THE TERROR OF COWS’ MILK.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 1, Issue 75, 18 March 1880, Page 3

THE TERROR OF COWS’ MILK.

The following translation of a Chinese placard regarding the highly immoral practice of consuming cows’ milk is sent to the “ Foochow Herald” for publication : cow’s milk ! Man should not rob the beasts of their food. Moreover, of all beasts the cow is the most useful and meritorious. Men who do not discriminate between mankind and beasts are worse than senseless. Those who so sell milk darken their consciences for gain, and those who eat cows’ milk foolishly think they are benefiting their bodies. Men who take medicine should first carefully investigate and find out its nature. Why do not those who eat cows’ milk consider and inquire into its origin ! For instance, men beget children, and while they are small they depend upon milk for their nourishment, so it is also with beasts. But when men buy milk to eat, do they not do injury to the life of the calf 1 And is there not bitter hatred and distress in the minds of both cow and calf? Beasts cannot speak ; how, then, are they able to tell the man that, in eating the milk of beasts, his body becomes like that of birds and beasts ? But if men wish to take strengthening medicine, there are numberless other articles in the world that are beneficial ; and what necessity is there, then, for taking cows’ milk ? Besides this, the death and life of men have their fixed number and limit, and this cow’s milk cannot lengthen out and continue the life of man. Since, then, all know the truth—that it cannot do this —all ought to act with loving and benevolent spirit. Especially all who read this exhortation should keep from eating milk. The children of those who cause their families to refrain from eating milk will be preserved to grow up ; they also will thus lengthen out their own lives, and will escape from evil in time of fatal epidemics. If such persons be able also to exhort others, who are ignorant of first principles, to leave off the eating of milk, their descendants shall surely prosper. Published by the Hall of Good Exhortations. The Xylographic blocks are deposited in the Ung Ling Koh.”