Anglican priest helped creatures great and small

As I approached St. Peter’s Anglican Church, I automatically looked down so that I wouldn’t miss the step up into the vestibule. To my surprise, I saw a ladybug right where I would have placed my foot. Inching its way along, it appeared to be in no hurry to escape the busy entrance. So of course I took my offering envelope, slipped it under the critter’s feet and deposited the wee beast on the church lawn, which, I hoped, was its eventual destination.

I’ve come a long way since my youth. I do not fish. I do not eat meat. I don’t euthanize insects so that I can examine them under a microscope. I believe that all creatures – yes, even bugs – have a right to live their lives as God planned. If I can help them do that, I will.

By sheer happenstance, I discovered that Anglicans have had a lot to do with animal well-being, and in fact are still active in this role. In 1798, Anglican priest Thomas Young wrote “An Essay on Humanity to Animals.” He posited that violence against beasts would lead to violence against humans. In 1801, Arthur Broome, another vicar and a passionate advocate, wrote “Unjustifiableness of Cruelty to the Brute [animal] Creation.” In 1822, Richard Martin, an Irish member of parliament, succeeded in his campaign for animal protection. Because of his work, the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Bill became law.

Mr. Martin, who was not an Anglican, was one of several folks who met with Arthur Broome at a coffeehouse in London in June of 1824. Mr. Broome was hoping that he could persuade a few prominent people to support him in his quest to educate the public and enforce the 1822 law. One of the gentlemen in the gathering was William Wilberforce, a member of parliament. The outcome of this meeting was the formation in England of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) – the first such charity in the world.

But the society soon ran into difficulty. Mr. Broome resigned his post with the Church of England so that he could concentrate on doing the society’s work, for which he received no payment. He must have had some money of his own, because he was able pay its expenses – which would have included hiring inspectors to enforce the law – until he had nothing left. When the society went into debt, Mr. Broome was thrown into prison in January 1826. Friends collected enough money to pay the society’s debts, and he was released.

I could find nothing more about Mr. Broome until his death in 1837. He died of tuberculosis and was buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave. He did not live to see the SPCA become the RSPCA in 1840, when Queen Victoria allowed the society to add the prefix “Royal” to its name.

Arthur Broome sounds like a wonderful human being who gave everything he had to help those who could not help themselves. And he would have wholeheartedly agreed with Charles Darwin who, as I discovered recently, trained to be an Anglican priest! This statement is attributed to him: “There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness and misery.”

When World War I broke out in 1914, the RSPCA set up a fund for sick and wounded horses. During World War II, it rescued and treated more than 256,000 non-human victims. Mr. Broome would have lauded the courage and caring of those brave individuals who risked their lives to save them.

The next Anglican animal welfare milestone – at least as far as I was able to determine – was the formation in 1972 of the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals (ASWA). This statement from its website reflects Mr. Broome’s vision: “We believe that God has given us a responsibility towards sentient beings with whom we share God’s world. The Bible teaches us that God has given us ‘dominion’ not ‘domination’ over animals. (Genesis 1:26) This means loving care, not ruthless exploitation.”

And so the efforts of a humble Anglican priest continue. Two centuries ago, Arthur Broome planted a seed. That kernel has blossomed and continues to flourish. Animals everywhere are in his debt.