apse in such endeavour is what
constitutes immorality. We must live consistently with theory so long as
our chief purpose in life is advanced by so doing, but we must be
inconsistent when by antinomianism we better forward this purpose. To
illustrate: All morally-minded people desire to serve as a force working
for the happiness of the race. We are convinced that the slaughter of
animals for food is needless, and that it entails much physical and
mental suffering among men and animals and is therefore immoral.
Knowing this we should exert our best efforts to counteract the wrong,
firstly, by regulating our own conduct so as not to take either an
active or passive part in this needless massacre of sub-human life, and
secondly, by making those facts widely known which show the necessity
for food reform.

Now to go to the ultimate extreme as regards our own conduct we should
make no use of such things as leather, bone, catgut, etc. We should not
even so much as attend a concert where the players use catgut strings,
for however far distantly related cause and effect may be, the fact
remains that the more the demand, no matter how small, the more the
supply. We should not even be guilty of accosting a friend from over the
way lest in consequence he take more steps than otherwise he would do,
thus wearing out more shoe-leather. He who would practise such absurd
sansculottism as this would have to resort to the severest seclusion,
and plainly enough we cannot approve of such fanaticism. By turning
antinomian when necessary and staying amongst our fellows, making known
our views according to our ability and opportunity, we shall be doing
more towards establishing the proper relation between man and sub-man
than by turning cenobite and refusing all intercourse and association
with our fellows. Let us do small wrong that we may accomplish great
good. Let us practise our creed so far as to abstain from the eating of
animal food, and from the use of furs, feathers, seal and fox skins, and
similar ornaments, to obtain which necessitates the violation of our
fundamental principles. With regard to leather, this material is, under
present conditions, a 'by-product.' The hides of animals slaughtered for
their flesh are made into leather, and it is not censurable in a
vegetarian to use this article in the absence of a suitable substitute
when he knows that by so doing he is not asking an animal's life, nor a
fellow-being to degrade his c