Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1972)
I fc U 1 In the thirties I raised three litters of white soimyed puppies free and found out it vus not very profitable. I coulJ not get good homes for somo even if I gave them nway. I had my animals neutered and tent out of the dog business pronto. No my dog family consists of mixed mut breeds from dog pounds and strays. ( all neutered;. TTTTtT" urn 1 ls.O TXT Vivisecfion and the Church WHY DOES THE CHURCH CONDONE OR REMAIN SILENT ABOUT VIVISECTION? WHY DOES IT NOT WITH ITS THEME OF UNIVERSAL LOVE INCLUDE THE ANIMALS? By OWEN B. HUNT THE CHURCH in America, with few ex ceptions, has been strangely quiescent about vivisection. Ever since it lost its long pole mical struggle with Darwinism, it appears to have followed the dictum, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." While the Church drifted away from the mainstream of spiritual insights and intui tion to try its amateur wings in the pseudo sciences of sociology and politics, the biologi cal scientists were stealing their robes and halos to create a religion of their own as "the true benefactors of mankind and the only way to enlightenment." Weakened in the one area they could call their own, the Church weakened itself further by falling into the rear ranks of the material ists and parroting their litany. Now I don't mean to imply that every minister of the gospel or every church in Christendom or out of it has renounced its beliefs or its contemplation of the ultimate source that lies in and behind everv expres sion of life. But in many of them these factors have been diluted; sometimes, it would seem, even temporarily abondoned. Nowhere are the results of this trend more apparent than in the acceptance, the endorse ment or in the practice of vivisection in some parochial schools. Many public schools do, too, sometimes by virtue (if you can excuse the word in this connection) of state law. (It is a curious anomaly that though they are not allowed to pray in public schools, sadism in the name of science is in some states sanctioned.) But the parochial schools stem from a religious background, and here the spectacle of teacher andor pupils killing and dissecting animals in class reaches not only a new height of incongruity but of ab surdity. There is an incredible naivete behind a facade of superficial learning in these so-called science teachers, whether in public or parochial schools, as well as in the officials who preside over them. What they teach by vivisection is far better taught in competent, well-illustrated books or charts, at less expense and without cruelty. Of these teachers had taken the trouble during their college years to read and study scores of medical journals with their gory and fruitless series of animal experiments leading only to more and more of the same at back breaking expense to the taxpayer as we have done over the past 20 years they would pause in trepidation before inflicting these barbarisms on children in a world already torn by violence and lack or respect or reverence for life. Vivisection is, first of all, a moral issue, and as a moral issue it should be of pri mary concern to the Church. A wise man once said, "No man's religion ever sur vives his morals." And another added, "I would give nothing for that man's religion whose very dog and cat are not the better for it" by Abe Lincoln. Vivisection has become a monster out of control, an evil spawned of the profit motive and of a science-mad civilization. Any close scrutiny shows it for what it is. The Church only hastens its own disintegration when, in any way, it gives consent. You can't find that hallowed "knowledge beyond belief in the blood of the lamb or the cat or the dog or the chimpanzee or in any other species you may experiment upon. Nor has disease been conquered by vivisection despite the boasts of its adherents who take the bodies of animals apart in their charnal houses while pain and misery and disease multiplies all around us, and the dehumanization of man goes on apace. Rene Dubcs, though himself a microbio logist, says in his book, "So Human An Animal," "Many attitudes and responses of man have determinants of which neither the mind nor. the bodv is aware." And then. b cites Pascal: "The heart has its own reasons which does not know." And Professor Dubos further admits that as of now we are wit "efsing a growingdisenchantmentwith mater- ldi Id III Certainly more than this abortion of science call vivisection is needed to understand or even faintly perceive the mysteries of life and death and disease. A natural assumption would be that the Church, with its theme of universal love, would, as did Francis of Assisi ages ago, reach out to include the ani mals. But no. Instead, it either preserves an austere silence or embraces this most arrogant, presumptuous and cruel aspect of our twentieth-century materialism, languish ing meanwhile in a spiritual twilight. The mind no longer turns inward for en lightenment, but outward toward chaos. WRITE FOR INFORMATION The American Anti-Vivisection Society 1903 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 CENTENNIAL EDITION LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Heppner-Gazette editors: May I congratulate you on your very fine Paper and ask a favor in the next breath? You will be doing your many readers and all of the sponsors of the double page steer-bust protest ad. a great service if you will please find space in your Centennial Paper to reprint this letter from Amer ican Humane Association. (The Mile High Humane Center of the Nation," offices in Hollywood, Washington and New York.and in Denver, Colo.) I'm sure it will answer the questions that have been on their minds for many years. Since the A.H.A.is located in Denver where the Rodeo Cowboys Assn. is, they are in a better position to negotiate and continue their educational efforts to halt this evil, one sided, useless, sport less, dollar racket of STEER - TRIP - BUSTING AND TIEING OF GROWN animals that could not have three feet tied together if the wind is not knocked out of them or injured in some other way. To those who are concerned and hope to pro mote decent treatment of the defensless helpless steers in the arena r.nd in back yard, practice sessions, may I suggest you do take the time to write your protest letters to A.H.A.of Denver, Colo. Let them know how you feel about this abominable act to unof fending creatures. Man is cruel for sport and dollars. Both are a blight on civilization. Add your senti ment toward a majority to OUTLAW CRUELTY and to stamp it as an indecency not to be tolerated in a civilized country. KEEP ALIVE WITHIN YOURSELF THAT SPARK OF HUMAN GREATNESS CALLED SYMPATHY. It is the voice of your Creator sum moning you to the unity of a common interest in Creation. My most sincere thanks to you for help in presenting the facts as they are in the steer-bust act. Most concerned, Lois Winchester P.S. Just received word from the Executive Vice President, that The Board of Directors of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association have passed a resolution that Mr. Graham can not make en dorsements of any kind. (Therefor his name will not appear among the names of the humane people who are protesting to the cruel steer busting.) Billy, answered in the paper not "long ago, "if he could only name one sin it would be apathy He should know. Ms. Lois Winchester Heppner, Oregon Dear Ms. Winchester: Thank you very much for your letter of July 24 regard ing co-sponsorship of the advertisement circulated by another organization against single steer tying to be circulated in the Centennial Edition of the local news papers. We have opposed this event for some years and at the moment believe that we have convinced the major groups involved with rodeo to elimin ate this event. While this may not happen immediately, we feel that such advertising, carrying the name of The American Humane Associa tion, might adversely affect our educational efforts with the people involved in rodeo if it should appear at this time. Certainly all efforts to eliminate this event are good but I think you can understand the position we are in at the present time where a public attack on the people with whom we are negotiating might cause an unfair reac tion to accomplishing our pur poses in the prevention of cruelty. Sincerely, Rutherford T. Phillips Executive Director American Humane Assn. Denver, Colo. Friends with REVERENCE FOR LIFE SALUTE Heppner's humanitarian LOIS WINCHESTER pd.adv.by Beulah Edmiston VH
