PS: Sharon, if I recall correctly, the idea came from the sick mind of one of the beatified Pankhurst women. Another sign of how little upper middle-class women valued the lives of men during that, and every other, war: The PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) was founded by Maria (pronounced 'ma-raiya' not 'ma-reeya') Dickin. The charity's website says this of her:
'Born in 1870 in London, Maria Dickin had always been passionate about helping those in need. When she married in 1899, Maria gave up her job as was expected of her. She was an independent thinker and wanted to help people, so instead of a full-time job Maria decided to put her efforts into social work.
During the war, Maria was visiting the slums in London helping women and children. She was shocked by the level of poverty and wanted to do whatever she could to help.
Up until this point, even Maria would admit she’d never considered that animals could suffer in the same way we could. It wasn’t until she saw animals suffering in the slums, their owners too poor to get them veterinary treatment, along with the suffering of her own dog when he fell ill that she realised.
Maria saw no difference between the cry of a suffering animal and the cry of a suffering person. For her, they were one and the same. She decided she couldn’t let animals suffer and did something about it.'
Which was very noble of her, while the streets of London were thronged with blind, limbless, disfigured, shell shocked and gassed ex-servicemen whose need for help was far more pressing than the pets of the poor. I cannot recall the book, however, I do recall reading that refined women of delicate sensibilities were often so moved by the plight of horribly wounded servicemen that their husbands felt compelled to write angry letters to the 'quality papers' complaining about the hospitals operating where middle-class women and children could see the patients.
Fortunately for one's sense of balance and perspective, the toxic narcissism of such revolting creatures is more than compensated by the compassion and devotion of the middle and upper-middle class girls and women who nursed the men without complaint and those women who married men destroyed by war and cared for them for the rest of their lives.
PS: Sharon, if I recall correctly, the idea came from the sick mind of one of the beatified Pankhurst women. Another sign of how little upper middle-class women valued the lives of men during that, and every other, war: The PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) was founded by Maria (pronounced 'ma-raiya' not 'ma-reeya') Dickin. The charity's website says this of her:
'Born in 1870 in London, Maria Dickin had always been passionate about helping those in need. When she married in 1899, Maria gave up her job as was expected of her. She was an independent thinker and wanted to help people, so instead of a full-time job Maria decided to put her efforts into social work.
During the war, Maria was visiting the slums in London helping women and children. She was shocked by the level of poverty and wanted to do whatever she could to help.
Up until this point, even Maria would admit she’d never considered that animals could suffer in the same way we could. It wasn’t until she saw animals suffering in the slums, their owners too poor to get them veterinary treatment, along with the suffering of her own dog when he fell ill that she realised.
Maria saw no difference between the cry of a suffering animal and the cry of a suffering person. For her, they were one and the same. She decided she couldn’t let animals suffer and did something about it.'
Which was very noble of her, while the streets of London were thronged with blind, limbless, disfigured, shell shocked and gassed ex-servicemen whose need for help was far more pressing than the pets of the poor. I cannot recall the book, however, I do recall reading that refined women of delicate sensibilities were often so moved by the plight of horribly wounded servicemen that their husbands felt compelled to write angry letters to the 'quality papers' complaining about the hospitals operating where middle-class women and children could see the patients.
Fortunately for one's sense of balance and perspective, the toxic narcissism of such revolting creatures is more than compensated by the compassion and devotion of the middle and upper-middle class girls and women who nursed the men without complaint and those women who married men destroyed by war and cared for them for the rest of their lives.
I love learning the truth! Thanks so much!