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Animal Rights History Timeline » [1785-1837] Romantic Age » Laetitia Pilkington

Laetitia Pilkington

Pity's Gift: Interesting Tales to Excite the Compassion of Youth for the Animal Creation, from the Writings of Mr. Pratt

[1798] Laetitia Pilkington, Pity's Gift: A Collection of Interesting Tales, to Excite the Compassion of Youth for the Animal Creation…from the Writings of Mr. Pratt, Selected by a Lady [Laetitia Pilkington] (London, 1798; Google Books: Online Library of Free eBooks).

From an attentive observation on young people, particularly those of my own family, I have long thought it of as great importance to teach them lessons of compassion for the dumb creation, as a fellow fellow feeling for their own species: not only because the one is connected with the other, but, because, an early neglect of the duties of humanity, in regard to the first, leads but too naturally to an omission of those duties as to the last: and every one must have notices, in most children, a tyrannical, sometimes cruel, propensity to torment animals within their power, such as —persecuting flies, torturing birds, cats, dogs, &c. Some friends of mine joined me in thinking that a collection of humane facts, and arguments in favour of these suffering creatures, might be of considerable use, if brought into view, not only to our own offspring, but if made public, to youth in general. With this idea, it was my intention to have a selection from various authors: but a sufficient number of the Tales being found in the writings first examined, I did not look further; unwilling to swell the compilation to a size that might fatigue, or appear formidable, to my little friends—Perhaps, indeed, so great a number of stories, for my purpose, could not have been met with in the works of any other author; and, I trust, the present use made of them will neither injure the fame of that gentleman, nor the property of any other person. (v-viii)