The Animal World
The Animal Year Book. By C. M. Knight and C. W. Hume. (University of London. 2s.) OF most new commercial productions which are put on the market, the advertisement announces that " it will fill a long felt want." We hope we shall be forgiven for using such a trite remark in welcoming The Animal Year Book, which is excellently conceived and very well carried out. It should not only " be of some help to the younger workers in the animal cause," but will also serve as a reference book of extreme utility to all those who are interested in this important, but too often ignored, phase of human work and -humane education. The Year. Book will help to satisfy a very urgent need. This survey of what has been done, and is being done, in the animal movement in its various aspects will stimulate interest, action and sympathy amongst those people whose eyes have not yet been awakened to the unnecessary hardships which animals are forced to endure.
It is well that such a book should start with a chapter on the various laws passed for the protection of animals, lucidly expressed by Mr. F. E. Hodgson, barrister-at-law, and the reader will speculate perhaps on the many gaps which remain to be filled in before the animal world will be allowed to enjoy that full legal protection which should be given to it by a civilized race. On the other hand, when one reads the very interesting chapter entitled " Animal Welfare in some Foreign Countries," contributed by various authors, it gives a thrill of satisfaction to recollect that, though it is only about " a century since the animal cause began, with some marked periods of inactivity, to occupy the thoughts of people in Great Britain," yet the seed has been widely sown and has taken root in all the continents of the world.
When we realize that the mainspring of animal welfare work came from our own country, and how much, as Miss Knight reminds us in introducing the authors who deal with the work in different countries, the foreign workers look to tis for guidance and " how often they make the English law the pattern for suggested reforms," we see how great is our responsibility in this matter. I would particularly commend to our reformers and legislators the wisdom of the following sentence : " When we legislate for animals in Great Britain, we may virtually be legislating at the same time for animals in many other countries. Let us never forget that."
Each chapter of this useful publication deserves notice, but I would especially draw attention to the very useful survey of " some literature dealing with animals." The editors and the various contributors to this Year Book have placed us in their debt by bringing to notice an extremely varied and interesting collection of books which should help many readers to cultivate " a reasonable breadth of sympathy with all sentient creatures."
One can but hope that the reception of this Year Book will encourage the editors in their labour of love and enable them to realize their desire to " publish each year a review of what has been done and is being done in the animal move- ment in its various aspects." E. G. F.
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