One of the commonest and most disagreeable sights in a big city
is that of a strong, brutal human being beating a weak and
overworked horse because it refuses to do what it cannot do.
Brutality inflicted upon horses is atrocious. But the bad effect
of such unkind treatment of animals on HUMAN CHARACTER is far
more serious than the actual physical suffering inflicted. ----
The perfection of the automobile will do much to improve human
beings by taking away from their control and from brutal coercion
submissive animals.
Everybody knows that the moral standard is raised immediately in
a country when slavery is abolished.
In America we have abolished the slavery of human beings, but we
still adhere to horse slavery, accompanied by all the worst forms
of the old negro slavery. The faithful slave may be beaten and
driven to death. The driver MUST BE BRUTALIZED.
Every day, on every street, you may see stupid, muscular boys and
men jerking with all their might on the tender mouths of poor
horses, only too willing to do their best.
This brutal indifference to the sufferings of animals makes us
brutal and indifferent in other directions.
With the advent of the automobile and the disappearance of horses
from our cities, horse slavery will be abolished and men,
compelled to use their brains in dealing with machinery, will
soon become more nearly human than they are at present. The
practical abolition of the street-car horse is one great step in
advance.
The abolition of the truck horse, carriage horse, cab horse, soon
to come, will complete the dream of those modern and highly
deserving abolitionists, the automobile inventors and
manufacturers.