The American Humane Education Society (AHES) was an American organization founded in 1889 by George T. Angell in Boston, Massachusetts, to promote humane education and encourage kindness toward animals. It worked in partnership with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), and Our Dumb Animals served as an official publication of both organizations. The society was merged into the MSPCA in 2010. It is included in the online exhibition "Be Kind: A Visual History of Humane Education, 1880-1945" by the National Museum of Animals & Society.
George T. Angell (1823–1909) founded the AHES in 1889 with the stated aim of carrying "unsectarian humane education" beyond Massachusetts and supporting the creation of Bands of Mercy and other humane societies.[1][2] The Society's motto was "Glory to God, Peace on Earth, Kindness, Justice and Mercy to Every Living Creature".[3]
On its establishment, AHES membership categories included life memberships and annual memberships with different fee levels.[1]
Relationship with the MSPCA and publications
The AHES worked in partnership with the MSPCA, and Our Dumb Animals served as an official publication of both organizations.[1]
The Society promoted Black Beauty as a humane education text in the United States, and the society printed an American edition in 1890 and distributed large numbers, with Angell arguing that the book could reduce cruelty to horses.[4]
Activities
"Feeding the Birds" poster, c.1921
The AHES distributed pamphlets and other humane education texts and promoted humane education through activities including poster and essay competitions, illustrated lectures, and advocacy for humane education in school curricula. Fieldworkers operated across the United States and in other countries including Canada, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Holland, France, Mexico, and Cuba.[1]
In 1914 AHES began a "Be Kind to Animals" campaign, using promotional items such as a metal button.[1] The MSPCA's historical timeline records the first national observance of "Be Kind to Animals Week" in 1915.[5]
Jack London Club
In 1918 the AHES and MSPCA formed the Jack London Club in response to concerns about the use of animals in entertainment. Club members received copies of Jack London's novels Jerry of the Islands (1916) and Michael, Brother of Jerry (1917). By the 1920s the club had about 750,000 members.[1]
In 2012 the National Museum of Animals & Society launched the online exhibition "Be Kind: A Visual History of Humane Education, 1880-1945", curated by Keri Cronin, which includes a section on the AHES and reproduces selected material associated with its work, including items from the MSPCA-Angell collections such as circulars, brochures, posters, and campaign ephemera.[1]
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