The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1909. THE ETHICS OF SPORT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2524, 10 June 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1909. THE ETHICS OF SPORT.

Our coursing friends are naturally displeased with the, attitude wo have taken lip in connection with tho sport they aro interested in, hut after giving them every opportunity to justify 'the pastime wo have failed to find a single argument in support of coursing as a legitimate, sport for gentlemen. Mr Cuthbcrt Morse, the Secretary of the local Club,?wrote upon tho matter in a letter published in Tuesday’s issue. Of his own abhorrence of cruelty we have no doubt, but, liko many others, he fails to see that cruelty exists unless a hare is actually killed. Wo contend that tho agonies of torture suffered by the hare, from the time it is first pursued by the hounds until it reaches the haven of refuge provided by the scrub fence, constituted a very pronounced form lof needless suffering. So- far: as the actual slaughter of hares at tho recent meeting was concerned;-there seems no doubt that this was’ exceptional, and was due to extraordinary circumstances. For this the club must accept the blame, although it can be said, in extenuation, that, as this was the first meeting held locally, the officials were not sufficiently experienced to conduct the meeting upon the lines that aro followed in places where coursing meetings are regularly held. In other words, tho mortality of hares was ■great because the officials, through inexperience, had not assured themselves that the chances of escape wore as good as it is usually conceded by followers of coursing should be given; In view of tho paucity of, convincing argu-" ment, Mr. Morse adopts the policy which seems to be generally- followed by those who do not- agree with us on this matter, inasmuch as he quotes other popular pastimes in -which cruelty to animals is an essential feature. To this tho obvious retort is that “two blacks do not make a white.” Without specifying those in detail, it may be laid down as a genoral principle that any sport or pastime which inflicts needless pain upon birds or animals is not only cruel, but debasing to all who willingly participate therein. As Coleridge put it in his famous poeifi, “The Ancient Mariner”— “He livcth well who iovctli well, “Both man and bird and beast.” It can bo set forth as an eternal axiom that no person can inflict wanton cruelty upon the beings of tho underworld

without doing harm to his own moral character, and in this way Nature demonstrates the utter impossibility of those who run counter to her inviolable laws escaping without punishment. In this connection wo may for tho moment leave out tho sporting aspect, and remind our readers that' cruelty to birds and animals is still deplorably prevalent in many phases of our complex society. A notable instance is tho terrible butchery,which goes on evory season, of tho brilliantly plumaged egrets whose featliors are so conspicuous 'in ladies’ hats. It is .stated that in the case of tho egret tho feathers are pulled while tho trapped bird is still alive Tn order that the perfection iof the plumage may be retained. In the case of other varieties of birds they iaro sought for only in the hatching season, so that the killing of every mother means the death by starvation of a nestful of young ones. It is a gratifying sign of the times i that a vigorous crusade is lat present being waged in different parts of the world' against this inhuman practice, but the task of educating tho fair sex to the. righteousness of abandoning the uso of this form of decoration is a huge one. The woman who, to keep in the fashion, wears an egret feather in her hat, stands in much the same position from the aspect of cruelty as does the average attendant at a coursing meeting. The lady, as she admires the art of the milliner, never gives a thought to the yearly massacre of beautiful birds which she is unintentionally encouraging; and the coursing enthusiast, as ho watches tho points of excellence in the dogs, and becomes excited over the varying fortunes of -the chase, gives little, if any, thought to the feelings of the wretched little hare which is making its desperate hid for life. It is purely a case of indifference, «and it is in this respect that only education can effect a permanent remedy. Tho Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is doing magnificent work, and is deserving of the utmost support that the public can give it. In taking such a stand as wo suggest, there need be no qualms as to the race degenerating into nambypambyism, as some seem to fear. Legitimate sporting instincts should he onoouraged, and can easily find a vent in hundreds of ways that will help to develop the character of those who practise them. On the other hand, neither deliberate cruelty nor its twin vice, indifference to suffering, can do ought else than debase both the individuals and the community amongst whom they are prevalent.