to my tale and will you turn to me a
sympathetic ear as the note MARBLES
out of my spirit?
"Long ago we Of the animal world
peopled this earth before you Of the
out your backbone and stood on two
legs. In those early days you and we
lived together happily as brothers
and sisters In what Is known as the
Golden Age and amid the Elysi&n
fields of innocence and happiness
We lived under our own vine ana hg
trees. AS the years rolled by you
humans seemed to have grown more
intelligent and to have fashioned new
weapons, smoothed your clubs and
sharpened your stones. whereby you
gained mystery over us. Then you
began to use US for warmth. for food.
for sport and for beasts of burden.
As you grew mentally you widened
the gap between us. As the gap wild
ened you grew in power and in hatred
of us. and the dumb world fell be-
81 remember how you humans used
our skins for parchment: how the
stories of my brothers and sisters be-
came your fable and your folklore;
how the beauty Of my tales, were
woven into wondrous myths.
"I remember when you first imi-
tated the sounds of our birds and
beasts: for you were speechless. l re-
member the days when you believed
that there was something divine in
the animal spirit and you worshiped
US. that your souls and our souls ex-
changed bodies, either for reward or
punishment.
"T recall to yo1r mind that with
out us your earliest religion, your
earliest totemism. your earliest antm-
ism would have been impossible. You
use my brothers and sisters In your
signs Of the Zodiac. And so, my dear
human friend; when I think Of you.
of your earliest culture, Of your food
and Of your civilization. am I wrong
in saying that you are. after all. bone
of our bone, flesh of our flesh. and
maybe spirit of our spirit?
1--WE have followed you through
the hunting days. through the shep-
herd stage and the agricultural era.
Today we stand by you in an indus
trial epcnh which heg more than ever
outside Of few of our domestieated
children, you are beginning to feel
that wo can no longer serve you. Yet
this same Industrial age compels us
to appeal to your sense Of justice and
sympathy. The age Of the rights of
man Is. past. The rights of women
and children are" well-nigh secured.
Have we not now the rights of ami
mails to consider? Have we not now
the same appeal of eelf-determination
that we had when we roamed wild
and untamed through the jungles and
forests before you humans stepped
foot upon this earth?
1--WE looked kindly into the face of
a Daniel because we saw the image
of divinity there. We looked unafraid
into the face of Patroclus, the Roman