The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-06-09
THE CANINE MANIA.

over every respectable dog kennel In
the land, the imperishable name of
Bergh." New York is to enjoy the
coveted blessing of dog hospital.
The idea is immensely grand. The
enterprise eminently metropolitan. We
accept it as the unmistakable indica-
ton of an advanced civilization and
deserving of universal commentator.
To think that canine cursed humanity
the average thousands who never
own dogs of either high or low degree
is at last to be relieved of the infiic-
ton of NANCY and sickly ours! The
thought forsooth is millennial Indeed
ordinary affection for that noble ami
NAL would suggest that no unjust dis
elimination be made between healthy
and afflicted CANNES Humanity echoes
the plea. Let all be HosPITALED be-
You'd the touch of rabies, distempers
or canine epidemics. Our general SYM
patty for the universal dog nature is so
broad and outreaching that it would
willingly consign to the protection and
retirement of the general hospital, not
only every whelp that whines, but every
caudal wager that walks. Let dog
hospitals then adorn every village and
hamlet in the land. Certainly the own
ers of that interesting species Of pro-
perty would doubtless consider it no
hardship to bear in their purses por-
ton of the burden of their support,
since owners of better defined species
of personality could readily afford, in
deed would much prefer, Il tax to be
WITHOUT than with this dubious bless
ing roaming at large There hangs
over our mantel shelf the familiar
engraving of Ansdell's Wounded
Hound" What sympathies it excites,
what commiseration it provokes. Not
for the physically disabled quadruped in
sooth, but for the defenseless bipeds,
upon whom, in his midnight meander-
ings, he has, when in health inflicted
untold mental and nervous miseries.
The picture is indeed pleasing one.
Apart from the merit of the subject the
artist has skillfully performed his work
Underneath it, however, strangely in
contrast with the spirit of the scene
depicted by the limner's art, lies upon
the mantel shelf the open letter of an
injured lady, who depicts in no less
artistic phrase the story of her canine
woes. Pathetically she asks, GLOW
are we to be relieved of the dog nui-
"sance. Our yards, our gardens, our
"sheep folds are ever the objects of his
intrusive attacks. Even the air we
breathe comes DUE ladened with the
"echo of his villainous voice He is
ubiquitous, not to speak irreverentlv
"-omnipresent. Whittier can the nerv-
"ous flee to escape this dreaded pres
"ence? BY day the eye is wearied, by
might the ear distressed by his disso-
"nant tones. There was wit as well
Gas sense in the selection of name
"when the tragic poacher christened
"his Macbeth. Macbeth hath MUIR
"dered Sleep An aspirate would en-
Large the meaning of the text. Shaks-
"peare knew nature and the nature of
"a dog" Ansdell's picture suggests,
Bergh's genius supplies the remedy for
the nervous Affections of suffering thou
sands, humans and CANNES alike The
universal dog hospital is the grand idea,
the final refuge Of diseased ours and
the last hope Of canine cursed human
ity. Let the State endow them at
once, and tax the dog owners for their
support. Charles Lamb liked not dogs.
We like Charles Lamb Excuse US,
dear madam-if to love you is to love
"your dog,-upon further consideration
eve are obliged to decline the other
"wise invaluable offer of your friend
"ship." Wisely and bravely spoken,
say we for the satirist Mi htv well,
sir, you know the condition.
Now whatever the confession NAV
imply, we frankly confess our prefer
ence for mutton Cor lamb), either neat
or saddled, to the best specimen of dog
flesh displayed at the bench show The
taste may be vulgar one, but one
shoulder of Southdown, enticinglv dis
played on the butchers bench, suggests
more solid happiness in the possession
than the ownership of the best four
quarters of standing "whelp" exhib.
tied in Gilmore's garden. Between
sheep and sheep murderers we do not
hesitate. Sentimentalists, we know,
parade in eloquent language the af1ec-
ton, sagacity, devotion, instinct, and use
fulness of the dog. What dog? The
GOOD dog. The pure-bIooded dog
Grant it. Now goodness is q relative
term. To the sporting character, his
Gordon setter or English pointer NAV
be RELATIVELY the good or even the
best dog in the field by day, but ABso-
LUTELY the worst night bowler in the
streets. One owner appreciates this
relative virtue. A score of disturbed
sleepers curse the absolute nuisance.
Strike the balance between the relative
happiness accruing to the owner, and
the absolute unhappiness inflicted upon
the majority of nineteen, and what have
you? A fair estimate of the average
blessing accruing from the possession
of a good dog, WITHOUT HOSPITAL AD-
vANTAGEs. Then how stands the dog
problem? Simply in this wise: Ply
scians tell US that not one out of every
dozen persons you meet are strictly
sound or healthy people BY parity of
reasoning, dogs are not more fortunately
circumstanced. Many unaccountable
performances upon part of apparently
healthy CANNES would probably satisfac-
torily establish this point, could the
physiological facts be got at Medical
science however has heretofore COM
paratively overlooked the dog. Not SO
now. The establishment of universal
hospitals will necessarily prove an in
centive to progress in this interesting
profession and enlarge the demand for
blue mass and choral. If then so large