Kindness to Animals, a tract and accompanying preface
Originally published by the Tract Association of Friends. Tract no. 13
This tract was presumably put together as a lesson in moral education for children. The tract includes many instances of individuals who feel the weight of cruelty on their conscience for taking the lives or otherwise tormenting animals. In the earliest days of the society, Quakers have held that “Diversions of the field” or hunting was incompatible with the teachings of Christ, seeing it as nothing more than needless cruelty. Clarkson observes, “It has been matter of astonishment to some, how men, who have the powers of reason, can waste their time in galloping after dogs in a wild and tumultuous manner, to the detriment often of their neighbors, and to the hazard of their own lives; or how men, who are capable of high intellectual enjoyments, can derive pleasure, so as to join in shouts of triumph on account of the death of a harmless animal; or how men, who have organic feelings, and who know that other living creatures have the same, can make an amusement of that which puts brute-animals to pain.” — Thomas Clarkson, A Portraiture of Quakerism
While reading this tract, we should be mindful of our own circumstances that we find ourselves in when it comes to the treatment of animals. I encourage thee to ask some questions and bring them to the Light of Christ to be searched. Is it virtuous to harm animals for entertainment?, Is it acceptable to harm animals for purposes of chemical testing? {GRAPHIC}, Would Christ approve of harming his creatures for food where there is no dire need? {GRAPHIC} Regardless of how quick the death is for the animal or how well they were treated before being killed, there is a harm. And there is a harm without necessity.
The treatment of animals in modern times can bring up many difficult questions to wrestle with. Is it overall more in line with the perfection in the Kingdom of God to abstain from animal flesh and use altogether? We can observe in the very first chapter of Genesis where humans are told to eat plants before the fall. “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” (Genesis 1:29 KJV) We are not granted permission until after evil has already entered our world. We also see that there is no predation on the new earth, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9) If it is possible to live closer to this dietary ideal, why should we choose not to?
Consider veganism
“O boys, boys, don’t throw stones at that poor bird,” said an old, gray headed man; I am afraid the stone will rebound, and hurt you as long as you live!
Fifty years ago I was a boy like you. I used to throw stones, and, as I had no other boy very near me to play with, I threw them till I became very accurate in my aim. One day I went to work for an aged couple of the name of Hamilton. They seemed very old people then. They were very kind to everybody and everything. Few had so many swallows making their nests under the roofs of their barns; few had so many pets that seemed to love them as they.
For seven years a bird bad come, after the long winter was over, and built her nest in the same place, and there reared her young ones. had just returned on the day that I She went there to work, and they welcomed her back. She hopped about, as if glad to get back. In the course of the day I, thought I would try my skill upon her.
She sat upon a post near a spot where she was to build her nest, and looked at me with all confidence, as much as to say, You won’t hurt me? I found a nice stone, and, poising my arm, I threw it with my utmost skill. It struck the bird on the head, and she dropped dead! I was sorry the moment I saw her fall; but the deed was done.
All day long her, mate flew about, and chirped in tones so sad that it made my heart ache. Why had I taken a life so innocent, and made the poor mate grieve so? I aid nothing to the old people about it, but through a grandchild they found it out; and, though they never mentioned it to me, I knew that they mourned for the bird, and were deeply grieved at my cruelty. I could never look them in the face afterwards as I had done before. They have been dead many, many years, and so has the poor bird; but don’t you see how that stone rebounded and hit me? How deep a wound it made upon my memory!
How deep upon my conscience! Why, my dear boys, I would make great sacrifices to-day if I could undo that one deed! For fifty years I have carried it in my memory, and if what I have now said shall prevent you from throwing a stone at a poor bird, that may rebound and deeply wound your conscience, I shall rejoice.
The boys thanked the aged man, dropped their stones, and the bird had no more trouble from them.
When I was about six years old, one morning, going to school, a ground squirrel ran into his hole in the ground before me; as they like to dig holes in some open place, where they can put out their heads to see if any danger is near. I thought now I will have fine fun. As there was a stream of water just at hand, I determined to pour water in the hole till it would be full, and force the little animal up, so that I might kill it. I got a trough be side a sugar-maple, used for catching sap, and was so0n pouring the water in on the squirrel. I could hear it struggle to get up, and said, “Ah, my fellow, I will soon have you out.”
Just then I heard a voice behind me: “Well, my boy, what have you got there?”
I turned and saw one of my neighbors, a good old man, with long white locks, that had seen sixty winters.
Why, said I, “I have a ground squirrel in here, and am going to drown him out.”
Said he: “Jonathan, when I was a little boy, more than fifty years ago, I was engaged one day just as you are, drowning a ground squirrel, and an old man came along and said to me, You are a little boy; now if you were down in a narrow hole like that, and I should come and pour water down upon you, would you not think I was cruel? God made the little squirrel, and life is as sweet to it as you ; and why will you torture to death a little innocent creature that God has made?”
Said he: “I never have forgotten that, and never shall. I never have killed any harmless creature for fun, since. Now, my dear boy, I want you to remember this while you live, and, when tempted to kill any poor little innocent animal or bird, think of this, and mind, God don’t allow us to kill his creatures for fun.”
More than forty years have since passed, and I have never forgotten what the good man said, nor have killed the least animal for fun since that advice was given, and it has not lost its influence yet. How many little creatures it has saved from being tortured to death I cannot tell, but I have no doubt a great number, and I believe my whole life has been influenced by it.
An inspector of the Sing-Sing prison, New York, was once asked how it was that one brought into sharp collision with the world had preserved so much tenderness of heart. “My mother was a pious woman,” said he, “and a serious conversation she had with me, when I was four or five years old, has affected my whole life. I had joined some boys who were tormenting a kit ten. We chased her and threw stones till we killed her.
When I came into the house, I told my mother what I had done. She took me on her lap and talked to me in such a moving style about my cruelty to the poor, helpless little animal, that I sobbed as if my heart would break. Afterwards, if I were tempted to do anything unkind, she would tell me to remember how sorry I was for having hurt the little kitten. For a long time after I could not think of it without tears. It impressed me so deeply, when I became a man, I could never see a forlorn, suffering wretch run down by his fellow-beings without thinking of that hunted and pelted little beast. Even now the remembrance of that kitten, and the recollection of my dear mother’s gentle lessons, come between me and the prisoners at Sing-Sing, and admonish me to be humane and forbearing.”
L. M. Alcott relates that being on a train of cars in Massachusetts, they stopped at a station for twenty minutes. She amused herself by looking out of a window at a water-fall, which came tumbling over the rocks, and spread into a wide pool that flowed up to the rail way. Close by stood a cattle train: and the mournful sounds that came from it touched her heart.
Full in the hot sun stood the cars; and every crevice of room between the bars across the doorways was filled with pathetic noses, sniffing eagerly at the sultry gusts that blew by, with now and then a fresh breath from the pool that How they lay dimpling before them. must have suffered, in sight of water with the cool dash of the fall tantalizing them, and not a drop to wet their poor, parched mouths.
“The cattle lowed dismally, and the sheep tumbled one over the other in their frantic attempts to reach the blessed air, bleating so plaintively the while that I was tempted to go out and see what I could do for them. But the time was nearly up; and while I hesitated, two little girls appeared and did the kind deed better than I could have done it.”
“I could not hear what they said; but as they worked away so heartily, their little tanned faces grew lovely to me, in spite of their old hats, their bare feet, and their shabby gowns. One pulled off her apron, spread it on the grass, and emptying upon it the berries from her pail, ran to the pool and returned with it dripping, to hold it up to the suffering sheep, who stretched their hot tongues gratefully to meet it, and lapped the precious water with an eagerness that made little Barefoot’s task a hard one.”
“But too and fro she ran, never tired, though the small pail was so soon empty; and her friend meanwhile pulled great handfuls of clover and grass for the cows, and having no pail, filled her ‘picking dish with water to throw on the poor, dusty noses appealing to her through the bars. I wish I could have told those tender-hearted children how beautiful their compassion made that hot, noisy place, and what a sweet picture I took away with me of those two little sisters of charity.”
“A thing remarkable in my child hood was, that once going to a neighbor’s house, I saw on the way, a robin sitting on her nest, and as I came near, she went off, but, having young ones, flew about, and with many cries expressed her concern for them. I stood and threw stones at her, till one striking her, she fell down dead; at first I was pleased with the exploit, but after a few minutes was seized with horror, for having, in a sportive way, killed an innocent creature while she was careful for her young. I beheld her lying dead, and thought those young ones, for which she was so careful, must now perish for want of their dam to nourish them: and after some painful considerations on the subject, I climbed the tree, took all the young birds and killed them, supposing that better than to leave them to pine away and die miserably; and believed, in this case, that Scripture proverb was fulfilled, The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
I then went on my errand, but, for some hours could think of little else but the cruelties I had committed, and was much troubled. Thus He, whose tender mercies are over all his works, hath placed a principle in the human mind, which incites to goodness towards every living creature; and this being singly at tended to, people become tender-hearted and sympathizing; but being frequently and totally rejected, the mind becomes shut up to a contrary direction”
As I was recently walking along one of the streets, I observed a man by the side of a horse and cart. The hose was drawing a heavy load with apparent ease. It was in such good condition, and so well groomed, that it would not have disgraced a gentleman’s carriage. I asked the man if the horse was his own property. He answered with honest pride, “He is; and when he first came into my possession he was exceedingly stubborn, and would not work, but I would not have a whip used to him, and you see what he now is.” I was much pleased to hear such a testimony, and wished that some unfeeling men whom I had seen cruelly beating and distressing the mouths, and in various ways inflicting wanton cruelty on the poor unoffending and defenseless animals under their care, would but follow such a good example.
How much more labor would horses, mules, oxen, and other beasts of burden, cheerfully perform, if kindly treated. They are amongst the most generous, willing, and obedient creatures in existence, if kindly treated, as experience has proved in thousands of instances.
May all who have the care of horses and other animals, remember the York carter, and go and do likewise. Parents should check early, every indication of cruelty in their children. Surely our merciful Creator wills that all his creatures may be made happy in the places where his wisdom has appointed them, and will He not require in the day of judgment, a strict account, from all who inflict wanton cruelty?
TURN, turn thy hasty foot aside,
Nor crush that helpless worm,
The frame thy wayward looks deride,
Required a God to form!
Let them enjoy their little day,
Their lowly bliss receive;
Oh! do not rashly take away
The life thou canst not give.