Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-08

The good cause of kindness to
animals is furthere6 by every para
graph Of the following sort which gets
into print anywhere in the world:
"A rare white seal was recently
caught by three fishermen at Eyne-
mouth. England. It was placed in a
tank, where 1t attracted much atten-
ton, and when any one went near 1t
would cry like baby. The tender
hearted captors returned 1t to the sea. "
These three unknown fishermen OF
Eynemouth deserve a place in the an
mails Of the great movement which aims
to apply the Golden Rule to the deal
ings of mankind with his four-legged
brothers.
However far away the goal may be,
and however much the road is cluttered
with cruelty, perfect kindness to ami
mails will never be secured except
through the medium of education.
And such education must be a train
ing of the emotions as well as of the
mind, for nothing Is more cruel than
intellectually, when it is devoid OF
emotions.
The theoretical aspects of kindness,
In their application to the brute crea-
ton, are perfectly well understood by
most people; where the difficulty comes
is in their practical application.
Who knows but that the crusade in
behalf Of kindness to animals may
some day result in universal peace,
since man Is the greatest animal Of all?
If he cannot be gentel toward his
furry brethren of field and forest,
there is little chance that he will ever
learn how to be truly gentle to his kind.
1t may be that the slaughter of man
by man, as carried on in great wars, is
mere reflex of his conduct toward
the animals, slain by their millions
every year to clothe and feed him.
It Is precisely at this point that any
one who discusses this subject begins
to get into hot water, as the expression
has 1t. Clothing Is necessary, food is
necessary, perhaps furs for women's
neckpieces are necessary.
Great industries are based solidly on
the staying Of animal life, so that any
one who ventures to protest finds him
self fighting against great interests
which serve him.
What one does not know ordinarily
does not hurt him. Thus hundreds OF
thousands Of kindly disposed persons
find themselves eating bacon without
a qualm who would be terribly upset
had they seen the pig-sticker at work
with his sharp, razorlike knife.
4 +
The most that may be done, it seems
to us, in prosecuting the work for kind
ness to animals is to preach the doc
trine In print and by word of mouth, to
set personal examples and to take ad-
vantage of such laws and regulations
as the humanity of man has evolved.
The great danger which the indi-
vidual or the organization runs, 1t seems
to us, Is to overstep the mark in the
way Of sentimentality. 1t cannot be
gainsaid that many persons are utterly
Indifferent to this cause. Life with
them is q struggle, and they have no
time or sympathy to waste on the brute
creation.
The avoidance of sentimentality, 1t
would seem. Is absolutely necessary II
those who believe in kindness to ami
mails as a theory and a practice are to
make any impression whatever upon
these others.
II the goal is ever to be reached,
these must be impressed to the point
where they become participators in the
humane work. They cannot be over
looked or left out. The kindly fisher
men Of Eynemouth. granting them full
credit for their deed, without investiga-