CRUEL SPORTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 154, 28 December 1936, Page 6

CRUEL SPORTS

ATTACK IN BRITAIN

OPPOSITION GROWING

The League for the Prohibition of Cruel ■■. Sports,; .England, t has blade definite" progress in"' its" campaign against hare, fox, and deer hunting and other forms of "blood, sports" during the past two years; writes Marc T. Greene in the "Christian Science" Monitor." It,'therefore, feels.that "the spirit of the country is. growing, ripe for the abolition by legislative action of hunting and coursing," that public opinion has never been so strong against cruelty to animals under, the name of "sport"- as it is today,, and that ■' increasing progress in the campaign may oe looked for during, the;coming years. ■ . ""-'?. It is significant that opposition-to the sort of "sport", upon which future. ages will probably look, with .the hot-,■ ror which :,fills. our time -upon, .a contemplation of the.;records;, oi??the.-. Roman Coliseum/has lately:, manifested itself outside the; ranks; .of the strict- ■ ly humanitarian organisatianS.se Even,: the town councils of two orithteeilarge:) communities have passed resolutions • condemnatory of fox hunting, and especially of hare coursing, which is probably the cruellest of all the "blood sports." Many leading English newspapers have published vigorous editorials on the subject. In Devonshire, at Lynton and Taunton, there were largely-attended public meetings held to protest against the resumption of stag hunting on Exmoor. Dunkery Beacon and 900 acres of the surrounding moor have now become the property of the National Trust, and in order to preserve the small herd of red deer frequenting the moor, it is generally expected that Parliament will soon take action forbidding the further persecution of these small and helpless animals in this part of England. ROYAL EXAMPLE. King Edward VIII's recent stag "hunting" expedition, in which he exchanged the rifle for the camera, lends tremendous weight to the work which the league has undertaken. The League for the Prohibition.;.of Cruel Sports has tried for some; years to bring about the introduction in the National Government of Bills for the protection of wild animals. So far the opposition has been too strong, but there is good reason, the league feels, to believe' it is weakening and that definite action on behalf of the harmless animals of the country may be looked for in the near future. There has'been, of late, a marked and encouraging response from the clergy of all denominations to the league's endeavours. Sermons have been preached on the question and "blood sports" have been denounced from many pulpits. And in the campaign against the hare coursing for the Waterloo Cup, a petition to the Earl of Sefton, patron of^the affair, urging him to withdraw his support, included the names of fifty-one clergymen, twenty-five members of local governments, and sixteen. university professors. An organisation has been formed to press for the abolition of this socalled "sporting" event at Liverpool. The whole affair, like greyhound or horse racing, is, of course, primarily an excuse for betting on a large scale. There is no sport in it and nobody pretends that there is. Two dogs, kept in the finest condition by more human care than is lavished on half the poorer children of England, are turned loose to run down and kill the hare. One feels very strongly as he contemplates such things, as ■he sees or hears of the torture inflicted upon the fox, the rabbit, the small deer, and it is becoming gratifyingly clear that there is developing throughout England a strong aversion to the continuance of these "blood sports," something for which the league is largely responsible. Its membership is now increasing at the rate cf three hundred or more yearly and it has many representatives in America. Its; official publication, "Cruel 'Sports," has a circulation of nearly 100,000 and it goes to all public libraries, to newspapers, and to members of the Government. AT A "BLOODING." Perhaps one of the best possible arguments against "blood sports" is to be,found in a recent number of the hunters' publication, "Horse and Hounds." It says, referring to a certain hare coursing in the Midlands, "A good number of the young gentry came forward to be 'blooded.' (This was following the mangling and tearing to death of the little hare by the hounds.) It was amusing to see the ring of faces held, up, usually with screwed-up mouths and tightly shut eyes, in readiness for the operation."' The "operation" is the smearing of the blood of the dead ( animal over the' faces of the "young gentry" of England. This is called "blooding" and is supposed to initiate the youth into full membership in the particular body of "sportsmen." It is, perhaps, worthwhile to remind that this refers to an event of the present day and not to one of a few centuries ago. When one appraises the humane work of the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports and other likeminded groups and individuals, however, it is easy to see.that public opinion will soon have to put an end to such cruel spectacles that masquerade as sport.