The Portland daily press., 1867-01-12
pleasure in Domestic Animals.


There are persons who regard it as weak
ness, in man or woman, to take pleasure in
their domestic animals. In some, perhaps, it
is such. We think we know individuals who
have stronger affinity to brutal natures than
to their own species. Mr. A. loves his dog
more than he does his neighbor, and Mrs. b.
prefers the companionship OF her cat to that
Of the most refined lady in town. But such
are extreme cases and it is not with these
that we have to do in our present writing.
The domestic animals are given for the use
almost for the society-ofhuman beings. Why
does the dog forsake his own species, always
preierrng the society of his master, unless it
be that God made him for the companionship
of man? "Ihe ass knoweth his owner, and
the OK his masters crib" Many human life
has been saved by dog, even at the peril of
its own. The horse is not only sagacious
treatment becomes attached to his keeper.
The mau who would abuse faithful horse,
or The woman who would starye generous
COW has disobeyed the laws of Him who made
them both, and deserves not to own or be
served by either. We know men who become
very strongly attached to kind and obedient
horse, which they have long owned, and who
consider him almost as a member of the fam
lily, setting a value upon him more sacred than
that which is measured by dollars and cents.
We recollect case, of remarkably intei-
gent, willing and servicable horse, owned by a
practising physician, who had been carried by
him many darE and stormy night to his pa
tients, over bad roads and amidst much haz-
ard, with expedition and safety On the road,
he trusted him; in the stable he petted him.
For years the attachment was mutual, and
grew stronger and stronger. One day "Char-
lev" was taken sick, The next morning, as
we raised the doctors stable, we heard the
sound of some person taking on as in great
trouble. We opened the door, and there stood
the humane doctor over the now dead body
of his layorite steed crying outright, like one
bereayed Was this weakness? or was it
that trait in human nature which is honora-
BILE to the genus homo?- We think ii was the
latter.
gentle and excellent COW, which she raised
from its very calfhood, which she nursed
in its infaaey, and which has given to her
children the streams of life once supplied by
her own breast. 1t is docile ereature-so
placid, SO confding that The woman actually
loves the COW. Let butcher come to pur-
chase her for slaughter, and no money could
take her 10 the shambles. To see her killed
would bring tears to her eyes and grief to her
heart. Is this weakness or is 1t an affection
honorable to her nature?
So we may go through the whole list of do
mestic animals which God has given for the
use OF that being who is himself bali animal
and half human, without which first half, by
the way, he would be worse than he often is.
The lamb, the fawn, the kid, the dog, the cat,
the parrot, the canary bird, the hen, the duck,
the goose. the turkcy-all these appear to en-
liven the habitations of men, and we can con
ceive of no fault or sin in any ones becoming
attached to them, enjoying their gambols, and
ministerng to their wants. We know farm
er who has purchased several of the handsom-
est uOIocs, llStl CattlC1 oHCCp1 SWiuC iUWlS
to be found In America, who calculates there
by to be OF service to the country by diffusing
greater improvements in stock, &C., but who,
at the same time, remarked to US the other |
day, that if he did not make one dollar on
them he considered himself gamer by the
pleasure he took in caressing and exhibiting
them Is this a sin? On the contrary, is it
not a virtue? For ourself, we like to go into
our barn yard, call to our presence our beau
tiful Devon heifers, and our trio of cosset
sheep, mesmerize them by the gentle passes
OF our hand, and feed them from the vessel |
we bear to them. We like thence to repair to
the stable, and put an arm over the stately |
neck of our Bucephalus, who has carried
us thousands of miles in perils by land and
waters-deep mud-without ever falling us a |
step in our life.
Kindness to brutes in the field or stall shows
a nature thai is sure to manifest all the amia-
bic affections in the family and in the neigh
hood. If this is weakness, well would it be /
for the world if some hearts were weaker than
they are.
TRAXI