The Weekly Visitor

The Boston Herald of Sunday has an extract from a letter written from New Jersey, to the Baltimore Times, stating that a company of sportsmen wished to enjoy themselves in the pleasures of a fox hunt; but, instead of doing so (if it must be done) in an humane way, by taking a fox that was capable of eluding its pursuers, they took a poor animal that had been caught in a steel trap, having one of its hind legs broken. It was placed in a pen until needed. The suffering beast could not walk below the knee joint; the flesh was lacerated, exposing the bones and tendons. This was of no consequence, it was not to be supposed for an instant, in the minds of these sportsmen, that the creature had any feeling. The day arrived for the great hunt, many flocked to see the fun, and when the fox was loosed from the bag it could not go; it cowered down, and, finding that it made no effort to run, cries of "stir him up," were heard. A man stepped up and poured turpentine over the helpless creature; it hobbled a short distance, and rolled on the sere grass in agony, and not until the second application did the fox try to flee from its followers. It was caught and killed by ferocious dogs. This was humanity; this was in a Christian land, under the eaves of the churches, and the participants called themselves men--no! "Worth makes the man, The want of it the fellow." Have the divines lost their influence? Perhaps they never had any; perhaps these sportsmen were all roughs; no matter whether they belonged to high or low families, whether they moved in aristocratic circles, or mingled with the most degraded, they have shown their true character in glittering letters; they exposed to view a heart even worse than the heathen, for midst all their idolatry they treat kindly the brute creation. Not only have they shown themselves heartless, but they have proven that they are unfit to be called true citizens, unsafe to be entrusted with any state affairs, not merciful enough to be called as jurors; and not only this, it shows that the selectmen of the town wherein the cruel act was done, did not care, or that they did not just like to interfere-perhaps were influenced by political reasons. It is not at all probable that such proceedings could have been planned and carried out without some one of authority being cognizant of it. The heathen are not all over the water, and it is a curious fact that when Christianity is presented to the heathen, and they see what comfort, what hope is derived from accepting of the mercy of God, and in perusing the Bible, they more gladly avail themselves of it than those upon whom the light of Christianity has ever shone. It is pleasant to know that it did not occur in Rhode Island. There may be many who would have enjoyed being present; but we trust that men of power, the law, and merciful men, will prevent any of the kind or of a similar nature from being enacted in our own State, so that its history may go down to posterity as being an humane people.

M.