Humane Education of the Young
By Anna Harris Smith
It is astonishing that a mother, a woman with any mother-love in her, should show such disregard of the comfort of the weak and helpless animals that are so much like children in their dependence on us, and often so much better than children in their faithfulness and obedience. A woman who will countenance impudent words and disobedience in her boy, excusing him on the ground that he is only a child and can not be expected to be perfect, will punish a dog or cat severely, or cast it out of her home, for a slight fault. A man expects his dog or his horse to be much more obedient and better tempered than his children are. Why? Are these lower animals more intelligent than children? If so, how greatly they must suffer from man's injustice to them. A writer, whose name I do not remember, wrote the following good thing which shows how very thoughtless some men and women are of the comfort of the domestic animals that are at their mercy, and that do them such great service: “That a baby, once sound asleep, must on no account be awakened, is one of the cast-iron laws of physicians and nurses; but few people ever stop to consider that the same rule holds good with the young of every animal. Hardly any one, even the professed lover of domestic pets, feels the slightest compunction about snatching up a puppy settled for a comfortable nap, and a sleeping kitten is even more a butt for this species of rude imposition. Sleep is regarded as luxury for a little plaything of this kind, whose mission in life is to amuse and divert. So nobody makes any bones of waking it up either roughly or by a series of furtive caresses, and the sleepy little mite often tries in vain for the rest that is so essential to its comfort and health. “Particularly is this the case where there are small children in the family. It is all very well to want to have their puppy to bring up with the baby, but the puppy usually gets the worst of the bargain. Animals mature so much more rapidly than the young of the human race that by the time a baby is a lad of ten, the puppy that grew up with him is an elderly dog. A dog of twelve is venerable, while a boy of twelve is in the heyday of boisterous animal spirits and a love of teasing. Aged animals, like very young animals, should be allowed their little snoozes and forty winks without risk of interruption.” Children who are taught that their pets have much the same needs as themselves, and suffer if not provided with fresh water, regular meals, given oftener when the animal is quite young, a comfortable bed to sleep in, gentle handling, will learn to be more considerate, kind, and tender to their brothers and sisters and parents. It is quite natural that a child should not think about these things unless reminded; thus we see much thoughtless cruelty that a mother could easily prevent. If the boy is not taught to think, he will not see any reason why, when he gets a chance to drive the market or the grocer wagon, he should not keep the old and tired horse on a constant run, using the whip freely. The boy thinks that it is smart to make the horse run, because he has never been taught to think that the old horse is getting stiff and lame and short winded, or the young horse is tired from hurrying on the road all day. It is the people with no imagination who can never see any suffering but their own. The idea that sympathy and tender consideration for the speechless animals is “sentimental” is contrary to the highest education as well as to Christianity. It was the greatest educator the world ever knew who said, “Blessed are the merciful,” and who told us that not even a little sparrow was forgotten by God. Education of the head without education of the heart is never going to make the world better. Mothers and school-teachers can plant no better seed for the future happiness and prosperity of the children in their care than the seeds of kindness to every living creatures, but to do this, mothers and teachers must themselves have learned the value of kindness as one, we might say the most important, factor in building up the character that will be respected and loved.—Mrs. Anna Harris Smith, President Animal Rescue League, in American Motherhood for March.