On November 15, 1906, Moore read his paper "The Cost of a Skin" at the annual meeting of the American Humane Association in Chicago.[2] In the speech, he denounced the use of fur and feathers in fashion as "conscienceless and inhumane".[1] According to historian Janet M. Davis, the speech elicited "tears and hysterical denials" from some members of the association, some of whom walked out during the speech.[3] Donna L. Davey describes the audience reaction as mixed: some listeners applauded, others remained silent, and two women left before the speech ended.[1]
In 1912, the Millenium Guild published the essay.[7] A version was also published by the American Humane Association.[2]
The Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society later issued an undated pamphlet version. A copy is held in the Animal Rights and Animal Welfare Pamphlets, 1874–1952 collection at North Carolina State University Libraries.[8] According to the Vegan Literary Studies project at the University of Geneva, this version was based on the Millenium Guild version and was probably published in 1939 because it states that the society had been founded 33 years earlier. The project states that the later pamphlet moves the final paragraphs of the 1912 version forward and adds new material near the end.[9]
Summary
Moore argues that the use of fur and feathers in dress is a survival from what he calls "the savage stage of evolution".[9] He compares the wearing of animal bodies for ornament with the wearing of human scalps, and treats it as evidence of limited sympathy toward other animals.[9]
The essay describes methods used to obtain fur, including steel traps, spring poles, sliding poles, and deadfalls. Moore writes that trapped animals may experience prolonged pain, terror, thirst, hunger, or exposure before death. He also asks readers to imagine humans being hunted by a physically stronger species that kills them without conscience and uses parts of their bodies as ornaments.[9]
In the later pamphlet version, Moore adds an estimate that 30,000,000 animals are killed annually for fur. The pamphlet also includes a passage on the trapping of ermines by using greased iron in extreme cold, causing the animal's tongue to freeze to the metal. It ends by recommending clothing made from non-animal materials and links dress reform with vegetarianism by criticizing both leather and meat consumption.[9]
