Animal Rights History »» Rev. J. Todd Ferrier

On Behalf of the Creatures; A Plea Historical, Scientific, Economic, Dynamic, Humane and Religious

On Behalf
of the
Creaturesby J. Todd Ferrier



THE ORDER OF THE CROSS

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This Brochure was first published
in 1903 under the title CONCERNING HUMAN CARNIVORISM.

Printed in Guernsey by the Star and Gazette Co., Ltd.

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On Behalf
of the
Creatures


A Plea
Historical
Scientific
Economic
Dynamic
Humane
Religious


By
J. TODD FERRIER




LONDON
THE ORDER OF THE CROSS
28 RUSSELL SQUARE, W.C.I

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THE ORDER OF THE CROSS
_________________

AIMS AND IDEALS

To attain by mutual helpfulness, the realisation of the Christ-life, by the path of self-denial, self-sacrifice, and absolute self-abandonment to the Divine will and service :—

It is of these things that the Cross as a symbol speaks. It stands for the Sign of the Order of the Cross, because its three steps are those which have to be taken in order to arrive at that Estate which it symbolises. It speaks of the quest after the humble spirit and the pure heart. It speaks also of that further state of realisation, when the Soul gives itself in absolute abandonment for the Divine Service. The three steps are :—

Purity of Living.
Purity of the Mind.
Purity of the Soul.

Thus to endeavour by example and teaching to win all men to the love of Truth, Purity and Right-doing :

To proclaim the Brotherhood of Man, the essential one-ness of all religious aspirations, and the unity of all living creatures in the Divine. To teach the moral necessity for humaneness towards all men and all creatures :

To protest against, and to work for the abolition of all national and social customs which violate the teachings of the Christ, especially such as involve bloodshed, the oppression of the weak and defenceless, the perpetuation of the brutal mind, and the infliction of cruelty upon animals, viz. :—war, vivisection, the slaughter of animals for food, fashion and sport, and kindred evils :

To proclaim a message of peace and happiness, health and purity, spirituality and Divine Love.

Pity. Compassion. Love.
Redemption. Regeneration. Illumination.
Purity. Devotion. Service.
Self-Denial. Self-sacrifice. Self-abandonment.

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CONTENTS

FOREWORD

.. 7

THE RECORDS OF HISTORY—

Aristophagy — Tertullian's Writings — The Clementine
Homilies — Marcion's Antithesis — Clement of Alexandria on the physical and moral value of pure, natural diet — K. 0. Muller — The first Apostles — Origen — The Gnostics Fruitarians on Moral Grounds—Chrysostom of Constantinople on the degrading effects of flesh-eating, and its hindrance to spiritual growth — Hesiod's Golden Age — Buddha

.. .. 11-29

THE TESTIMONY OF SCIENCE—

Against flesh-eating and in favour of fruits and vegetable products as man's natural diet — Anatomists, Chemists, Physicians, Surgeons — Darwin — Baron Cuvier — Professor Lawrence—Sir Charles Bell—Sir Richard Owen — Dr. W. B. Carpenter — Ed. Smith — Gassendi — The Doctors' failure to arrest the encroachments of disease—Dr. Spencer Thompson — Sir Henry Thompson—Sir Benjamin Richardson — Alex. Haig — Professor Jonathan Hutchinson — Milner Fothergill — Josiah Oldfield — J. H. Kellogg — Bell — Roger Williams — Frank Madden — Robert H. Perks — The force of all this testimony — Edward Carpenter

.. .. 30-55

SOME ECONOMIC PROBLEMS—

The land question to be settled by a return to the land on the part of the people, and a national return to pure diet — William Paley — Arthur Arnold — Professor Newman — Jeremy Bentham — John Stuart Mill — Lord Playfair — Dr. Edward Smith — Eustace Miles — Deserted villages and crowded towns — The land could support in abundance 80,000,000 The only true remedy — The Christian Church must lead the way — Shelley

.. .. 36-69

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CONTENTS—continued

THE DYNAMICS OF NATURAL FOOD—

Whatever benefits the individual benefits the Nation — Vegetarian fare the most healthful and economical — Dr. Goodell Smith—Alex. Haig—John Wesley—The way to the Highest Life — Michelet — Struve — The Drink Problem—Its relation to Diet — Dr. Jackson's experience and evidence — Dr. Haig — Maeterlinck—The failure of Temperance Societies and the Churches to solve the Drink Problem — Can be done only by a return to pure living, in which no unnatural thirst is created

.. .. 70-90

A PLEA FOR HUMANENESS—

Cruelty to children and animals — Its cause and its cure — Not by Societies of Prevention — The Moral Law — Locke on Education — Rousseau — Oliver Goldsmith — The Brahmins nobler in this than nominal Christians — Animal torture a return to the Inquisition — Strauss — Jean Paul Richte — The failure of modern evangelicism to awaken compassion — 1,000,000 animals killed for food every day — Cowper — Milton — Some lame excuses — The Ethics of Rome — Jos. Rickaby — Catholic Dictionary — Rome's arrogant assumptions — Pope's " Essay on Man " — Smith — Schopenhauer — Wagner — Voltaire and Newton — Animals have souls — Michelet on birds — The highest law of life — The aims of our Order Jean Antonie Gleizes

.. .. 91-117

THE VOICE OF RELIGION—

Natural and Moral law—The Bible seems to teach flesheating — Its various planes of teaching—No Human Carnivora in the story of Creation — When the descent began, and the inspirational expediency to meet the people's lower tastes — Noah — Clean and unclean animals and the meaning of restriction — The evolution of life Godward seen in the Prophets — Isaiah, Hosea, and Daniel — Eusebius and the Apostles — The Essenes — The Council at Jerusalem and Paul — Paul's mistake — The Epistles private letters, not teaching for all— — Pauline Theology and the Gospels — The Bible an Esoteric Book — Purity in food as essential to spiritual attainment — The four great religious Castes and the four spiritual planes of Being — The true Divine Man must minister as an Angel to the races beneath him

.. .. 118-142

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FOREWARD

It is more than twenty-three years since the chapters of this little brochure were first published as Letters to the Press, and then in a Booklet in response to many inquiries and requests. The form of presentation of so important a theme was decided by the purpose for which the Letters were originally written.

This accounts for the style and form of argument, and the uses of some of the historical references, more especially those from the Patristic writers and the Apostle Paul. For these are called in to testify to orthodox Christians, to whom the Fathers and Paul are great assets, to show where many of the early Christian Apologists stood in relation to the social and religious customs of eating flesh and drinking wine.

The author has often purposed recasting and rewriting all the chapters that they might better express in connection with so desirable a theme, the things which are to him most sacred in relation to the Mystery of Life as expressed in the Creatures as well as the Human Kingdom, and even in relation to the nature and composition of the wonderful fruits of the Earth, which should form the basis of all human sustenance. But the pressure of the demands of the larger ministry in which he has been [8] engaged for many years, has always prevented his purpose from being realised, and it may be that these latter aspects will have to form a separate booklet later.

For, in addition to the general question of the nature of the elements of which the fruits of the Earth are composed, and the marvellous combinations in the manifold varieties, there is the whole realm of the various orders of growth in the vegetable kingdom meant for the uses of both Human and Creature Life. For, in the realm of vegetables and fruits, the Divine Love and Wisdom finds sevenfold expression.

In this latter revelation of the Divine Purpose in making ample, and more than ample, provision for the whole of Humanity's needs by means of the seven orders of edible foods in diet, with such manifold variety, without any demands having to be made upon the Creature Kingdom, is to be found the real Religious Argument on behalf of Pure Living.

For Religion is a spiritual attitude rather than a belief in specified doctrines.

Religion is the Divine Spirit within every one whose true Motion bears the Life forward and upward.

Religion is the natural resultant of the Immanence of God in Humanity.

It is the fruitage of the magnetic motion of the Divine Mystery in man.

Religion is, therefore, Life as distinguished from Belief.

It is the true Motion of Being within each one, rather than the result of outward training and mental affirmations [9] And Man's true motion is Godward—that is, towards the consciousness of the Divine Immanence, for therein alone is the great Realisation entered into ; and thence there cometh the true Earthward Motion, revealed in service whose every breath and act speak of the Motion of the Divine Spirit within.

When man follows that religious feeling or Motion of the Divine Spirit within him, his vision is full of the Light of Life. And in that Light he sees and understands the manifestations of the Divine Mystery around him.

And he also comes to understand the spiritual nature of all things, and his own true relation to them. The wealth of the edible and esculent products within the realm of the vegetable kingdom, he recognises as the glorious revelation of the Divine Provision for Humanity's needs, the illimitable enrichments given to the race by the Divine Love and Wisdom.

Towards the coming of the day wherein such a life will be realised by all souls, this little contribution is gladly given. The author's prayer is that it may help some to glimpse the true vision of Life as a manifestation of Divine Love and Wisdom.

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E R R A T A

THE ORDER OF THE CROSS
10 De Vere Gardens, Kensington, London, W.8
Telegrams : REnaissant KEn London. Telephone : Western 7012