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Animal Rights History Timeline » [1785-1837] Romantic Age » James Fisher

James Fisher

A Spring Day

Cruelty to Brutes

[1803] James Fisher, "Cruelty to Brutes," in A Spring Day; Or, Contemplations on Several Occurrences which Naturally Strike the Eye in that Delightful Season (Edinburgh, 1803; Google Books: Online Library of Free eBooks) 127-133.

While I am pressing through this thicket, I perceive a timorous hare alarmed for her safety, has sprung from her den: how swiftly she runs across yonder opening, and is lost to my view. Poor creature ! thou mightiest have enjoyed thy repose in safety for me.—What can be the reason that the animal creation are so much afraid of man, and man of them? Methinks something whispers in my ear, The fall is the occasion of both; for ever since man brake his trust with the Creator, these inferior creatures durst trust him no more; and even not man could put confidence in a brother. And though he had the grant of dominion over all the creatures, yet they, as it were sensible he had lost that wisdom, prudence, and mildness that was necessary for such a governor, ever since he was afraid to meet with God, Gen. iii. 8, 9, 10. have been afraid to meet with him, and sought to shun his presence: And indeed well they may, for since that time, they have often experienced his cruelty.

Among all the sins that men are guilty of, I am persuaded that of cruelty to brutes is none of the least; and I cannot doubt, but in the judgment of the great day, by the Searcher of hearts, and Witness of all our actions, that sin will be exposed. What an awful account then will many have to give, who have here unmercifully treated those beasts over which they had power? If God hear the young ravens that cry unto him, and supply them with food, Psal. cxivii. 9. will not he who is a God of pity hear the cries and groans which the cruelty of man extorts from the animals, and avenger their oppression?

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast, Prov. xii. 10. the negative of this scripture no doubt is, a man that regardeth not the life of his beast if not a righteous man; "The Lord is good to all, and his "tender mercies are over all his works," Psal. cxlv. 9. We ought therefore to copy after this darling attribute of the Creator; for our Lord and Saviour hath said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy," Matth. v. 7. the negative of which no doubt is, Cursed are the unmerciful, for they shall not obtain mercy; What a strong incitement to this duty is this benediction and its negative? Be ye therefore merciful, s your father also is merciful, Luke vi. 36.

If God were as unmerciful to us, as many of us are to brutes, how miserable would our lives in this world be! Those inferiour creatures were give to man for his use, but not to be abuse by him. The faculty of reason which sets him superiour to them, gives him no more warrant to be cruel to such; than the superiour nature of the angels gives them a right to tyrannize over us; but on the contrary, ought to move him with compassion to those creatures which are made to groan and travail in pain for his sins, Rom. viii. 22.

To induce us to be tender to them, especially those of the domestic kind, we ought to consider, that they could do much better without us, than we could do without them: And are they not most obedient servants, not for a short term only, but all their lives if we chuse; submitting to our greatest drudgeries, without ever repining?

If we are of the opinion that the brutal creation have no futurity of any kind, what a sad thing then is it to make their short existence a miserable one? On the other hand, if we think with others, they will be restored to their primeval state, we may be afraid they will one day witness against their relentless oppressors.

To favour this last opinion, some take Rom. vii. 19—22. to refer. Whether this be the case or not, one thing is certain, that man at the last must give up an account of how he hath improved the talents and power he was entrusted with, and so of his lordship over the creatures.

That shot has surprised me very much! it had made all the wood echo. Oh! I perceive a poor robin hath fallen a victim to the fowler. Cruel man ! how could you deprive such an innocent creature of its existence, and at the very time it was attempting to soften your cruel breast with its delicate song: Sure it was doing you no harm, nor is its little carcase of any benefit to you, for I perceive you have left it lying at the foot of yonder tree.

Poor robin ! no more wilt thou visit my habitation in the pinching frost, peck up a few crumbs, and shelter thyself under its roof, nor repay me with thy song in the spring; no, thou are gone, and has nothing to reckon for; but trifling as thy death may seem to thy murderer, I will say but he will have to answer for it, for not a sparrow can fall to the ground without our heavenly Father's notice, Mat. x. 29.

By this barbarous deed, an innocent creature is not only deprived of life, but its mate of a partner, the young of a parent, and the grove of a songster. Strange depravity ! that any man can take pleasure merely in the pain and destruction of harmless creatures! I am very much afraid, among all the instructions which parents give their children, that this of being merciful to the brutal creation is too often neglected; where as, if this were inculcated by example, admonition and the rod, it might be the means of prevention boys from exercising a wanton cruelty upon domestic animals, killing birds with stones, and destroying their progeny when they find them in the field; and might be the means, thro' grace, of giving them a merciful turn of mind when they arrive at a riper age: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart form it," saith the inspired Solomon, Prov. xxii. 6. (127-133)