The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-07
SCIENTIFIC MENDACITy.
a Improved species Of Dog Discovered
~ the Scientific American.
TNew York Times |

Is
h 1.-THE dog is a noble animal. No one who
~ kept a dog In his cellar and noticed the
l iHy in which the intelligent beast lays hold
ii the man who comes to inspect the gas
\ letter can help loving and admiring him. Oh
Nurse the more we Improve the dog physi-
4snce every effort at developing new and i'm
loved breeds of dogs ought to be warmly
#elcomed.
II Scientific persons ALSO as well as dogs de-
rye. as general rule, our respect and adj
tiration. Science, IL INDUCED In moderately
men who have strength Of mind enough to
fuid all mathematical excuses. Is q useful
IA pleasing thing. Every honest and fair
isnded man prefers. to put confidence in
tentific persons rather than to view them
ath doubt and suspicion. Nevertheless, it is
Edeniable that ut times certain scientific
ErHons will make assertions which are ut
VEy Incredible Such, 1t is sad to say, Ia the
hduct OF the Scientific Person who,
srerican, has described new breed
owed ds saaw-m MILF dog" The 's ordinary saw
I'M dog, although Of mixed and indefinite
.Ssd, is useful animal, and can be trained
fdateh small pieces Of timber that go adrift,
well as to warn children away from the
ttzrsaw. An improved sawmill dog would,
oubtedly, be very acceptable, but the
tged animal described by the Scientific
pson In question is not merely Improbable.
is 50 thoroughly impossible. as to be 90
1T to expose the mendacious character OF
description, and to convict the writer of
n unparalleled impudenee Of which he has
Cured TO be guilty.
Ie begins, with certain degree OF modera-
BY informing us that the improved
Emiil dog" Is constructed of "the best ma
gIal, Is strong and durable has very few
Its, and retains the log with great firm
M" While we do not at once perceive
t Ia gained by diminishing the number of
ts with which nature originally provided
ls. there is nothing In the statement Just
Ted which is absolutely Incredible. The
syePF however, soon yields to the tempta-
to play upon public creduity, and in
rs us that the dogs teeth "are easily
sieatesf Is this credible? Who ever
Id OF taking out a dogs. teeth,
opening them, and returning them TO
sockets; or OF putting artificial teeth
Hog's MOUTH Even were such q thing
9ihle, 1t would be an atrocious act OF cruel
The scientific fabulist. however, is quite
ang to be thought guilty of cruelty to
gals. He proceeds to say that Shafts
Isning, Of course, clubs convenient
reflective in forcing the dogs on to the log
holding them with relentless grip
v is to say, the poor animals are to be
Yen until they bite 50 deeply in the log
be said to be 'sforced into it." We don't
Hive word of this, for uendacious as the
htific Person Is, he cannot be as cruel as he
ends to be.
d next proceeds to tell us that the dog is
de to slide on an upright bar This Is
b nonsense. A dog might be trained to
on a nearly horizontal bar, but to make
,slide on an upright bar would be impos-
II What does this man mean by his pre-
srous stories2 Does he suppose that we
I'LL so ignorant as Western statesmen, or
edulous as Communists He pretends
lAthe dogs lower end Is pivoted to the
and that the upper end will recede and
IN large logs to come back o it is, Is it
h would the Scientific Person like to have
kelf pivoted in a similar way; and If so
Ped would his upper end recede and allow
b logs to come back2 Does he expect us
{lieve' that logs are intelligent; that they
run away when the dog is at large, and
yhave courage to return when they see
he is securely pivoted? 1t is positively
i-curdling to read the atrocious false
Is which this shameless person tries to
y Off upon us.
e dogs forelegs are courteously spoken
Is arms. This Is unobjectionable but
intelligent men are told that these arms
made adjustable by spring pins" and
be heightened or shortened at pleasure,
lesire to go and kill the audacious author
UGH atrociouS stories can hardly be re-
ned. Think Of lengthenng or shorten
dogs forelegs at pleasure either with
ag pins or with early summer needles
Is too much. OF course, this is free
Try, and a man has right to free speech,
lsded he always expresses the sentiments
majority; but are our homes to be pol
with pretended scientific statements
sming alleged dogs with adjustable fore
III science has come to this, let Mr..
sbck look toit. The United States mails
hot and shall not be used to disseminate
lt'ous scientific falsehoods subversive OF
Jeiy first principles Of canine anatomy.
Iy,rd the end Of his description the