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FRAGMENTS OF A PRISONER'S DIARY
can think only in terms of religion. The members of thc bovine species were spared outright slaughter only to be condemned to lifelong toil for the benefit of man. The cow was spared her flesh and raised to the honoured rank of Mother ; for the advantage, she was to give up her own children to slavery to the lust of man. It would be highly interesting to know what would the bovine animal prcfer--to be slaughtered all at once, or condemned to lifelong toil. Having regard for the fact that cattle raised as article for consumption are well-fed and taken care of, one would surmisc their choice. I, for example, should make no mistake, and presume that, given the choice, my bovine cousins would be equally wise. A short comfortable life is immensely preferable to endless years of dreary toil.
But I wish to distribute the blame equitably. The bovine animals suffer also for their own foolishness of allowing themselves to be domesticated. They proved useful to man, and man with his superior cunning has been making use of them. We cats, for example, are wise not to be useful. The clevout Hindu, therefore, hates us, denies us any share of the divine spirit believed to be present in all forms of life. But we are free ; and there is nothing more divine than freedom. I wish you orthodox Hindus to realise this homely truth. That will do your souls no end of good.
Neither does my sense of justice permit me to
