Humanity Against Cruelty to Animals in Historical Literature, Timeline of Animal Rights History

Animal Rights History »» Père Girard

1840-8 | The Mother Tounge

To enforce the duty of kindness to animals, it tells us that they also are sensible of pleasure and pain, and that the Creator allows us to be their masters, but not their oppressors. (Pere Girard, The Mother Tounge [1840-8], "To Familiarize Children with Motives on which are based the Dictates of Conscience"

Humanity to Animals

This too must find a place here. Nevertheless, it is to be hoped that our pupils will have been cured at home of that thoughtlessness which takes pleasure in plucking out the feathers of a little bird, or breaking the claws of an insect, &c.: those are barbarous pastimes, though children are hardly aware of the pain they inflict by them on sentient beings. And, indeed those of riper years are not blamelessin this matter; for men often remorselessly deprive a poor animal of its freedom, and detain it in captivity contrary to its nature; and will treat horses and beasts of burden as if they were insensible to hunger, to fatique, and to blows.

Of course of language will therefore say to the pupils that animals are capable of feeling pleasure and pain like ourselves; that their organization resembles our own, and that they too require food and rest; that they hold their lives under the same goodness which upholds us in being; that, although the animal is not the child of God, like man, yet nevertheless he is the object of God's providential care; that the Creator has given animals for our use, but not for us to be their tormentors; that if we would be the children of God, we must feel kindly towards all who draw the breath of life. (Pere Girard, The Mother Tounge [1840-8], "On Humanity to Animals")

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1840-8 | Père Girard [Jean Baptiste], The Mother Tongue [1st published in French as Cours educatif de langue maternelle [1840-8] trans. by Viscount Ebrington (London, 1847; Digitized by Google).

Quotes briefly introduce animal rights activists, animal welfare advocates and authors; the history of animal rights, animal welfare and animal protection; and the literature of the humane movement against cruelty to animals.

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