PETA Sponsors Mark Twain Museum Exhibit, Hails Author as America’s First Animal Advocate
Hannibal, Mo. — In advance of next week's 100thanniversary of Mark Twain's death, PETA is joining the author's hometown museumin commemorating Twain as America's first famous animal advocate. PETA isdonating $5,000 to The Mark TwainBoyhood Home & Museum, which will unveil a prominent plaque that features a quotefrom Twain about animal experimentation:
I believe I am not interested toknow whether Vivisection produces results that are profitable to the human raceor doesn't. To know that the results are profitable would not remove myhostility to it. The pains which it inflicts upon unconsenting animals is thebasis of my enmity towards it, and it is to me sufficient justification of theenmity without looking further. It is so distinctly a matter of feeling withme, and is so strong and so deeply-rooted in my make and constitution, that Iam sure I could not even see a vivisector vivisected with anything more than asort of qualified satisfaction.
Animals were integral to Twain's writing, from his firststories through his final years. Many of his pieces that were left unpublished at his death also featureanimal-related themes, and some of these works are spotlighted in the recentlypublished book Mark Twain's Book of Animals.
"Italy had Leonardo da Vinci, Greece had Pythagoras,England had Wilberforce—and America had Mark Twain as its visionary animaladvocate," says PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews, who cites Twain asan inspiration in his memoir, Committed.
Mathews will join Cindy Lovell, executive director of the The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum,at 12 noon on Saturday, April 17, to unveil the plaque.
For more information, please visit PETA.org or www.marktwainmuseum.org.
