New-York tribune., 1874-07-04
JOHN PAUL on HYDROPHOBlA
A PLEA FOR DOGS.


AND INTEMPERANCE-LoNGE EARS INcoNVENihNr
WIEN PLAYING WITH PETs-NAN's BEST FRIENDS
THE DOGS.
fv,ov Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUsEl
BRoouYN, July 2.-Perhaps you are wonderipg
where I've been for a month or two backI it may
he Won think I've been of IN the country sioop'
ING at night upon the bucolic mattress withou'
springs, rolling by day upon the wet grass "'''
white trowsers, having different sorts OF bugs crawl
;.. o,or mo and into nv ears all the while, ana
! o,bervise ENJOYING self in the stereotyped way
No: Ihave been staying quietly at home 'et'ins
! mad dogs bite me. +,
None of the blame can be laid at my door.
| warned them faithfully, argued with them, to''i
them IT was no manner of use but they wouidn DC
nersuaded: thew said every one else had been taking
| hack at me for nigh upon year now, and tney
might AZ well have mouthful as not. SO, as they
seemed set upon it, and thought thcyd enjoy it, and
the difference TO me was ::.ang anietly gave in
Nineteen dogs bit me in one morning before
| breakfast.
Prompt precautions were taken. no exertions were
spared on any side and did my duty like Chris
! tian. Night and day sat up with those unfortu-
nate dogs mother could not have minstered to
| her own step-chdren more tenderly than l did to
them; [ would have called Congregational Coun-
Gil had the season not been so far advanced; but
u was of no avail Every one OF them died.
Let me own right here that l respect animals !;
yes, that like animals. Perhaps, while about it,
may as well make clean breast and confess that
love animals-al anmals-even the human animal
when he is not rredeemably vicious.
When remark that l have particular affection
for the horse expect to find the great multitude
countenancing me and bearing me company, for the
horse is useful ANIMAL None will gainsay me
here. But perhaps incline to push my conclusions
in this case further than most lovers even OF the
horse will care to follow me. For, weighing the
matter well, | do not know why good horse should
rank lower in the social scale than good man.
Certainly he breaches less and does more. The
horse cannot talk. it is true but then can instance
some good men who would be much better, pleas
anter as companions, and every way more agreea-
BILE if they could not. And who knows but that the
horse would talk it made worth his while
Unfortunately, the only precedent on record in
which he made an effort and developed talent as a
controyersiaist was scarcely calculated to encOur
age him in that direction. You perhaps remember
that Baaams horse opened his mouth once to adj
monish his master warning him that danger and
destruction lay dead ahead, and the prophet raised
his evangelical staff and beat him cruelty for put
ting an oar in. Come to think about it, don't
think Balaams horse would have spoken on that
one occasion if he had not been an ass. | hold 1t
for an incontroyertible truth that if he had had
even average horse-sense he would never have at
tempted to argue with a clergyman who, in addi-
ton to believing that he had a mission, carried
big club.
Let me make another confession: / do not be-
long to that large class of anmallovers who. loving
animals hate cats" That the cat h treacherous,
know ali my observation of her goes to prove it.
She makes no professions, INDUCES in few demon
strations If you travel far out of your way,
though to tread her TAIL she very apt to set her
back up contumaciously and Scratch instead of i'm
mediately going out to the barn and bringing in one
of her kittens for you to play with. Punch dog in
the eye on the other hand, and just as like as not
he'll wag his tail and look pleased. This proves that
the cat is a treacherous animal and also establishes
her as a nearer approach TO the human animal than
the dog is. And in this fact you have one reason
why like dogs better than do cats
For liking eats. love dogs-eyen little yellow
dogs They arc useless" but what of thatf The
same can be said of nine men in ten. Usefulness"
and convenience shOuld never be mentioned as
elements to be considered when love of animals is
professed. The great multitude of men love their
wives mainly because they are useful, handy in
many ways. convenient to have around; do not
say that there is anything wrong in this-the rule
may be well enough in weighing wives-but my
affection for animals builds itself upon quite another
ground not matter of volition at all, there be-
longs to neither praise nor blame for it. l love
the little yellow dog of incidental mention simply
because he is one of the weak and helpless creatures
which the Creator of us all has committed TO the
care of the stronger and more intelligent. And
never see a little yellow dog running round the
streets without feeling deep down in my heart that
but for circumstances which neither of us had
tiyan nj mi oh ha chaOp
conditions might be reversed; and had they been,
1t is not clear to me that the other party would not
have made a better than l. nor do | know that
| would have been half so good little yellow dog
as he is.
As for this absurd hue and cry of :" mad dog
it is the people who are mad-idiotlc In the
cities of New-York and Brooklyn with million and
a half of population, not counting dogs, how many
deaths can you lay to the charge of dogs If man
contemplated suicide, how soon could he effect his
object by going around and waiting for a mad dog
to bite him About as soon as by standing in the
street during thunder shower and waiting for
lightning to strike him. More men are killed in one
day by bricks falling their heads, than by dogs IN
ten years Afraid Of unmuzzed dogs Look at your
gln-mills loose all over town, seizing men by the
throat every corner, ambushed in every other eel
lar grinding out death and damnaton from the
rising OF tue sun WI lls gong Gown, ana from It's
going down again until its rising. Muzzle the gin
bottles, and sweep the bloated brutes who launch
this liquid death away from behind their accursed
counters to some remote and obscure spot where
they may be thrust into proper tank and sitting
gases vomited in upon them TILL the sixpences for
which they have sold their souls fall from their
clutches and their parayzed hands are powcrless for
evil-then you will have taken step in the right
direction Hydrophobia is undoubtedly a dreadful
death to die hut what then of delirium trenens 7