Evening star., 1924-01-11
Cruelty to Animals.
Writer Wishes to Know if Abuse
Increases or Abates.
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
Within the past year, il seems that
In newspapers and magazines there is
more mention made of cruelty to ami
mails. Does this mean that there is
more cruelty directed against animals,
who, If given the opportunity, prove
TO be our best and most loyal friends,
or does it mean that more publicity
lis being given and people are being
aroused so that the great humane
movement may be given impetus and
thereby much good be accomplished?
Surely the latter reason must be the
true one.
That immediate attention is need
ed to save the wild life of America
| is shown in the following from the
l'Vanishing Wild Life of the World"
Henry F. Osborn, president of the
American Museum of Natural History,
says: Nothing in the history of crea-
! ton has paralle1ed the ravageS of the
] fur and hide trade, which with the
| bone fertilizer trade threatens the
entire vertebrate kingdom. Furs are
now a fashion. They are Worn in mid
summer purely for ornament and per
sonal adornment. The skins sold in
| three years reach the surprisingly
largo figure of s107,6s9,927. To prop
erly show the slaughter that is TAX
| ing place one must allow for animals
which were killed and not sent to
market and also for wounded animals.
The final cause of the close
of the age of mammals can be arrest
ed only through the creation of sound
sentiment and education of the chill
dren and of women, in the same man
ner in which the National Association
i of Audubon Societies has arrested the
destruction of birds"
In the last issue of the Woman
lCitizen appeared the following arti-
| Gle, which should be widely read: Not
Hong ago the papers carried news of
a plan devised by a distinguished
scientist for the use of a fatal gas
lin trapping fur-bearing animals II
is significant of the growing abhor-
renee of the .cruelties practiced in
protest against them. Our government
had some 10000 sealskin pelts left
on its hands recently; the British, Jap
anese and Russian governnmsnts had
fashion was doubtless the chief ex-
PLANTATION, the increasing knowledge
OF cruelties in the taking of seals
may have had some influence. Recent
lily, too, increased knowledge of the
calIousness of trappers and the tor
lures of trapped silver fox, marten.
'and ermine has come through the
prize offered by the American Society
mails for the invention of a humane
trap. Though about 500 designs were
Submitted, not one was found prac-
tical. and the society withheld Its
powerful, and ihfiict tortures beyond
belief. An exposure undertaken by the
Red Star Animal Relief showed that
the traps are visited only once in
two or three weeks, and meantime
the trapped animals linger in an ago
my of pain and thirst and fear and
hunger The Red Star declares cruel
trapping must go. A recent authority
says no efficient humane trap has
ever been devised. There ARE many
|furs-the hides of animals killed out
right, some OF them raised for furs.
which involve no such agony. What
will women do about it2"
The National Humane Review pro.
poses-that there shall be a vacation
In trapping, which shall last a period
OF FIVE years. This would prevent the
Extinction of fur-bearing animals and
would relieve untold suffering. People
would get used to the idea that trap
ping animals was not necessary.
1t. does seem that all that would
be necessary for a large percentage
Of women now wearing fur coats
would be to see how the animals
whose skins make up the very Goa !.
they -are,-new- wearing were caught
in steel traps, suffered untold agopy
and finally, died. RUTH w. FoRNEY.