Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-27

From Harper's Weekly.

Like all the other domestic animals with the
single exception, perhaps, of the horse), the
dog. as we know him and love him. is among
the developments Of an advanced civilization,
the distinctive tendencies of which are wholly
Unitarian. Having no adaptability for the per-
poses Of war, the dog has known his most rapid
development among peoples which. although,
| owing to geographical position and other cir
cumstances, not always the most peaceable,
have most highly esteemed the blessings Of
| peace.
The principal agency in the development of
the dog has been the chase Indeed, sport In
some form or other may be said to have been
the primary motive for the cultivation of all the
early types of dogs from which our modern inn
proved breeds are only variations. The medi;e-
val BritOn and the inhabitants of the forest coun-
| tries Of France and Germany tracked the wild
boar to its lair with the aid of a hound from
which the latest type of bloodhound differs but
in very slight degree.
While in England the nature of the game to
be hunted and the character of the country to
be traversed have so far modified the old
fashioned foX-hound that nothing but his conf
caly shaped skull, long pendent ears, and
tendency to give tongue when on the scent
betray his relationship to the blood hound in
France, on the other hand, the survival of the
wild Soar has preserved the historic st Hubert's
hound almost In its original purity Every
hound in France that lays claim to purity of
blood. be he wOlf-hound or boar-hound. traces
his pedigree to the hunting saint of the
Ardennes; but it is in La Tendee that the
animal is found which. perhaps more than any
other, preserves the peculiarities Of the old
type. In-breeding, however, has acted preju-
dically on both the physical and moral charac-
terstcs Of the breed for the Vendean hound
Is described by Du FOuillous a heavy soft
skinned, bell-mouthed animal, still preserving
its miik-white purity of color but lacking i'm
those qualities of endurance and courage that
distinguished its ancestors.
The number Of varieties Of hounds in which
relationship can be traced to the bloodhound il
remarkable, and Is a striking example of that
tendency to perpetuate their pecul;arties which
belong to old and superior races. whether of
men or brutes. The foX-hound, and its modifi-
cation the beagle the various wolf-hounds and
mastifis. and the amable bassets and Dachs-
hunds, all show the conical skull of the blood
hound, and all 'give tongue" while hunting.
The English fox-hound has been gradually bred
for greater speed and less seeming powers;
hence its frame has become lighter its legs
longer. and it carries its head higher than it's
more blood-hOund-like ancestor of a generation
or two ago. The beagle on the other hand
(more especially those varieties bred In France),
still preserves in great degree those points
which indicate keen scenting and slow hunting
as shown in the formation of the skull and the
heavy lumber Of the frame
1t is only within the past fifteen years that
the curiousy formed Dachshund has attracted
much attention outside of Germany, but it has
attained popularity both in this country and
In England, which, considering that 1t Is but
little used for sport. speaks we'll for it's domestic
virtues. In form it comes close to the French
basset, having the bloodhound peculiarities of
head, together with great seeming powers, and
peculiar bandiness Of the fore-legs. The bas-
set and the Dachshund are indeed, both hunt
ing dogs and terriers. They find their game
the badger, IN his hole, dig HIN out (fOr which
operation their handy fOre-legs are eminently
we!l-suited). and tackle him above-ground with
pluck that has, in the case Of one of these
dogs, given rise to the German proverb, :'Wo
Elm Dachshund fangt er halt (Where q Dachs-
hund bites he holds).
If this could be said Of the Dachshund, how
much more truly might it be said of the bull
dog! The much-vaunted courage of that ami
NAL is perhaps the very lowest type Of physical
courage. He attacks and holds on because he
knows no better, and he never knows when he
mas had enough In the superior kinds of dogs
courage Is IN admirable quality, because 1t IL
enget.Sered by gratitude, devotion, or q sense Of
duty. These moral qualities however are con-
sp:cuOusly lacking in the bulldog owing to the
brutal nature Of the services which he has for
generations been bred to perform. His occupa-
ton Is now gone. but he still has mission.
The only quality which he possesses he has for
tunately remarkable power Of transmitting to
his progeny through many generations; and
when tempered by the nobier instincts Of the
nobler OF his species. the bulldogs courage be-
comes, in the third or fourth generation, an
attribute which is as desirable to retain o. If is
difficult to eradicate.
1t has been claimed for the dog that It is the
only animal that shows q preference for the 30
eiety OF man over that of fts own kind. Al
though Its virtues are those which man most
admires, yet it may be said that. SO high a
standard OF moral excellence has it reached. it's
virtues are its own and its vices are MANS It
Is surely notthe dogs fault if its docility is such
that it can as easily be taught wrong as right
With vicious master it will acquire vice: but
SO steadfast Is its nature that it will cling to a
human monster whose bad qualities would repel
even his own kind. That a dog can distinguish
between good and bad when they are cOntrasted
there can De no question, but it is doubtful
whether he Is the happier when he is vrtuOus or
when he is vicious. Possibly the waller dorg'
that steals chickens for his negro master and
the bull-pup that is the accOmplice in crime of a
Bill Skies. are as happy as the noble shepherd
dog that watches his masters flock upon the
m0untain-sde- type Of devotion and single
ness OF purpose than which it would be difficult
to find a higher.
The "Ettrck Shepherd" has said Of the Scotch
collie: without the shepherd dog the mount
ain land Of England and Scotland would not be
worth sxpence. 1t would require more hands
to manage flock Of sheep, gather them from
the nils, force them into houses and fields, and
drive them to market. than the profits Of the
whole are capable Of maintaining" High though
tis estimate lS OF the actual value OF the sheep
dog, our dog literature teens with aneciotical
evidence that goes far to support it; and what
has been written and said about the intelligence
Of the Scotch dog may be repeated about shep-
herd dogs the world over. The very nature of
their duty calls for those remarkable qualities
which have shown that the operations of Q
dogs mind come nearer to reason than man.
his master, II eften willing to admit. Ar the
intellectual and moral qualities arc alike in
shepherd dogs Of all countries so are their gen
eral physical characteristics The Scotch dog
wears heavier coat than his English brother.
because his field Of labor is in less hospItsble
climate For the same reason, the Russian
shepherd dog is protected by . wealth Of Ions.
hair that makes him at least as independent OF
the weather as his woody charges, and II this
must interfere somewhat with his speed, doubt
less his sheep are not SO wild - those that feed
upon the Grampian Hills.
1t Is easy to believe that the two kinds of
dogs to which, more than any others, destiny
has given the opportunity Of rendering to man
even greater services than those of the shepherd
dog, are more or less closely allied to that noble
animal. The Newfoundland and st. Bernard
dogs exhibit many Of the characteristics Of the
Scotch collie and his varieties. Moreover, Ia
the case Of the ST. Bernardo there liz . strong
presumption that they were originally brought