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proportionate moral sentiment is found in the case of oraelty
to animals. In this respect, again, the English are p~3-
eminently a virtuous people. Less advanced or, it may be,
degenerate nations still indulge in savage sports like bullfighting.
I remember that a kind of thrill of horror went
through the newspapers when it was once reported that the
Empress Eug6nie had attended a bull-fight. Long ago the
English abolished such a brutal practice a6 bull-baiting,
which is now only a matter of history. It is pleasing to
hear of the intelligence and success with which the polico
everywhere follow the tracks of cock-fightcrs. A party
of men cannot meet on the most secluded moor in the country,
but tho force are down upon them before many I’mnins ”
have been fought. The praiseworthy efforts of tho Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals are uncoasing.
A man ties crackers to the tail of a pigeon to make it
fly better. EIe is marched heforo a magistrate and fined. An
ingenious menagerie-keeper makcs hymnas jump through a
blazing ring. The bench denounce the gross cruclty, it
having been given in evidence that hymnas are much afraid
of fire ; but they ultimately discharge ths accused, on the
ground that hymnas are not domesticated animals. Within
tho last few days a man hns been fined for taming a horse by
electricity, Again, it. is thought a very cruel thing to bait
rabbits or other animals in an enclosed space, and every now
and then a beerhouse-keeper suffers under tho Act against this
cruel practice; but, curiously cnough, if you only let the
animals have a run in an open apace before they are killed by
the dogs, this is not cruel, being called coursing as contrasted
to baiting. That is to say, iE you let an animal endure the
fear of death for a short time, and exhaust itself in vain efforta
to escape, and then give it the actual pains of death, there is
no cruelty.
But I need hardly go on at any great length to show that
the sentiments of the public in respect of cruelty to animds
are simply in a chaotic state. There is no approximation
whatever to the utilitarian standard. An almost infinite
amount of needless pain is inflicted apon the lower animah