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Animal Rights History Timeline » [1837-1901] Victorian Age » Edward Freeman

Edward A. Freeman

Morality of Field Sports

Fortnightly Review

[1869-Oct] Edward A. Freeman, "The Morality of Field Sports," Fortnightly Review, 6 (1869-Oct): 353-85; Google Books: Online Library of Free eBooks.

Windham, a patron of everything that called itself "sport'—"sport" of course commonly meaning the death or torture of some creature—said manfully and consistently, "No one who condemns bull-baiting can consistently defend fox hunting."…He drew from it one practical inference; I draw from it another. From the admitted right to torture the fox Windham inferred the right to torture the bull. From the admitted sin of torturing the bull I infer the sin of torturing the fox. (353)

I am not going, though I feel strongly on the subject, to preach a sermon on cruelty to animals—a subject, by the way, which those whose business it is to preach sermons might with advantage deal with oftener than they do. Nor am I going to put forth any extreme views on he subject or the other subjects which, in an historical and philosophical view, cannot be separated from it. If I cannot control myself alongside the Earl of Winchelsea in looking on common humanity as "loathsome sensibility," neither can I control myself alongside of the Marquess Townshed in deeming it unlawful, under any circumstances whatever, to cause pain or inconvenience to any animal. I am neither a vegetarian nor an opponent of capital punishment. I have no scruple as to taking the life either of a man or beast when real need calls for it. But I do wish to expose certain popular fallacies and inconsistencies, and to point out some historical and philosophical bearings of the question which might not strike every one at first sight. (353-4)