3 15th Tune, TNE has come round again and with it the second annual general meeting of the Shanghai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The Society is the rallying-point for those who recognise the truth as well as the beauty of the lines of Coleridge which more than any others made the " Ancient Mariner" immortal "He prayeth well who lovett well Both man, and bird, and beast He prayeth best who lovett best All things both great and small For the dear God who lovett us, He made and lovett all."
Its inception and its success it owes mainly to Mr. F. J. Maitland, its honorary secretary and treasurer, whose name will always be associated with it as Mr. John Colam's with that+ of the original society in England. We note that on page 115 of Appendix III to the 75th annual report of the English society, Shanghai duly appears in the list of sister societies.
The Committee commence their report for the second year of the society's existence, which ended on the Sist of May last, by congratulating the members upon the good work accomplished during the last twelve months. "There is perhaps no country in the world," the report continues, "where cruelty to dumb creatures' is regarded with such callousness as in China, and when, in a place like Shanghai, it was almost a means of livelihood, the society had a particularly difficult task." "Happily the Committee seem everywhere to have met with assistance whenever they wanted it. Pecuniary assistance the public has given them in fair measure, the membership having increased to nearly three hundred (it should be at least five times as great), and the society being able to begin its third year with a net sum in hand of over $1,000 as _compared with $390 last year. Moral assistance the Committee have had in "the sympathy of many of the better class of Chinese, backed by the friendly assistance of the Municipal Police, and the emphatic support of the Mixed Court magistrate and the foreign assessors—particularly Mr. 8. F. Mayers, before whom the bulk of the cases have been tried—" and they "have been able to bring home to the local livery-stable Keepers and others the fact that there is an organisation here determined to protect from ill-usage defenceless animals of every kind. Exemplary fines have been inflicted in several instanc and in many cases it must have added to the penalty for the culprit to know that a part of his fine went into; the coffers of the society, sections. "The care which has] not be seen and their condition been taken before invoking the law is investigated. So far the society has illustrated by the statement that the not been able to cope fully with this society has succeeded in every pro-work, which is waiting to be undersecution it has instituted." This taken, but with the increased sup-fact is particularly noticeable for it port for which it is hoping, this work, shows that the society has not beand the work of visiting the markets come a victim to the tivity regularly, will be shortly put in hand. which sometimes detracts from. the The annual meeting of the society real good done by philanthropic inis to take place at the Municipal stitutions. "At times it has not Board Room this afternoon, and it been easy," the report goes on is hoped that there will be this to say, "to distinguish between year as there was last year a large at-wanton brutality and superstitious tendance of members and subscribers, cruelty, bue in one exceptional men, women, and children. he pre-case, which by some minds might vention of cruelty to animals is a be considered' in the latter} work that must especially commend category—viz., the prolonged strang-itself to women and children, and ling of a deer for alleged medicinal they will be heartily welcomed at the purposes—they felt that the meeting this afternoon of those whose cumstances were so repulsive to all motto is that they plead for those feelings of humanity that steps had who cannot plead for themselves, to be taken. That it was illegal when tested by Chinese law is proved by the defendant being fined, and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.