Ernest Bell (8 March 1851 – 14 September 1933) was an English author, publisher and activist for

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

and

welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

humanitarianism Humanitarianism is an active belief in 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 emotional ...

and

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

Biography

Bell was born in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, the son of the publisher

George Bell George Bell may refer to: Law and politics * George Joseph Bell (1770–1843), Scottish jurist and legal author * George Alexander Bell (1856–1927), Canadian pioneer and Saskatchewan politician * George Bell (Canadian politician) (1869–1940) ...

. He was educated at

St Paul's School, London (''By Faith and By Learning'') , established = , closed = , type = Independent school Public school , religion = Church of England , president = , he ...

and attended

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

, 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 that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest an ...

in 1873 and in 1874 had become a vegetarian after reading Dr. Thomas Low Nichols' pamphlet ''How to Live on Sixpence a Day''. Bell learned German in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

after graduation. Bell's first wife was Elize Wilhelmina Wolfel, who died in 1881; they had one daughter together. In 1893, he married Marie Anna von Taysen; they had no children. Bell spent most of his adult life working for his father's publishing company

George Bell & Sons George Bell & Sons was a book publishing house located in London, United Kingdom, 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 London univ ...

; 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, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

. He spent much time on the "administration and fund-raising for three main reform causes: vegetarianism, humanitarianism, and animal welfare." Bell 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 (appetizer, first cour ...

''New Vegetarian Dishes'', in 1893. He was also the editor of the ''Animals Life Readers'', a series of books and launched the journal ''Animals' Friend'' (which he also edited). He became a member of the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom is a British registered charity which was established on 30 September 1847 to promote vegetarianism. History In the 19th century a number of groups in Britain actively promoted and followed meat ...

and was elected a vice-president in 1896 and was president from 1914. Bell was a friend of

Henry S. Salt Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

and was Chairman of 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 189 ...

. He was also a close friend of fellow animal campaigner

Jessey Wade Jessey Wade (2 December 1859 – 1952) was an English suffragist and campaigner for animal welfare, known for founding the Cats Protection League (now known as Cats Protection). She co-founded a number of other animal welfare organisations and he ...

, 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 not-for-profit animal protection group, based in London, working to end animal testing, and focused on the replacement of animals in research with advanced, scientific techniques. S ...

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 organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment throug ...

. Bell founded 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 ...

(LACS) in 1924 with Henry B. Amos, Jessey Wade 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 reformer and energetic advocate of the Shakespeare authorshi ...

. Bell 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. Bell died in

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

in 1933, at the age of 82.

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 (Council member) * Anti-Bearing Rein Association (Hon. Secretary) * Anti-Vivisection Society (Chairman) *

Cats Protection League Cats Protection, formerly the Cats Protection League, is a UK charity dedicated to rescuing and rehoming stray, unwanted or homeless cats and educating people about cats and cat welfare. The organisation was founded as the Cats Protection Leag ...

(now known as Cats Protection; Treasurer) * Humanitarian League (Chairman and Treasurer for over 20 years) * League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports (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 (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) * Vegetarian Society (Vice-President 1896–1914; President 1914–1933)

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.

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