Show I 1 f j I 1 J oJ and a Y k 21 Ii Iid d e Friends of Dumb Animals Protest Against the Alleged r r X 1 rw d Ft t S 9 l 9 Cruelty of Steer Roping and W Other Features of the 7 W w Thrilling Rodeo r rj v vt j t z t Y t y wu r m r Ov ry is ri i t yr pf rs f i w t r r Fr 3 ro r r s sf f f a ii Y h Y r sui I oy i s X n r c r r t 1 ds I r It rf r T r y r a it t y 3 rM N e p pW S t p W fr t e ui 1 y r rJ W 6 r tG J J s sF sr si F r i t tt t tl y r gt u i R kr r rr 1 r r I t r rYa Ya 1 1 I 1 r Sr y w b wl I 1 IcI tr t Y W 7 I c h ht t hF n ww w y j d dY Y fn 1 w I tr a t h t Nt r al Fr l 9 i rry I k C 4 r rY Y peYla J N F iw s L r rA A a i A steeplechase rider and his mount going down in one of the falla which kill killor or seriously injure so many men I t j S i w t 1 i and horses in England every year Bernard Shaw thinks it rather ridiculous for the I 7 wr a s a English to object to the rodeo when they permit sports involving such cruelty to animals I I as and fox hunting I F v i I Vw b I t K e t 7 jrr r f F 5 wr AM I KrY I 4 Y i r x v w w r tr tY rY Q 7 j e ri l lr r i iS L j e rN r 4 S Y r j Fw tr r r t rl F 4 Yr J t N rt 4 Ar r r r f a i S k r rf ra I I f fY Y r I In ti rI I 1 r ry y I The roping ng of a steer teer by an American cowboy one of the n r C CF F d 14 r r t 4 w k l lT lr r ii r rd v h F which thousands thousand of Englishmen sew saw for the tint first time rims t t ti R T ed t w A sG in the t at Wembley w wN N HE exposition now in progress at THE TH T Wembley near neRr London Is h a being being being- given to celebrate to the glories of the British Empire And yet et curiously enough h the feature of it that I is at attracting the widest attention and also stirring the bitterest contro controversy ey is fa i ono one that comes come not from any of ot Great Groat Brit Brit- Britain ain ens en's flung far colonies or dominions bit bitt from the Western United States In the great stadium at i thousands of spectators rs aro are be being In thrilled every afternoon and evening I by the exhibition of riding and other typically American sports given by II a of cowboys and girls who have for the most part comeI come I with Ith their buck buck- ing bucking and their steers and their big sombreros straight from Americas America cattle ranches Englishmen who have bave until now known the rodeo only through books and newspapers and the movies are seeing It in all its Ita exciting reality and while whilo they agree that it I ii is a II wonderful aBair they are by no means agreed as to asto whether it is just lust the sort sort of thing that ought to be bo permitted in England A large and influential section of the public thinks our cowboys sports fas fa's Las fas fa's as they are aro to watch alto altogether gether gather too rough and and involving too much unnecessary cruelty to dumb animals A vigorous effort Is being made mado to have the tho present rodeo stopped and to have any future exhibitions of ot the tho kind prohibited by bylaw law Scarcely had the first performance come to a close before agents of the tho Royal Society for the Prevention ot of Cruelty to Animals swore out warrants for the tho arrest of ot the promoters of tho rodeo and several of ot its Ita leading riders horn they charged with gross groas cruelty to the steers and horses Although the warrants were ware served at once the tho mn of the court Ig o nored ignored the society's plea for an imme immo- immediate diate trial and postponed the tho hear rig ot of the tho case for three weeks But the tho society wanted canted quick action J It could not bear the tho thought of ot tho th o contests before continuing for tor three weeks boo be bo fore the tho did anything t to o prevent them hem Jm cj I J Its greatest objection to the rodeo lies in the steer roping and steer ricer wres mee wrestling fling tUng contests Twenty-one Twenty more wore days drys of such exhibitions would mean Its feared perhaps many steers left with broken legs or backs to suffer untold agonies before they could bo be put putout putout putout out of ot their misery by a merciful bullet It If the magistrates court would not act at once they resolved to carry their case if It need be to Prime Minister Ramsey MacDonald himself And this they thoy did In the name namo of ot humanity they ap 01 pealed appealed please plesse forbid it even if It necee vary sary necessary by resolution in the House ot of Commons Commena Although the Royal Society for the directed Prevention of Cruelty to Animals di dl most of at its charges against the tho steer roping and wrestling contests there were many people in England angland who believed that dreadful tortures wore being inflicted upon the tho In order to make them buck whenever a cowboy CO aCO boy attempted to ride them and they were not slow to voice their disapproval of allot all of ot the rodeo exhibitions England Never in the history of Eng land liar has that country been stirred In qUite tho the same fashion as it was WIlS over the tho rodeo Throughout the tho British Isles people discussed tho the cowboys daring darang feats teats and took sides on the ques Ques- Lion hon question of their cruelty i Parliament gave consideration to the tho question of of stopping the exhibitions while many of the newspapers assailed the tho barbarism of the contests and several ministers injected the tho contro contro- controversy controversy controversy versy into their sermons wood Charn-wood In the tho House Houe of ot Lords Lord Lord Chain Cham wood requested the government to guarantee that the tho exhibition should not be bo open to the tho imputation of ot cruelty Ilis His Il appeal peal howe or was not acted upon as the house decided that ft It was not within its Ita Jurisdiction to take II a stand on tho the question one ono way or the theother theother other Lord Deman who replied to Lord Charnwood's request said that ho thought his hia colleague liUe had bad uncovered a amares mares maros nest and suggested that Lord Lordo Charnwood attempt to nde ride a II bucking broncho brancho in order to find out whether 1 air aira w a k y 7 1 One of the cowboy performers in the rodeo that is arousing so much excitement in 3 Fr s t t England attempting to throw a steer inI I R F miles of ot country Is Isone rr one of ot the tho most fa ta famous mows of ot English E n g Ii s h sporting events r No sport ever placed an r am animal mal at less advantage rr than fox tox hunting The poor e frightened fox tox has no chance 9 of ot escape and after being t chas d over oyer hill hili hilland and dale by bya v vt S WM wi a p pack lck of ot hounds followed ed ii q S closely by the tho men and wom worn women ten en on horseback it falls from exhaustion only to be ho torn to pieces by A typical cowboy on 01 a bucking broncho the tha cruelty was inflicted on the rider or ortho orthe orthe the tho animal ammal I have havo seen this steer wrestling the Duchess of Hamilton declared In preaching from the pulpit of the Con Con- Congregational Congregational Church in Norwich but I cannot see seo that it demonstrates mans man's superiority It would have Leon been much better if Instead ota ofa of ot a steer there could have been a 11 tiger which would have shown much more activity So great was the agitation through throughout out the tha country that the tho promoters ot of the rodeo finally decided to eliminate the steer roping and wrestling contests from the program program and restrict tho the con contests tests to less violent demonstrations of the cowboys skill There are many people In England oho ho declare that tho the criticism of the tho rodeo is not at all consistent as foxhunting fox foxhunting foxhunting hunting and tho the two foremost British sports inflict far sore moro injuries upon tho animals anImal than do any of the contests that havo have been staged In Inthe inthe inthe the great Wembley Stadium In the tile running of ot tho Grand National Steeplechase alono alone an average of ot two or three horses are aro horribly Injured or killed each year in Iii taking the high leaps Fox hunting baa bas been the national sport of the Br Britons tons for centuries and the Waterloo Cup Hunt in Sn winch which socIety end and royalty chose chase the tho foxes over dogs Sucha Such a distinguished authority liS as George Bernard Shaw fails nIb to shara sharo the opinion that so many of the tho English people have expressed in regard to the rodeo Of Ot course jt it t my funny bone ho he says las to seo sea the newspapers which boast such Euch barbarous events as the Grand National race fox hunting and stag suddenly become pure pur humanitarians and denounce the rodeo From Flom wh whIt It I know about it it isn't brutal The representatives of the hu humane mane society would be much wiser If they were ere permitted to examine at range the tho horses and steers Thus they might be bo convinced that the tho boasts beasts lire are not made mado w wild d by the trick of ot put put- putting putting ting burrs burn under their saddles or In their ears If It my information Is la correct such an investigation investigation especially especially If it under under- undertaken undertaken taken in the corral with the animals would loose would convince the tho investigators of the animals wildness Obviously Englishmen wort criticize anything English Undoubtedly most or nil all of the tho hostile criticism of ot the rodeo is duo duoto duoto duoto to the fact that it is an in- in in institution Many have wondered why the PrInce ot of Wales Willes did clid not witness the rodeo When the Prince was in Canada re- re recently re recently Gently he took a particular interest in a rodeo that was held for his benefit by bytho bythe bythe the tho cowboys boys of Western Canada So en enthusiastic did he become over the daring feats of horsemanship and courage that S J ho he insisted on aW awarding the prizes to the vl victors tors and shaking each by tho the hand Those who are close to the Prince in London declare that he would have liked nothing better than to havo have seen the therod rod rodeo co but he felt that as he was an honorary officer in the Royal Society for forthe forthe forthe the Prevention of ot Cruelty to An Animals mals It i t would be bo better policy if he be remained away from the Wembley Stadium The Tho rodeo came camo to America when hen great herds of cattle roamed over the Western plains After the cattle had been herded and shipped to the various anous markets In n the East ItI it I was as the custom ot of the tho cov cowboys boys to gather and compete with one another in various forms ot of horsemanship At first these contests were mere ere held among the employees of each ranch but later on the rivalry extended to neighboring r lIches and contests were held with the cowboys of one ranch competing against those of another In tune time the popularIty of the contests spread so 50 far that the cowboys in one state would gather tather and compete against those from i q neighbor ing neighboring state te It Is is extremely unfortunate that these contests should be bo called a II rodeo as that name is of Spanish origin lIndIll and lInd al Ill altogether together misleading whoa when used to de- de describe de describe scribe the daring feats of the cowboys The rodeo as Gained out in Spain is isa isa isa a contest in which a steer is exposed to the most extreme cruelty A rider armed with a long steel spear ors endeavors to bring down bring do down don n thel the l animal before it can charge and him Tho The rider who is a n perfect mastor master of ot his horse rides round and round the tho steer drivIng driving driving ing his spear into its hide until it Is overcome by loss of blood and dies from exhaustion De of the rodeo aie me III e particularly particularly indignant about the charges that It involves great cruelty to horses as aswelt aswell welt ell as ns that steers steers that burrs are placed under their saddles in order to make them prance and buck Such charges would never be made It Itis itis itis is declared by those familiar with the cattle cattIe country and the great affection N f 1 which the cowboy has for tor his horse The bronchus buck it js s pointed out out not because they are aro hurt but because I It is their nature to behave like this whenever an attempt IS 13 mada mad to ride them I The whole thing is ie n a struggle between I Ithe the skill of the and the dogged determination of ot the tho animal ammal not to be conquered ed beI I The horses used in tho the rodeo are wild I animals that have never ne been ridden be before fore They behave as they do only until they find they are ore not masters of the sit situation and then they become as peace peace- ful peaceful and good natured as any horse in a riding academy defenders Regarding the steer wrestling the de- de de fenders fenden of the rodeo maintain this is js a fight in which the cowboy plays clean and fairly and it is III always ways the steer that resorts to foul play piny The cowboys they point out are always at It a disadvantage vantage At any moment they may be beI I mangled to tenth death by the angry animal or suffer serious injury by being Pitched high In the air lir on his horns In spite of the th criticism m of ot the tho rodeo by the Humane lne Society thousands of people are flocking to ta the Stadium One veteran American newspaper correspondent who has hils spent a consider considerable able portion of his life in London de declares clares dares that ne never neier er before has hils he ho seen the spectators at any English sporting event give vent to such bursts of en- en en enthusiasm as they do at the tho rodeo So it is plain that there is a large section of ot the English It public which does not find the exhibition either cither shockingly cruel or The Tho rodeo says George Bernard Show is an American institutIOn always Bucking and aid cowboys CO boys Hillal Hill III al al- al be ways IlYS endeared to the hearts of Amen Ameri cans even eun though the Western plains t and ranches give way to tho the advance of commerce and industry and the cowboy is forced to ose see seek seeka n II more peaceful potion than breaking The American boy and girl will always s cher Ish isn his nis memory no matter how their English cousin cruel thought them I r |