Public Floggings for Anyone Cruel to Animals! In late November
of 1880, a meeting was called at Cooper Union in New York City,
with a panel of church leaders to explain that the criminal
element were "depraved because they were deprived", and if only
people would come to the aid of prisoners, things might get
turned around. Only there was one little problem. It seems that
all the folks who were invited to speak failed to appear. The
result was a small audience, but no speaker. What to do? Well,
after chewing up a little time rehashing the principles of the
Gilbert Library Prisoners' Aid Society, the host flapped around
for something else to say, when who should he spy in the
audience but none other than Henry Bergh -- the great protector
of animals who had started the SPCA in America, and who had
spent 14 years denouncing the flogging of horses and all cruelty
to animals. Surely this Great Man would have something
intelligent and extemporaneous to say about the abuse of men in
the prison system? And so that i