Ernest Bell (8 March 1851 – 14 September 1933) was an English publisher, writer, and activist known for his work on behalf of

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

and

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

, and

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...

causes. A dedicated reformer, he was involved in numerous campaigns for social change and played a leading role in organisations such as the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British Registered charity in England, registered charity. It campaigns for dietary changes, licenses Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks for Vegetarianism, vegetarian and Veganism, v ...

, the

Humanitarian League The Humanitarian League was a British radical advocacy group formed by Henry S. Salt and others to promote the principle that it is wrong to inflict avoidable suffering on any sentient being. It was based in London and operated between 1891 ...

, and the

League Against Cruel Sports The League Against Cruel Sports, formerly known as the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports, is a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to stop blood sports such as fox hunting, hare and deer hunting; game bird shooting; and anim ...

, which he co-founded in 1925. Bell also contributed to the development of ethical literature through his work with his family's publishing firm,

George Bell & Sons George Bell & Sons was an English book publishing house. It was based in London and existed from 1839 to 1986. History George Bell & Sons was founded by George Bell as an educational bookseller, with the intention of selling the output of L ...

, and edited or launched several reform-oriented periodicals.

Biography

Early life and education

Ernest Bell was born in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

on 8 March 1851, the second son of the publisher George Bell and his wife Hannah Simpson. He was educated at

St Paul's School, London St Paul's School is a Selective school, selective Private schools in the United Kingdom, independent day school (with limited boarding school, boarding) for boys aged 13–18, founded in 1509 by John Colet and located on a 43-acre site by Rive ...

and attended

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, graduating in 1873 with an BA and an MA in 1876. During his time at Cambridge, Bell had joined the

RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales which promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...

in 1873 and the following year had become a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

after reading T. L. Nichols' pamphlet ''How to Live on Sixpence a Day''. Bell learned German in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

after graduation.

Career

Bell spent most of his adult life working for his father's publishing company

. He was one of the first known English publishers to be a follower of

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...

. He devoted significant effort to managing and raising funds for vegetarianism, humanitarianism, and

animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...

. He was the editor of the ''Animal Life Readers'', a series of books, and launched the journal '' The Animals' Friend'', which he also edited. Bell was a friend of

Henry S. Salt Henry Shakespear Stephens Salt (; 20 September 1851 – 19 April 1939) was a British writer and social reformer. He campaigned for social reform in the fields of prisons, schools, economic institutions, and the treatment of animals. He was a n ...

and was Chairman of the

. He was also a close friend of fellow animal campaigner

Jessey Wade Anna Jessey Wade (2 December 1859 – 10 May 1952) was an English suffragette and campaigner for animal welfare. She founded the Cats Protection League, now known as Cats Protection, and was involved with several other animal welfare organisati ...

, who worked for him as his secretary until his death. For thirty years, Bell was the Honorary Secretary of the Hampstead Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He was also the Chairman of the Committee of the Anti-Vivisection Society and of the

National Anti-Vivisection Society The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) is an international non-profit Animal welfare, animal protection group, based in London, working to end animal testing, and focused on the replacement of animals in research with advanced, scientific t ...

and involved with the Anti-Bearing Rein Association, National Canine Defence League (now Dogs Trust) and the

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

. Bell founded the

League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports The League Against Cruel Sports, formerly known as the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports, is a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to stop blood sports such as fox hunting, hare and deer hunting; game bird shooting; and anim ...

in 1925 with Henry B. Amos and

George Greenwood Sir Granville George Greenwood (3 January 1850 – 27 October 1928), usually known as George Greenwood or G. G. Greenwood, was a British lawyer, politician, cricketer, animal welfare campaigner and energetic advocate of the Shakespeare author ...

as first president. He became chairman of the board of directors of George Bell & Sons in 1926 and, in 1929, he received a lifetime award from a collaboration between 22 different animal societies.

Vegetarianism

In 1925, it was reported that Bell had been a vegetarian for 50 years and attributed his good health to a meat-free diet. He argued that there would less chronic disease if people adopted vegetarianism. Bell became a member of the

and was elected a vice-president in 1896 and was president from 1914 to 1933. He wrote the Preface for E. W. Bowdich's vegetarian

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (food), course (appetize ...

''New Vegetarian Dishes'', in 1892. Bell was a speaker at Vegetarian Society meetings. He commented that meat eating was unethical and that animals will never attain their rights as long as they are considered beings to be eaten.

Personal life and death

Bell married Elize Wilhelmina Wolfel in 1875 and they had one daughter; she died in 1883. In 1893, he married Marie Anna von Taysen; they had no children. Bell died in

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...

on 14 September 1933, at the age of 82. His funeral took place at Hendon Parish Church two days later and was attended by his widow, other family members, and representatives from many societies, including the Vegetarian Society. Tributes were paid to him in the publications ''Animal World'' and '' The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review'', as well as from Henry B. Amos and

Stephen Coleridge Stephen William Buchanan Coleridge (31 May 1854 – 10 April 1936) was an English author, barrister, opponent of vivisection, and co-founder of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Biography Coleridge was the second ...

Legacy

A library to preserve Bell's writings known as the Ernest Bell Library, was proposed by Henry S. Salt in 1934 and was established by the executive of the Vegetarian Society in 1936. The library has more than 1,500 books, journals, magazines and newspapers. It is currently cared for by The Humanitarian League, a Hong Kong–based organisation named after the original Humanitarian League.

Contributions to organisations

Bell donated a significant amount of his income to various societies throughout his life. He also co-founded and worked for a number of animal and vegetarian organisations: *

Animals' Friend Society The Animals' Friend Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was an animal welfare organisation founded in 1832 by Lewis Gompertz and T. Forster. Along with the RSPCA, it was a pioneering organisation advocating for animal welfare in the ...

(founder; council member) * Anti-Bearing Rein Association (Hon. Secretary) * Anti-Vivisection Society (chairman) * Cats Protection League (now known as Cats Protection; treasurer) *

(chairman and treasurer for over 20 years) *

(now known as the League Against Cruel Sports; co-founder and Hon. Treasurer) * London Vegetarian Society (chairman of committee) *

(chairman) * National Canine Defence League (council member) * National Equine Defence League (treasurer) *

National Society for the Abolition of Cruel Sports The National Society for the Abolition of Cruel Sports (NSACS) was a British animal welfare organisation that campaigned against hunting and other blood sports. It was formed in 1932 as a splinter organisation of the League for the Prohibition ...

(co-founder) * Performing and Captive Animals' Defence League (co-founder) * Pit Ponies' Protection Society (treasurer) *

(council member) * Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Hon. Secretary of the Hampstead branch for 30 years) * Universal Mercy Band Movement British Empire Division (treasurer) *

(Vice-president 1896–1914; President 1914–1933)

Selected publications

*''The Animals' Friend'' (1904)
''Christmas Cruelties''
(1907) *''The Inner Life of Animals'' (editor, 1913) *''Stray Thoughts About Vegetarians'' (1910) *''Why Do Animals Exist?'' (1910) * ''Big-Game Hunting'' (1915) *''The Need for Humane Education'' (1915) *''In a Nutshell: Cons and Pros of the Meatless Diet'' (1920) *''An After-Life for Animals'' (1922) *''Speak Up for the Animals: Poems for Reading and Recitations'' (editor, 1923)
''Some Social Results of the Meatless Diet''
(1924) *''Bell's Joy Book'' (1926), Bell donated all of the profits to the Vegetarian Home for Children
''Fair Treatment for Animals''
(1927) *''The Humane Diet and Common Sense'' (1927) *''Proper Relationship between Men and the Other Animals'' (1927) *''Superiority in the Lower Animals'' (1927) *''Summer School Papers: Animal, Vegetable and General'' (1928) *''The Wider Sympathy'' (1932)

References

External links

Biography of Ernest Bell

Ernest Bell Bibliography

The Ernest Bell Library, Our Etymological Past, Sixpences, Dogs and Anti-Vivisection
*
A Year's Progress in Animal Protection
by Ernest Bell, 1 January 1911 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Ernest 1851 births 1933 deaths 19th-century British publishers (people) 19th-century English male writers 19th-century English non-fiction writers 19th-century English writers 20th-century British publishers (people) 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English non-fiction writers 20th-century English writers Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Anti-hunting activists British animal welfare scholars British charity and campaign group workers English animal rights activists English animal welfare workers English anti-vivisectionists English book editors English food writers English magazine editors English male non-fiction writers English nature writers English pamphleteers English publishers (people) English vegetarianism activists Founders of charities League Against Cruel Sports workers People associated with the Vegetarian Society People educated at St Paul's School, London People from Hampstead People from Middlesex (before 1889) Vegetarianism writers German–English translators 19th-century English translators 20th-century English translators