OCR Text |
Show CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. Many persons appear to have an inclination in-clination to cruelty, especially towards to-wards animals, upon which they inflict in-flict needless suffering without the slightest pity. In fact, some seem to take fiendish delight in the agonies of unfortunate creatures. To one of normal sensibilities, it is hard to explain this sort of depravity, which is often found among children, as well as among older persons. It must be a manifestation of animal in- stincts handed down from savage and I brutal ancestors. ' Cruelty to animals indicates a certain cer-tain baseness, which usually includes cruel propensities towards human beings, be-ings, which are only repressed through cowardice. Children should be taught early to avoid practices which tend to make them callous to the agonies of helpless help-less creatures. It should be explained to them that when it is necessary to kill animals for food or for the safety safe-ty of human life, it should be done as swiftly and humanely as possible; never with a desire to inflict pain. Teachers in schools and Sunday schools might do a great deal more than is being done now in the way of humane education, while parents should especially observe and endeavor endea-vor to correct tendencies toward cruelty cruel-ty on the part of their children. |