If it be afflictive, on one side, to reflect upon the deeds of cruelty
and oppression which prevail upon earth, through the instrumentality of
man, it is delightful, on the other, to perceive that human reason,
instead of being abused and perverted into a source of tyrannical
oppression, is occasionally exercised, as it ought to be, in promoting
happiness and social harmony, even among brutes; in producing that degree
of peaceful concord, which it has been proved may exist among animals
whose natural antipathies are the most violent imaginable--that feeling
which disarms the strong among them of all desire to tyrannise over and
destroy the weak, and is brought into exercise by a steady and
persevering _system_ of early training (and consequent acquirement of
abiding habits), directly opposed to _that_ which prompts us to place a
whip in the hand of a child.
I have been led into this train of contemplation, from having recently
witnessed a practical illustration of the wonderful effects producible by
what may fairly be termed a benevolent system, for there is no degree
whatever of harsh discipline connected with it--no starvation, no blows,
nothing of that "reign of terror," under the influence of which Van
Amburgh has doubtless effected his dominion over the most ferocious of
beasts; the exhibition of which power, while it surprises, does not
please us; for, though, by an effort of the imagination, the mind may be
led for a moment to the anticipation of the scene in which "the wolf
shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid,"
it quickly considers this surprising display of human power with painful
sensations, from the conviction that extreme severity of discipline alone
has enabled man in this instance to attain his despotic sovereignty, and
that the unnatural results which he beholds are an evidence that the
legitimate dominion granted to man "over every thing that moveth upon the
earth," has in this case, as in ten thousand others, been overstrained
and abused.
While animals of prey are in a state of nature, they either avoid each
other, or meet in deadly contest, according to the degree of their
antipathies; and until He who has impressed their dispositions upon them
shall bid them lie down together in peace, no efforts of puny man can
avail in changing their habits, except under such rare circumstances as
confirm the general law of instinct which leads them to destroy each
other. But the dislike which many of the domesticated animals entertain
for each other, is greatly increased by the encouragement which they
receive from man. The dog, which under other treatment would be familiar
with the cat or the hog, is taught from his _puppyhood_ to pursue and
worry each of them; the cat instinctively defends herself with those
claws which are her natural weapons, and she scratches her opponent's
face, and through their after life they are never thoroughly reconciled
to each other, but live proverbially as "cat and dog." The hog cannot
defend himself from the teeth of the dog; his ears are torn by them; he
cannot retaliate, but he lives ever afterwards in dread of the whole
canine race. Dogs, which otherwise would live in harmony together, are
taught to fight; their natural jealousy is encouraged, and they are
rendered bullies by profession.
That the dread of man is in a certain degree naturally upon every beast
of the field and bird of the air, cannot be disputed; but this feeling is
increased considerably by the _experience_ which many brutes have of
man's caprice or tyranny, and this dread is transmissible (as may be
justly inferred from cases which are perfectly analogous, such as the
acquired habit of pointing at game) to their posterity.
A benevolent man, living, as we read of Robinson Crusoe, among his goats,
ceases to be an object of apprehension to the animals around him; even
birds, habituated to his kindness and protection, would become divested
of the dread of man; and each successive generation of those familiarized
birds would probably become more and more disposed to associate with him,
if he were systematically kind and encouraging in his manner. Such
experiments with the brute kind, it is true, can be but extremely
partial, and are unattended with any very practically useful results in
_themselves_; but, as respects _the education of children_, they are of
extreme utility in exciting tender and benevolent feelings, and awakening
the intellectual faculties from subjects merely sensual or idly amusing;
they teach us "to look from Nature up to Nature's God."
There never was a better founded observation than that of the late Mr
Cobbett, that no one should be entrusted with the care of the nobler
animals who had not been habituated to treat the lesser ones with
kindness.
I love to see a child feeding his rabbits or pigeons, and familiarly
playing with them, consulting their tastes, and contributing to their
comforts by every means within his power. Surely such a pursuit should
not be rudely discouraged; how much more humanizing than the desire to
possess "whips for a penny," to which I have recently adverted! It tends
to render a child compassionate in his disposition to all God's
creatures, and unwilling to hurt, for the sake of inflicting pain, or
from thoughtless mischief.
And I am just enough of phrenologist to be of opinion that, if there be
any remarkable developement of the organ of destructiveness, this may be
sufficiently counteracted by the exercise of feelings which have
connection with the faculty of benevolence, and so modified, by avoiding
all pursuits of a cruel nature, as to constitute, with God's blessing, a
benevolent character, which, by the indulgence of the inherent
inclination to cruel sports, would become of the opposite nature; for
there is unquestionably an adaptation of the mind, as well as the body,
to the circumstances under which individuals are placed. It is with the
faculties of the human mind as with the habits of brutes; when exercised,
they acquire strength, and gradually become more developed and confirmed;
ay, and become hereditary too in proportion to their original or
gradually progressing degree of developement. How important, then, that
the higher faculties, on which depends the elevation of the moral
character, should be strengthened by use and exercise! But I have
digressed far from the illustration which I was about to give at the
beginning, of a practically benevolent system of brute education.
There stands on every fine day, near one of the great London bridges, a
mild, cheerful looking man, who exhibits to the passers by an assemblage
of animals of the most decided antipathies by nature, who live together
in the same large cage in perfect harmony. The notion of collecting into
one family such apparently discordant members, originated, I believe,
with a gentleman who has long made the brute animal economy the subject
of his investigations, and who suggested to John Austin the harmlessness,
at least, of earning the means of his support by the novel and
interesting exhibition of a cat, rats, mice, Guinea pigs, hawks, pigeons,
owls, and starlings, and, I believe, another bird, under the same limited
roof, and with perfect freedom of access from one to another. One of the
pigeons is now hatching, without any cause of alarm from the hawk for the
safety of her anticipated offspring; for that bird is so far from being
of a destructive temper, that he frequently feeds a young starling with
meat from his own bill, and apparently of his own impulse; nor do any of
the birds manifest apprehension from the cat, which has been almost born
in their company, and although frequently permitted to go outside the
cage and take the air without restraint, returns soon again, without
having had her disposition corrupted by intercourse with bad company,
takes up her favourite position in a corner, where the rats most
affectionately run up to her for warmth and concealment from the public
gaze, behind her furry and comfortable back. The pigeons are also allowed
their liberty occasionally, but they soon return to their quarters, which
habit has rendered pleasant to them.
Now, I by no means recommend to parents, for their children, the
establishment of a _domestic menagerie_, for the care of this would be
extremely troublesome, and occupy time which should be spent to far
better purpose; nor do I recommend the keeping of useless pets of any
kind, my object being merely to point out, by actual exemplification,
what the benevolent _principle_, systematically exercised, _can_ produce
even under the most adverse circumstances. On what are called pets, such
as lapdogs and parrots, much warm, kind feeling is often unprofitably
bestowed. When PONTO dies of plethora, or POLL from cold or infirmity,
sensibilities are sometimes called forth, which would not flow from the
contemplation of human sufferings. The servant who is daily employed to
wash and comb the dog, is perhaps never sent upon an errand of mercy to
any of the distressed families around the mistress, and a wayworn group
of children may unavailingly solicit the luxurious food which is placed
before the pampered _pet_, without shame or scruple.
I do not intend to maintain the pet _system_ in general; it is the
principle of humanity which I seek, not that mawkish sensibility which
causes so many to weep at the dramatic exhibition of fictitious woe, who
would not drop one tear of sympathy for real misery, divested, as in the
scenes of every-day life, of the embellishments and romantic adjuncts
which false sentiment delights in. We all, it is true, require some
especial objects of endearment, something on which the feelings of the
heart may find expansion, else we become cold, selfish, and very
disagreeable to every one. In childhood, therefore, the disposition to
love even the domestic animals born for our use, should be sedulously
fostered, but not to such excess as to weaken the affection for parents,
brothers, sisters, or friends. The principle should only be checked,
however, in its exuberance, never crushed. In mature years the affections
should have the highest objects, and in those instances in which the
Creator has denied the gift of offspring to us, I would respectfully
suggest to those who desire pets, the adoption of an orphan or two, whom
they may train both for earth and heaven, in preference to any other
perishable idols.