We all know that kindness is a great virtue and an important duty of man. But most men take it in a limited sense and think that it is enough if they are kind to their fellow men only. Other creatures, birds and beasts too feel pain and we should be kind to them.
All living creatures—men, birds and beasts are the creation of God. So He is their common father. It must, therefore, be His desire that the virtue of kindness should be extended to all these creatures alike. No doubt that man has become the lord of the world by virtue of his intellect. But that is the stronger reason why he should be kind to his weaker fellow creatures. We often forget our duty and treat animals cruelly, even those that do us good.
Let us take the case of the cow. It gives us milk, the principal food of our children, and its calves plough our fields. In fact it is treated like the mother, according to the Hindu mythology. But how do we actually show our gratitude to it? It is cruelly treated when it fails to give milk for any reason. The same is the treatment meted out to a dog. It is the most faithful friend of man. Its greatest delight is to serve its master in every possible way. Yet we often neglect it when it becomes too old to give us as much service as before. Birds are caged for sale. Lions, bears, horses and hippopotamuses are lashed and electrocuted in circuses to make them do feats and tricks for the sake of our entertainment.
All this is not only ingratitude but also cruelty. It is an offence in the eyes of God. These dumb creatures cannot speak, but they feel and suffer as we do. So it is the duty of every man to be kind to animals. Attempt should, therefore, be made to rouse the conscience of man to do his duty to the dumb fellow creatures,
