THE HUNT AND THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE.
An ardent defence of the sport of hunting the carted stag comes from a correspondent who has hunted in the West Country where, as he says, wild stag hunting is " deeply rooted in the affections of men, women and children of all classes." He regards it as the least cruel of all forms of hunting, whether the stag is " carted " or wild. We shall all hope that he is right ; and the essential humanity of many masters of hunts is beyond question. The original protest was raised against a particular barbarity, against a particular act, and it holds. My correspondent, too, is a humanitarian. His defence is written chiefly as a preface to a plea of his own, for which he deserves every support. He is convinced that " there is more unnecessary cruelty occurring in the slaughterhouse in One day than in the world of blood sports in a year. Perhaps our true humanitarians, on whose -efforts may success attend, will direct their energies to a great evil before they attack a much smaller one. . . . This slaughter- house reform is long overdue in spite of the gallant efforts of a few, among whom the brave lady secretary of the Council of Justice for Animals and Mr.' John 'Galsworthy are conspicuous." The correspondent might have added many names to his list out of recent files of the Spectator.
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