Page:Henry Stephens Salt - A Plea for Vegetarianism and Other Essays.pdf/97

Rh In hunting, for instance, the most popular of all field-sports, the pleasant surroundings, the excitement of the “meet,” the beauty of the country, the strength and speed of the horses, and the skill of their riders, make men forget the nature of the detestably barbarous and unmanly business for which they are met. Well does Sir Thomas More exclude hunting from the pleasures of his model people in “Utopia.” “Nor can they comprehend," he says, “the pleasure of seeing dogs run after a hare more than of seeing one dog run after another ; for if the seeing them run is that which gives the pleasure, you have the same entertainment to the eye on both these occasions, since that is the same in both cases; but if the pleasure lies in seeing the hare killed and torn by the dogs, this ought rather to stir pity, that a weak, harmless, and fearful hare should be devoured by strong, ﬁerce, and cruel dogs.” Such a sight ought, indeed, to stir pity and indignation ; but thoughtlessness and custom can do much to banish these emotions from our minds.

Again, in the case of shooting and ﬁshing, it is strange that English gentlemen should love to do the work which should be done