| [2] | Things have moved a little, I believe, but not nearly enough.—J. G. |
| [3] | The Admiralty Committee on Humane Slaughtering, 1904 Chairman, Mr. Arthur Lee, M.P. |
| [4] | I believe it is the smell of blood, rather than the sight, which affects animals.—J. G. |
IV
On Performing Animals
(1)
(A Letter to the Daily Express, 1913.)
Writing from the standpoint of one whose love of animals at one time caused him to enjoy the spectacle of them performing tricks and capers, into the educational history of which he never thought of going, I believe I well understand the attraction of “the animal show” in music-halls or circuses. Nor do I doubt that there are animal trainers with such a natural gift and love of beasts that the process of training becomes almost pleasurable to creatures who are not by nature intended to ape mankind.
I even believe that there may be animals, especially among dogs, who grow to appreciate the glamour of the footlights, and the sense of their own importance. But when all this is said, I have come to abominate the thought of the whole thing, and I fancy that any one who takes the trouble to think the matter out, any one who does not allow his natural delight in animals to run away with his sense of proportion and the fitness of things, must come to the same conclusion.