ALAS! MY POOR BROTHER by G. W. Reaser

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 19, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 12.

"ALAS! MY POOR BROTHER."

By G. W. Reaser

A SUGGESTIVE advertisement, frequently displayed in sightly places, is a picture of a rough, muscular-looking ox. The huge bovine has, apparently, a kindly disposition, but a perplexed look upon his countenance, as he gazes intently at a bottle of "beef extract." He is represented as saying, "Alas! my poor brother." Doubtless the thought intended to be conveyed by the advertiser, is the great strength of the preparation contained in the bottle. The same picture will frequently suggest widely diverging ideas to different individuals. The pathetic picture impressed the writer with this thought: How can presumably humane men and women sit down and deliberately devour the body of the "poor brother" of the kindly ox, which so patiently and faithfully bears the yoke and draws the plow or the wagon for his master, till his days of usefulness are past?

Question: Shall we destroy the lives of God's creatures to sustain our lives, when we can get more healthful and nourishing diet directly from the fruits, grains, and nuts, which, by divine instruction, constituted the original food of the human family?

G. W. REASER.

Durban, Natal, South Africa.