“Granted,” said the old man, stopping right in front of him.  “Granted, young man, if you take out that word suffer.  The Lord made the sheep, and the cattle, and the pigs.  They are his creatures just as much as we are.  We can kill them, but we’ve no right to make them suffer.”

“But we can’t help it, sir.”

“Yes, we can, my young man.  It’s a possible thing to raise healthy stock, treat it kindly, kill it mercifully, eat it decently.  When men do that I, for one, will cease to be a vegetarian.  You’re only a boy.  You haven’t traveled as I have.  I’ve been from one end of this country to the other.  Up north, down south, and out west, I’ve seen sights that made me shudder, and I tell you the Lord will punish this great American nation if it doesn’t change its treatment of the dumb animals committed to its care.”

The young man looked thoughtful, and did not reply.  A very sweet faced old lady sitting near him answered the old gentleman.  I don’t think I have ever seen such a fine-looking old lady as she was.  Her hair was snowy white, and her face was deeply wrinkled, yet she was tall and stately, and her expression was as pleasing as my dear Miss Laura’s.

“I do not think we are a wicked nation,” she said, softly.  “We are a younger nation than many of the nations of the earth, and I think that many of our sins arise from ignorance and thoughtlessness.”

“Yes, madame, yes, madame,” said the fiery old gentleman, staring hard at her.  “I agree with you there.”

She smiled very pleasantly at him and went on.  “I, too, have been a traveler, and I have talked to a great many wise and good people on the subject of the cruel treatment of animals, and I find that many of them have never thought about it.  They, themselves, never knowingly ill-treat a dumb creature, and when they are told stories of inhuman conduct, they say in surprise, ‘Why, these things surely can’t exist!’ You see they have never been brought in contact with them.  As soon as they learn about them, they begin to agitate and say, ’We must have this thing stopped.  Where is the remedy?’”

“And what is it, what is it, madame, in your opinion?” said the old gentleman, pawing the floor with impatience.

“Just the remedy that I would propose for the great evil of intemperance,” said the old lady, smiling at him.  “Legislation and education.  Legislation for the old and hardened, and education for the young and tender.  I would tell the schoolboys and schoolgirls that alcohol will destroy the framework of their beautiful bodies, and that cruelty to any of God’s living creatures will blight and destroy their innocent young souls.”

The young man spoke again.  “Don’t you think,” he said, “that you temperance and humane people lay too much stress upon the education of our youth in all lofty and noble sentiments?  The human heart will always be wicked.  Your Bible tells you that, doesn’t it?  You can’t educate all the badness out of children.”