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Spectator Magazine

Rev. Francis Orpen Morris, letter to the editor, "The Clergy and Experiments on Living Animals," Spectator Magazine 57 (1884 Apr 12): 486; Online at Animal Rights History, 2003.

Clergy and Experiments on Living Animals

Freancis Orpen Morris

Letter to the Editor, Spectator Magazine

THE CLERGY AND EXPERIMENTS ON LIVING ANIMALS

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR"]

Sir,—I have only just seen the letter of "R. J. K." in the Spectator on the above subject, and as I should be sorry, indeed, to remain under the tacit stigma of being one of those who have not exerted themselves to the utmost in such a cause as that referred to, I will ask you to mention in your columns that a sermon of mine, No. 201 of my "Plain Sermons for Plain People," was published by the Messrs. Partridge and Co., Pasternoster Row, several years ago, entitled "The Curse of Cruelty," and in it the atrocious practice of the above heading was strongly animadverted on, but not too strongly, for that is impossible.

The sermon has long been out of print, and I fruitlessly endeavored some months since to obtain a copy for myself, not having one, by a letter in the Zoophilist. I had lent the only copy I had a couple of years ago to a clergyman, to assist him, too, in preaching on the subject, as I believe he had done before at different times, and, unfortunately, when recently I applied to him for it, he could not find it. I wanted it then for another clergyman, who had also written to ask me to lend it to him for a like purpose. These are recent instances, close at hand. Numbers of clergyman have done, and are doing, all they can in the cause, and many are the thousands of valuable papers on the subject that I myself have circulated. If all such clergymen thought it worth their while to contradict the false statements made about them, the Spectator would have room for nothing else than their letters in its columns. —I am, Sir, &c., F. O. MORRISS.Nunburnholme Rectory, Hayton, Yorkshire.