Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-06-07
Dogs and Sheep.
Winchester Home Journal.

The material progress OF a country
goes, pari pas8u, with intellectual pro.
gress. The Dog-Law enacted a few
years since was unpopular, and it was
repealed. We confess that it did not
then meet oar approval, but time has
wrought some changes in our mind,
as all who have been constant readers
of the Home Journal already know.
Eliminate few Objectionable features
of that law and give us one that will
protect sheep, and we are for it. In
this civilized country we cannot see
the necessity of having single sheep
killing dog. Let law be made which
will subjectto heavy fine and punish
ment any person who pretends to own.
a dog that is of a vicious species, un-
less he keeps that dog under perpetual
guard. Now, the fact that the vari-
QUO varieties Of dogs breed together
and perpetuate mOngrel offspring, led
the celebrated Button and other natu.
ralists to infer that all dogs are of but
one species, the physiological theory
being that DO two different species can
produce fertile descendants. In part
this is true, as you ascend the scale of
life, and which DR.. Van Evrie and the
great Bishop Hopkins have demonstra-
ted in their valuable remarks upon the
commingling of the different species of
the Genus Homo. But as to the Ca
nine species we respectfully enter de-
murrer. The blood of wolves, foxes,
dogs and jackals, has been so inter-
mixed, and the effects Of training dogs
have proven so clearly that in time
they will come to possess properties
agreeable to the kind of cultivation
bestowed upon them, that we need not
wonder at the long list of varieties
in dogs. The acquired habits of the
parent seem to have been transmitted,
and, so, we have dogs to watch our
hocks; dogs to catch rats; dogs to
guard our houses; dogs to seek game
in feld-sports; dogs to plunge into wa
ter and bring out game, or save us
from drowning; dogs to pace after la
dies as pets; dogs to chase for days the
deer and foxes dogs of all kinds,
more in kind than the kinds of silks
and satins hunted for by Mrs Flora
McFlimsey of Madison Square, who
had nothing to wear, but made three
separate journeys to Paris in search of
all things lady could put on the
crown of her head or sole of her foot.
We are led TO indulge ourselves In
these remarks after reading in the
Southern Standard" published at
McMinnville, some thirty miles from
Winchester, several articles in which
the editor, very naturally, shows lit.
tie choler because on a Tuesday morn
ing of this month he lost five fine
thoroughbred Cotswold sheep.
Our confrere has our sympthy, and
we here avow the unalterable determi,
nation of the Home Journal to labor
for good Dog Law, and until We
have one we need not expect to raist
sheep or wool. We wish to investigate
the subject further, but just now il
strikes us that it would be the RICH
and shrewd thing for our Legislator,
to pass law taxing every person $1O(
per annum who owns a. female dog o
any species in the State of Tennessee
Gentlemen, make such law and vol
will in after years rise up and bless GU
name. In this case we could no
reasonably expect to see every negr
in the land starving his family in orde
to "keep up" lot of poor doga tina
get little at home and prowl at nigh
for something to eat. Pass such law
and let it be in a few words, as W
have suggested. Have it short an
understandable, and such law wi
benefit our State one million dollars i
few years.
HUdronhnhio