Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-11-25
HYDROPH0BIA.


and so entirely irremediable, as the h.
drophobia, or madness from the bite OF a
dog. lis SO horrible that the barely
Imagining Of it-that is to say, the bare
belief that "a dog By hich person who
had been bitten was infected, though he
really we're not so, has often produced
the most fatal consequences whole fanl-
lies have been driven to distraction .
fond parents have been Oerett Of tie last
and, perhaps, dearest object OF their al
fections and hopes by the most pala'ul "i
all deaths; nay, worse, have seen the
little tender limbs of their children man
g.cd OF by amputation in a vain effort
to stop the circulation of the poison from
the wound throush the Whole of the body.
1t is that stroke which, when it once Tails,
produces inevitably the most horrible OF
all dooms. Every one knows this--eNe-
nv one is on the alarm in his own case,
and is ready to kill the dog Of his neigh
Dor in his o. defence, and TO point ou:.
when he Or his family are in danger, the
du'- Of every other person who has a
dog, ard to prescribe what the laws ought
to do, bu, do not, Tor the preservation Of
the citizen from this worst of calami;ies !;
but what is his own conduct all the while
it he have a dog himself ! why, the very
reverse of what he prescribes for others.
By a murdcrOus Obs;inacy oil seliishress,
he would not only protect his own dog
from the prescription which honesty,
christianity, and humanity, would en-
force, but, in order to indulge the capri
cious wishes of a worthless brat of
child perhaps, he would add to the stock
Of those dangerous animals who infest
our streets-ay, and quarrel. possibly,
even to the death, with any man who for
the preservation OF his child's, or his
wige's, or his own life, would beat The
dog out Of the way. have more than
once seen, while the columns D! the news
papers in all parts Of the union were fill
cd with the most heart breaking accour Is
of disasters of this kind, fathers carrying
home little pups for their Jack-a-D Dandy
TO play with for week or a month, and
bred'up to bite some honest father of
family before the end Of the year. have
ser persons who ought 10 have little
csmmon sense Of their own safety, though
they had no feeling for that Of others,
accommodating around them drOyes OF
dogs, that were convertible TO no possible
usa-not fit for watch dogs, and not hav-
ing any thing that demanded guarding
not fit for shooting or any kind Of sport
ing, aud if they were, not within the
reach of any game or ground where game
could be expected. In short, Of use for
no conceivable purpose, but that of con-
saming a quantity Of provisions which
would be more worthily bestowed upon
the pauFers who begin to iafest the Dis.
trict, particularly Georgetown and Wash
ington, as multitudinously as begsars
prowl about European cities, or Of COM
municating the blessing Of the hydrOpho-
bia to their fellow-citizens.
On the whole, it seems that on this
point there are but too Eany about US
who think but little Of the well being oi
any but themselves, and that vast num-
Der OF our citizens more prize one OF the
very meanest of their own iDdulgencies
than the safety Of their fellow creatures
lives. Boast as we will, and God knows
we do enough of that, this to:al disrc-
gard Of SO importsnt--so melancholy a
concern speaks very little for the hu"ani-
ty of some who would fsin pass for patri.
OTIS; but where there is not humanity, |
should be glad to be informed how we
are to expect patriotism. If a man raises
sp an useless dog, or keeps one in stu
alton in which he may, in one unlucky
moment. destroy a fellow creature or
..lnnna q f.m;Ir intn irretriayahla misery.