Charley agreed with his brother that it was an interesting story. Their comments upon it naturally led to a discussion of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which has been mentioned in a preceding chapter.
“You know it was founded by Mr. Bergh,” said Charley, “and before his death that gentleman had the satisfaction of seeing very fights are not as numerous as they were, and there is even an element of humanity in the brutal sport of pigeon shooting.
“'I have no hesitation in affirming that this changed condition of affairs is wholly due to the labors of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The Society was organized to work just such a reform, and I am sure the public will bear me out in the statement that its efforts have been crowned with success.
“'Just let me instance some phases of cruelty that were very common in this city in the early days of the Society, but which are very rarely heard of now:
“'What an ordinary spectacle it once was to see a horse, dragging a heavily laden cart or truck, fall from sheer exhaustion in the street! And the brutal driver would take a rung from his cart and beat the poor animal in the most horrible manner about the head and body. That spectacle is very rare in these days. Drivers of horses are particular now not to overload their trucks, and they think a good deal, if the horse happens to fall, before using a cart rung on him.
“'You remember, too, how certain dealers in poultry used to go through the streets carrying fowls by the legs and letting their heads drag along the sidewalk. Nowadays fowls are transported about the city in crates.
“'Bit burrs are not quite as numerous now as they were some years ago. They were quite a 'fad' in society once. They were made of leather about three inches in diameter, and one such was thickly studded with long, sharp tacks. These burrs were fastened to the bit and placed on each side of the horse's mouth. They were a constant source of agony to the horse, but they pleased society because they made the horses jump and prance as though possessed of an exuberance of animal spirits. The horse's attitude and antics were magnificent, but it was magnificent agony, for those tacks tore and lacerated the tender flesh about the mouth in the most horrible manner. That burr was a most diabolical instrument of torture.
“'Another society 'fad' which the Society stopped, or rather ameliorated, was the practice of clipping horses as cold weather approached. The Society's officers frequently saw teams that had just been clipped standing in front of houses in Fifth Avenue or before the big dry-goods establishments for hours, shivering with cold. Of course, they looked very neat and glossy, but the deprivation of the animal's covering was a horrible cruelty.
