Friends and Helpers Part 29

Cruelty of Caging Birds and Squirrels.

Egret Plumes and how they are obtained.

Valuable leaflets on the care and kind treatment of animals may be obtained by addressing The Animal Rescue League, 51 Carver Street, Boston, Ma.s.s.

"We and Our Friends" and other leaflets may be obtained of Mrs. Mary F.

Lovell, 215 Summit Ave., Jenkintown, Pa.

Leaflets and pamphlets suitable for use in schools and for distribution elsewhere, including some with stories of cats, dogs, etc., can be obtained from The American Humane Education Society, 180 Longwood Ave., Boston, Ma.s.s.

At the same address may also be obtained other inexpensive publications.

Among them are the following:--

"Songs of Happy Life," a fine collection of songs, many of them with original music by eminent modern composers. This book inculcates a love of nature and kindness to all living creatures. Many of the songs are suitable for Peace day, Bird day, and Arbor day exercises. It contains, besides the music, an outline of Band of Mercy entertainments, selections for readings, recitations, memory gems, etc., which may be found very useful for school work as well as suitable for Bands of Mercy. American Humane Education Society, Boston. Price 50 cents.

"Voices for the Speechless," a collection of poems from standard authors, suitable for recitations etc.

"The Teacher's Helper in Humane Education," by Dr. Rowley. 32 pages.

Price 10 cents.

NOTE.--As soon as a Band of Mercy numbers thirty members it should be reported to the American Humane Education Society, 180 Longwood Ave., Fenway Station, Boston, Ma.s.s., which will send Our Dumb Animals free for one year, with an a.s.sortment of valuable leaflets. From this society may also be obtained interesting books, "Black Beauty" among others. Several hundred thousand copies of this book have been sold. Its price, paper bound, is twenty cents, postage paid.

"Our Gold Mine at Hollyhurst" and "Twelve Lessons on Kindness to Animals" may also be obtained from the Society.

INFORMATION CONCERNING THE JACK LONDON CLUB

All exhibitions of trained animals should be discouraged, as much cruelty is involved in teaching them the unnatural tricks. Persons who have witnessed the training of animals say there is a great deal of suffering behind the scenes. They not only suffer from cruelty but are forced to live in unnatural surroundings and suffer from close confinement. Use your influence to discourage such shows. The Jack London Club has been formed to stop this kind of cruelty. It is an organized protest against the cruelties involved in training animals and exhibiting them on the stage.

Send your name and address to Our Dumb Animals, 180 Longwood Ave., Boston, Ma.s.s. Sending your name will mean that you are willing to leave your seat in any place of amus.e.m.e.nt while performing animals are on the stage. Even if you won't do this, talk about the cruelties connected with these performances. Join the Jack London Club now; no dues, no fees. The Club, in little over three years, secured a members.h.i.+p of over two hundred thousand and is growing rapidly. Free literature about the Jack London Club may be obtained. The book by Jack London, "Michael Brother of Jerry," which deals with this cruelty, is sold at one dollar per copy.

Laws have been pa.s.sed in the following states making humane education compulsory in the public schools: Maine, Was.h.i.+ngton, California, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Idaho, Montana, Texas, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Utah, New Hamps.h.i.+re, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, and New York. Many testimonials have been received from school superintendents and teachers as to the good results obtained since humane education has been made a part of the regular school work.

As state after state is pa.s.sing the law making humane education a part of the school work, some students may ask why the state is especially interested in their being taught kindness to all living creatures,--to the lower animals as well as to human beings. The teacher can mention the fact that eighty per cent of the criminal cla.s.s in our jails and prisons were cruel from childhood, and that it is less expensive for the state to educate the child in humanity than to support him as a criminal. The teacher can tell the child that if it is necessary to take life, it should be done as quickly and painlessly as possible. It is cruel to inflict needless pain. Tell the child that our hearts warm toward one who is kind, while we shrink from one who is cruel.

The child should be taught to remember that no living creature is here from choice; all comes from the hand of G.o.d, and each has its special work. We must also remember that a child when cruel is morally hurt, and a moral hurt is greater than a physical one.

"We and the beasts are kin. Man has nothing that the animals have not at least a vestige of; the animals have nothing that man does not in some degree share. Since, then, the animals are creatures with wants and feelings differing in degree only from our own, they surely have their rights."--ERNEST THOMPSON SETON.