The slaughter of animals for food / by John Galsworthy.

  • John Galsworthy
Date:
[1913]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The slaughter of animals for food / by John Galsworthy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    set cocks fighting, baited bears and badgers, tied tin pots to dogs’ tails, with the lightest of light hearts and no consciousness at all that they were outside the pale of decency in doing so. Their descendants, butchers, slaughterers, what-not (as good and decent fellows as members of other trades) now look on the unnecessary suffering involved in such doings with the same aversion as the rest of us; but they still kill their sheep without stunning, still drive their pigs in gangs into the slaughtering chamber, still prefer to use the uncertain pole-axe—all without a qualm. Why should this enormous field, wherein does occur such an amount of easily preventible suffering, be left so utterly unpatrolled by the law, which has interested itself in warding off all needless suffering from cats and dogs and horses? Well! The law stands idle partly because the animals we kill for food are not so near and dear to us as those others. We should never stand the horses and dogs and cats we make such pets of killed when their time comes in the manner in which we kill our sheep and pigs. And partly the law stands idle because in the case of horses and dogs and cats there is no large leagued interest, such as that of the meat trades, setting its face against interference. I am told that the meat trades constitutes the strongest body in the kingdom. And well they may, considering the vast proportions of their business. But presumably the meat trades are controlled by men very like ourselves; no more cruel, no more desirous of inflicting unnecessary suffering and if Iam told that these men are going to oppose, just for the sake of prejudice, such simple, elementary safeguards against unnecessary suffering as I shall outline, I can only say I do not believe it. There will be nothing prejudicial to their interest in these suggestions. Nothing startling, extravagant, or experi- mental. The case has been proved up to the hilt. What on earth is the good of appointing a Govern- mental Committee of first-rate men* to examine into * The Admiralty Committee on Humane Slaughtering, 1904, Chairman Mr. Arthur Lee, M.F
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