The Vegan Spring 1959

own protection, any vestige of over-gentleness is, they think, a weakness in masculinity. This of course is quite wrong, because was it not said that: " T h e meek shall inherit the earth."

With these thoughts in mind I was one day moved to visit and make protest to the promoters of carnage in the Waterloo Cup hare coursing. Here they set two greyhounds at one hare, and repeat the process about one hundred times on three mornings each year. A few hares escape the jaws of the dogs, to die suffering from strained hearts and lungs. The remaining 50 or 60 are killed, or torn in half by the hounds for " sport" ! Held every February at Altcar, near my home, it can only be described as medieval spectacle of callousness and brutality. I saw several screaming hares being pulled apart by pairs of hounds in full view of the blood-crazed watchers.

In my plea for compassion for the creatures, I searched upon the hard faces of the coursing fraternity for pity, but failed to find an iota of humanitarian conscience or sentiment. They appeared like demons possessed with a blood-lust for savage killing. This massacre takes place at an almost secret, inaccessible field far from view of an innocent public. Few people are aware that so bestial a sport exists. When informed of the facts, many say, " I thought such cruelties were abolished over a hundred years ago ! Why does the law allow it! " The trouble is that people do not see or know to what depths these social delinquents sink in order to be thrilled by such spectacles. Should enough people know of it, it would be sufficient to arouse them to do whatever is needed to end it.

Doctor Karl Menninger, the world-famous psychiatrist, said: " The animals are smaller, but that's the only difference between hare coursing and the days when Romans threw lions and tigers into the arena in order to watch them tear each other to pieces."

The most disturbing feature is that these coursing followers apparently actually enjoy witnessing violent death. Nero did the same thing in his endeavours to get an emotional sensation from the gore and death screams of his victims. In my attacks on bull-fighting, I recall a Spaniard saying, " England does not have the bull-fight. It has the dog and rabbit game in the Waterloo Cup." It made me think deeply.

It is not good for the mental or spiritual health of the people, and they must not simply stand by watching humanity and sensitivity being prostituted in the process of being de-civilized, lest their own heads roll in the dust on the same level as their perverted adversaries. The great shame is that ordinary people are taught to look up to and respect such people for their lead and example in the decencies of life. What hope has man whilst he permits them to lead to his degradation.

In the struggle to attain the higher life humanity needs all the help it can get: one most urgent requirement is to out-breed violence and sadism from man's make-up. To this end the 15